Built on the Bible
“The word of the Lord proves true.”
2 Samuel 22:31
One of the most precious truths of the Bible is that it proves true. This is a very simple concept, and you probably already knew it. However, do you really know it? Do your actions show that you believe the whole Bible is true? Does the way you look at the world show that you believe the Bible is true? Let’s take a hard look at this simple truth, that the Bible proves true.
The Standard for Truth
First, we’ll look at how the Bible shapes how we view the worldview. We call this our worldview, the lens through which we view the world. This is foundational to how you think, yet your probably don’t think about this often. Most people don’t, yet it is vitally important that we understand our worldview and those of others.
The first key aspect of a biblical worldview is that the Bible is the only absolute standard of truth. How do we know that our eyes tell us correctly that the sky is blue? Is that just a figment of our imagination? According to a biblical worldview, we understand that God gave us our senses as a tool to find truth in the world. God placed us in a real world, and we know that because the Bible says He did. While that was an extreme example, we see the necessity of the standard all throughout our world. For example, is premarital sex really a bad thing? How do we know it’s wrong? Well, God’s Word says so (Eph. 5:3), so that means it is wrong.
God’s Word is also the key to using reasoning. Reasoning is another tool that God has given us to understand the world around us, but it should be accountable to the Bible. For example, reasoning would tell us that God cannot be three in one. However, from a biblical worldview we find the doctrine of the Trinity taught in Scripture. Thus, while we must use reasoning, as the apostle Paul did often, we must realize that is is accountable to the Bible, not vice versa.
The Remaining Truth
Another aspect of God’s Word proving true is that the Bible is a truth that remains. First, we see that God’s Word will never change. When change happens, that generally communicates that there was a deficiency or a flaw. For example, the original iPhone was not perfect, otherwise, you would still be using it, not the iPhone 12 Max! God’s Word, however, never needs changing. We can bank on it realizing that the Word that was good for Moses is good for us too.
Another observation in the vein of God’s Truth remaining is that what was true when the Bible was written is true now. That is crazy to think about! Think about all the changes in science that have occurred since the time of Jesus. For example, a helio-centric view of the earth is something that wouldn’t have been widely accepted in Jesus’ time. Yet NASA will tell you, the earth is not the center of the universe! God’s Word, however, is something that will never change. It will always prove true, for those two thousand years before us and for us now.
This is extremely counter-cultural. We live in a world that is plagued by iconoclasm and what Carl Trueman would call “cultural amnesia.” Society today is consumed with rejecting the sacred and twisting history. For proof of this, just look at cancel culture that seeks to reject all history that doesn’t agree with today’s culture’s morality. However, we know that all of God’s Word proves true, and that means that this truth can’t be twisted. You can deny the truth of the Bible, but that doesn’t make it false.
The Tangible Truth
Finally, we will look at how the Bible applies to us today. First, realize that everything you read in your Bible this morning is true. Think about that! So often, we give lip service to the truth of what we read in the Bible. We say that we think it’s true, but our actions don’t reflect that! Tomorrow morning when you read the Bible, remember that what you are reading is completely true, and God will hold you accountable to it because it is.
Next, we need to remember that the Word of the Lord proves true when we pray. I’ll admit, I fall into this trap too. We pray, fulfilling our Christian duties, but we don’t really think anything will come of it. That can’t be farther from the truth! Thanks to the Bible, we know that our Heavenly Father hears our requests! God answers our prayers (John 14:14)! While sometimes we won’t anticipate how God answers those requests, we know that He does answer them. Sometimes the answer is no, yes, or later, but God does hear, and God WILL be true to His promises in Scripture. Pray like you know that’s true.
Finally, we need to live like the Bible is true. Throughout the Bible we see God tell us what to do and that God will strengthen us to obey. However, our actions often say that we don’t believe God’s Word! When we sin, we trust ourselves more than we trust the Bible. We need to live lives that show that we trust that God can and will satisfy us, all the time. Think, pray, and live, knowing that the Bible proves true.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.