The Bible: Our Spiritual Standard I. Introduction A. We live in a world of many religious claims 1. There is a multiplicity of religions out there! 2. Many have a religion of no religion! B. In this sea of claims regarding God and how to follow Him, or whether He exists or can be followed, what are we to do? C. We must seek to ascertain whether God can be known, and whether He has revealed anything regarding Himself to mankind D. Fortunately, one such source stands taller than the rest, accepted by more and for longer time than the majority of others E. The Bible! F. What is the Bible? G. What does the Bible claim about itself? H. Is the claim of the Bible stronger than other religious claims? I. Let us explore these matters today II. What is the Bible? A. What is the nature of this book called the Bible? B. "Bible" comes from the Greek word biblia, meaning "books" 1. The Bible is a collection of books 2. It is divided into Old and New Testaments 3. It has 66 books-- 39 in the Old, 27 in the New C. It was written over a period of 1500 years, from 1400 BCE - 100 CE 1. The OT was originally written in Hebrew and parts in Aramaic 2. The NT was originally written in the common Greek of the time D. The Bible, overall, is the story of God's eternal plan in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:11) 1. In the beginning, God worked with individuals-- the Patriarchs 2. God then worked with a nation-- Israel 3. God then brought forth salvation to the entire world in Christ Jesus 4. The Bible reveals this story and the glory that is to come E. The value and holiness of the Bible has been recognized for millennia F. Having seen a basic idea of what the Bible is, what does it claim about itself? III. The Bible's Claim A. The Bible claims to be the revealed Word of God 1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 2. 2 Peter 1:19-21 B. The claim is that God inspired certain men to write, and on account of that we have the Scriptures C. The Bible claims that the Scriptures represent the will of God, and the truth behind events in human history D. The Bible claims to be the only guide for human conduct E. The Bible also claims to present the means by which one can have association with God and therefore gain eternal life (1 John 1:1-5) F. Likewise, the Bible also claims that it maintains the exclusive message of God, and reveals information about Jesus the Christ, the only way to reach the Father (John 14:6) G. These are strong claims, and many other religions-- and even many within Christianity-- do not fully accept these claims 1. Do these religions or alternative beliefs have a better way? 2. Let us explore such now IV. Other Religious Claims A. Many religions focus more on experiential learning than an objective standard 1. Buddhism, Zen, and many animist religions instruct in such ways 2. The focus is more on the self 3. These religions have gained great popularity in America in recent years 4. Yet can it be from oneself that understanding can truly be gained? How can this understanding be measured and compared with the understanding of others? Will we accept such a chaotic concept? 5. Such religions cannot compare with the truth in Christ Jesus! B. Many religions do more to enshrine cultural values than true religion 1. Many a religion comes from cultural traditions 2. Paul speaks of such in Romans 1:18-32 3. Many times, people have certain desires and behold, those desires are enshrined in religion! 4. Hinduism, in India, enshrines the Aryan culture of the second millennium BCE or native Indian traditions that are far older, barely trying to hide the polytheism of past generations, and to this day maintains the caste system used to retain power and privilege for the few 5. Many of the "animist" native religions consider the ancestors to be divinities, or find divinities in the creation, not the Creator 6. Even in religions like Judaism and Islam we find many a cultural tradition being enshrined by religion! 7. True religion will not simply be a vehicle of culture to suit its desires! C. The Matter of Islam 1. Islam is a very popular religion in the world, and it is based on a supposed revelation to Muhammad 2. It is interesting to note that the Qu'ran does treat the Bible as an inspired book! 3. Muhammad's complaint against Christianity is rooted less in the Bible proper and more in "catholic" traditions 4. As to the "revelation" to Muhammad, well, the book that all agree upon-- the Bible-- gives no indication that such a revelation would come to pass 5. Furthermore, Islam is a religion of the Arabs geared toward the Arabs and rewriting history to fit the Arabs in a. Ishmael, not Isaac, is emphasized b. Abraham is said to have gone to Arabia! c. Heaven is portrayed as an oasis with beautiful women waiting d. jihad, holy war, is a means by which territory can be gained e. as an earthly premise, Islam is rather successful-- but it focuses entirely on this world! 6. In the end, Islam rests on a "revelation" not promised and represents a religion focused on a certain group, and its claims are not as strong as the universal claim of God in Christ through the Bible D. Judaism 1. The Jewish religion remains, and it of course accepts the claims of the Old Testament, and yet rejects the New 2. Their religious claims, however, are compromised by historical reality 3. Jesus indicated in Matthew 24:1-36 that the Temple would be destroyed, and indeed it was in 70 CE 4. Unlike 586 BCE, there was no strictly Jewish prophet telling the people what to do in the wake of the events of 70 CE; God's revelation to them was in Christ, and their rejection of Him led to their own rejection 5. To this very day the Jews do not make the appropriate sacrifices as established in the Law of Moses, and therefore there is not a Jew who can claim to be holding to it today 6. Judaism today is not the religion of the Old Testament-- it is the composite collection of traditions that rationalize the religion despite all the historical reality pointing against it 7. The religious claim of Judaism then is heavily compromised-- the situation of the Jews indeed confirms the claims of the New Testament! E. Gnosticism 1. These days we have heard much about the Gnostics and the Gnostic books 2. Gnostics believed many different things, but most of them share in positing an amalgamation of Christianity and Hellenistic philosophy 3. Many of their books, written from the second through fourth centuries CE, have been uncovered in recent years in Egypt 4. Many point to these books and act as if they present a challenge to the Bible! 5. Many try to say that these books were "banned" from the Bible! 6. In reality, all of these books-- the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Judas, Gospel of Truth, Gospel of Philip, etc.-- were never even considered for a moment to be entered into the canon! 7. These books, lost to us perhaps, were well-known to the Christians of the first few centuries CE, and we have the thorough refutation of these Gnostic beliefs 8. In fact, the obliteration of Gnostic belief systems attests to their falsity! 9. While many Gnostic works show influence from the New Testament, we can even see within the New Testament warnings against their error (Colossians 2:8, 2 John 8-9, etc.) 10. The claims of the Gnostics, then, do not stand against the truth of the Bible V. Other Claims by "Christians" A. It is not only from other religions, furthermore, that the claims of the Bible are questioned, but even from those who would profess Christ! B. Many have claimed to have received new revelations beyond the Word 1. 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 and the witness of history attest that such has ceased 2. Nevertheless, Joseph Smith, Ellen White, Mary Baker Eddy, and others have claimed to have received some new revelation 3. Their claims, when compared with the Word of God (1 John 4:2), do not align, and we can be assured that they are false! C. Even today, many who would not go that far still claim that the Spirit is of greater consequence than the Scriptures 1. The difficulty with such a belief is that even those who were given the Spirit in the New Testament period relied on the power and authority of the written word! 2. Acts 2:1-36: the first new covenant sermon is rooted in the authority of the prophecies of the Old Testament! 3. This is consistent throughout the New Testament! 4. The Spirit will only be in harmony with the Word, not against it! D. Many denominations claim an authoritative tradition that is to be followed 1. Indeed, in Roman Catholicism and some others, tradition is to interpret Scripture, and not the other way around! 2. Yet the tradition is not consistent in and of itself, and on many occasions contradicts the Word of God, and therefore is to be rejected (Matthew 15:3, 1 Timothy 4:1-3) 3. Many denominations are guilty of the same, rather holding to the doctrines of men in past centuries than to turn and follow the Word only! E. We can see, therefore, that the claims of the other religions and even claims within Christianity do not stand! V. Conclusion A. What, then, shall we say in regards to these things? B. We have seen that the Bible's claims are stronger than any other claims C. While other religions, and even some within "Christianity", would attempt to posit rival claims, the difficulties of those claims are insurmountable D. The Bible, then, is to be believed and accepted, and its claims are to be held by faith (Hebrews 11:1, 6) E. Invitation/songbook F. Do you today realize that the claims of the Bible are to be accepted, and that the Bible is to be the guide of your life? G. Do you realize that the Bible is true when it establishes that God sent His Son to die for your sin, and that He is the only way to the Father and to eternal life? 1. You have the opportunity today to act upon that message and be saved 2. Obey Christ today! H. Or perhaps you recognize the Bible, and need encouragement to be the follower of God you ought to be I. Whatever your need, let us help you; come to the front as we stand and sing