Christian ... do you believe the bible is true?

The question is very simple and direct. I will ask it again with some more detail. If you are a born again believer in Christ, do you believe that the Bible is true? You may be saying to yourself, “That’s a strange question to ask”, or perhaps you are saying “Well of course I believe that the Bible is true”.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man”  Matthew 24: 36-37

If you believe what the scriptures say, that is great. I made a decision to believe the word of God many years ago, from the index at the beginning to the maps at the back.

I am not going to get into discussions about eschatology, the tribulation or a post, mid or pre-tribulation rapture, or debates on what should or should not be fulfilled or anything like that. It is a contentious subject for some, while others become fearful if it is discussed, while some people even avoid talking about it. The subject is one that is not preached very often today for many reasons, the main one being a seeker sensitive approach. Simply I make the statement that Jesus is coming soon…..very soon, yes it could even be today, even while you are reading this. Scripture tells me that if you are not ready when He returns, it will be too late.

If you say you believe the scriptures, I suggest it raises a few very important questions that you should be asking yourself.

·         Do you believe that the return of Christ is really imminent?

·         If you do, how does it affect the way you live your life?

·         How does your belief in this affect your Christian witnessing?

In a recent blog called “Are you grateful for the cross” I stated that real gratitude to Jesus for His atoning death at Calvary should compel us to witness for Him. The realisation of the truth of what Christ has saved us from becomes outworked through a willingness to share the Gospel with those that don’t know Him.

Your belief in the scripture mentioned above will undoubtedly determine your attitude towards sharing your faith with others. If you genuinely believed that the world was going to end tomorrow, or that a catastrophic event like an earthquake or tsunami was coming to your area, would you keep it to yourself, or would you tell everyone that you knew about the impending danger?

In that situation you would surely do the latter. The truth is that Jesus is coming soon. We need a sense of urgency to share the Gospel, because we don’t know the day or the hour.

For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. Hebrew 3: 7

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” Revelation 22: 12

I am not suggesting that you buy a megaphone, get a sandwich board and stand on the corner of the high street bellowing out “The end of the world is nigh”. Rather, I am asking you what you truly believe. We are living in a time where some churches ……. dare I say it ….. are either sugar coating or diluting the Gospel so that it becomes more palatable. 

Key Point: Be honest with yourself about what you truly believe

This isn’t preached very often because to speak of it means having to face up to some hard truths. I am not suggesting that you preach it either, but instead be honest with yourself and examine how your belief in the scripture you have read determines the urgency you have in your heart to be a witness for Christ.

The scriptures are not all easy to accept. In fact many of them are very direct and challenging. Jesus knew what He was saying when He spoke these words:

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law  a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household” Matthew 10: 34-36

I included that scripture in a message I preached a few years ago. At the end of the meeting one of the church elders spoke to me and told me that he hadn’t heard the scripture preached on for ages. On another occasion I shared about Christ’s return. Some people told me that they had never heard a message on the subject, while one elderly couple said that they were gripped by the message and scriptures they heard. As a result they couldn’t sleep that night. Those people were God fearing, Bible-believing Christians.

What we believe determines our attitudes. Ask yourself about your beliefs with regards to this important topic.

My first pastor of sixteen years once told me to study this area, to discover what I really believed and importantly, to find out why I believed it.

Why don’t you find out for yourself?