Do you believe the Bible? It is a simple question with a simple yes or no answer. To add parenthesis to the question only complicates the question. I ask the question because a close personal relationship with the godhead is a relationship built on trust, on hope, and on belief.
These three items deal with a matter of the heart. There is no guarantee there will be factual evidence—other than the Bible—to back up the one you are trusting. As exciting as the physical evidence is, it only satisfies the natural part of a human being. The type of trust that is needed to have a close personal relationship with the godhead is spiritual trust, hope, or belief.
For example, the Bible clearly states that the beating that Jesus endured prior to his death provides healing. I know people who died of illnesses believing that Jesus was their healer. Isn’t that proof that Jesus does not heal? On a natural level, I would say yes, that is correct. However, the Bible clearly states, on several occasions, that by the beating of Jesus, you are healed. From a natural standpoint, I cannot explain why these people died believing something the Bible says. But from a spiritual standpoint, I believe that the Bible is true despite what happens in the natural realm.
At this point, some may say, Okay, that is crazy—and you would have a good argument—but do you believe the Bible?
I like the portrayal of this found in one of the Indiana Jones movies. Standing at the edge of the cliff of a great divide, Jones reflects in his mind the research of his father. Trusting in his dad’s writings, Indiana takes a step of faith towards certain death, only to find a pathway to the other side.
The evidence screamed one thing, but Jones made a choice to believe something else, the words of his father. So, yes, I can give you strong evidence that contradicts the Bible, but I have made a choice to believe the words of my father—God—and step out in faith trusting him to show me the pathway to the other side.
It appears that this trust issue was alive and well in early biblical times. The Apostle Peter addresses it in his second letter in the New Testament. “They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” II Peter 3:4 New Living Translation
When the apostle says, “everything has remained the same since the world was first created, was he looking down the corridors of time and cleverly crafting his words—written over 2,000 years ago—to hold hostage those who raise the question today? Or, was the adversary that humanity deals with today the same one humanity dealt with over 2,000 years ago?
The apostle answers the question by stating that God the Father is patiently waiting for humanity to make the right choice to follow him. What seems like a lie in the eyes of some, is the loving desire for reconciliation for God. However, the day will come when the promise will take place. So, do you believe the Bible?
To say that you believe parts of the Bible is to say that you are in control of determining what is acceptable and what is not. What do you do if someone determines a portion acceptable that you deem unacceptable? Who is right, or wrong? Now it becomes a slippery slope of perception, one right, one wrong, when it should be a matter of choice, to believe the words of the Father.