Got Questions?

When I studied journalism in college I was taught that any good newspaper article should answer four basic questions within the first paragraph.  Those questions are WHO, WHERE, WHAT, and WHEN.  My classmates and I were warned to avoid drawing our own conclusion when we reported the fifth basic question, WHY.  We were taught to "stick to the facts," and if we were not told the WHY, we should not attempt to report it, but rather to write something like, "it is not at this time known why. . ."

When we study the Bible, we should ask the same questions.  For any given verse, chapter, or book of the Bible we should ask, "Who wrote it and to whom was it written?  Where was the author and where was the reader?  What was being written about? When was it written?  Why was it written?"  If we ask these questions about any particular passage, we can avoid taking things out of context and twisting scripture to make it suit our own biases.

When we look at all scripture in context, we will find that there is absolutely no conflict or contradiction within the entire Bible.  To me, that is absolutely amazing, a confirmation that the Bible we read is indeed the inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God.  The Bible contains 66 individual books, written over a 1600 year time period, in three different languages (Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew), by about 40 writers, on three continents (Africa, Asia, Europe), including several subjects (history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom, etc.), and yet every part of the Bible points us to one true and living God who loves us and wants an eternal relationship with us. 

What is even more astounding to me is the prophecy within the pages of the Bible.  Even the books we consider primarily "history" contain prophecy about the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Not even one of those prophecies was left unfulfilled.  According to FaithFacts.org:

Mathematicians have calculated the odds of Jesus fulfilling only 8 of the Messianic prophecies as 1 out of 10¹⁷ (a 1 followed by 17 zeros). This is equivalent to covering the entire state of Texas with silver dollars 2 feet deep, marking one of them, mixing them all up and having a blind-folded person select the marked one at random the first time.

BUT THERE'S MORE!  In addition, there are prophecies about His coming again at some time in the future!  In light of the past fulfilled prophecies, how can we doubt that these future prophecies will also be fulfilled, just as they are written!

Some folks would try to deny the veracity of the Bible, saying that it is just a book of legends and folklore.  But did you know that there is not one piece of scientific or archaeological evidence that can refute anything stated in the Bible?  Did you know that, before Galileo first used the telescope to peer into space and proclaimed that the earth is round, the Bible told us that very fact?  Writing about the sun, King David wrote in Psalm 19:6, "Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end;"  A circuit is round, not flat.  And in Psalm 103:12, he wrote, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."  The distance from the North Pole to the South Pole is a finite distance.  But, because the earth is round, the distance from east to west cannot be measured, it is infinite.  That is how far God removes our sin from us when He forgives us!  WOW!   

So, back to my five basic questions:

WHO is this God that I love to write and talk about? 

Exodus 3:13, Amplified Version:  "And God said to Moses, I Am Who I Am and What I Am, and I Will Be What I Will Be;"

John 14:6, New King James Version:  "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"

WHERE can you find Him?

1 Kings 8:27, Easy-to-Read Version:  "But, God, will you really live here with us on the earth? The whole sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you. Certainly this Temple that I built cannot contain you either."

Revelation 3:20, New King James Version:  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

WHAT does He want me to do?

Proverbs 3:5-7:  "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil."

Philippians 4:4-8, New King James Version:  "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."

WHEN does He want me to do it?

Psalm 118:24, King James Bible:  "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

2 Corinthians 6:2, Common English Bible:  "He says, I listened to you at the right time, and I helped you on the day of salvation. Look, now is the right time! Look, now is the day of salvation!"

WHY should I worship Him?

John 3:16, King James Version:  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Romans 5:8, King James Version:  "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

My prayer this week is that we will have a hunger and a thirst for the word of God, where He is able to answer all our questions.  My prayer is taken from Psalm 119:103-105, King James Version:

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Help me as I read your word, the Bible, to understand it, to apply it to my life, and to faithfully share it with others.)