ARE GOD AND THE BIBLE RELEVANT TODAY?
I became a follower of Christ in 1976. I strive to live out my faith based on the Word of God, the teaching I have heard and seen, as well as by the leading of the Holy Spirit. I have not spent much time in the years since I came to Faith, pondering whether or not God and the Bible are relevant. If I didn’t believe they were, there would be no need to live by those principles. The popular mindset today for many, seems to be, I want to be free to live my life the way I want. It’s not just God’s relevance in question, but his existence as well. Many believe the Bible to be outdated, choosing to believe some parts and to disregard others.
Something occurred which brought the question to the forefront of my thinking. Several months ago I stopped by a Starbucks one afternoon. Being mid afternoon, there were only a couple other people in the store. One of them, a gentleman, was engaged in a conversation with the young female barista. I was sitting fairly close by, and could hear most of the conversation. They were talking about God and the Bible. I do not know how the conversation began. It may have been sparked by a Christian movie being shown at the local cinema. What struck me is the barista was clear and rather emphatic. For her, God and the Bible were irrelevant! The gentleman was calmly stating he believed they were relevant. A couple of young men were also working behind the counter, and listening to the conversation. As I sat there that day, and in the months since, the experience has been on my mind, in a way much like a nagging toothache. I wonder what occurred in the young lady’s life, leading her to a belief of irrelevance? I wonder what the other workers and the gentleman talking to her thought, and how the conversation affected them.
Looking at our culture today reminds me of a general theme throughout the Bible. Over and over we read accounts which tell us, God’s people were blessed and prosperous when they followed God and lived by his principles. When they did not, it resulted in defeat, captivity, death and destruction.
Because of God’s love for his creation, he gave us the Word. The Bible shows us what works and results in a blessed life, and what does not work, leading to unhappiness and sorrow. Proverbs is a primer for living a satisfying and fulfilling life. We all encounter difficulties and obstacles. God’s promise in His Word, is he is with the believer, when we face hardships. We are not alone! He offers hope for this life and eternity.
Debating the relevance of God and the Bible will not change most peoples minds. Especially those who question the existence of God, and who do not accept the Bible as the infallible, inerrant Word of God. God promises, if we seek him with our whole heart, we will find him. He will reveal himself. In His Word, we have access to principles proven to work, which lead to a happier and more fulfilling life. God wants us to buy in to him and his principles. This means we do not pick and choose which principles we follow and which we do not. We each choose the way we believe best to live our life. God’s ways work. Man’s ways generally fall short.
My answer to the question is an emphatic yes! I choose to believe the whole Bible. I believe God is who the Bible says He is, and I am who the Bible says I am.
Scripture References: Jeremiah 29:12-13, Acts 2:28, Psalm 119:10, Deuteronomy 4:29 and James 1:2-18