Whose Word are you taking?

“Come Reason”
Newsletter of Denise Smith
Volume no. 204-01
February 12, 2004

Whose Word are you taking?

We often speak of the “word of God” in referring to the bible or we say that we have “God’s word” on things when it’s only the words that we’ve found in the bible. So I ask you to consider for a moment “whose words are you taking?”

When we are faced with decisions of life, we seek the most expert person we can find and get their advise before we make any decisions. We look to find experts or the source of information on a topic or matter in all situations, other than where the word of God, the “bible” is concerned. Most people who believe the bible is the infallible word of God only offer as a reason for that belief or the basis for it as “it says so”… implying that the bible says it’s the word of God.

So does that mean that it is the word of God simply because it says that it is? Would that likewise mean that if I told you that I’m a cardiologist that you’d allow me to operate on your heart without first checking it out? Certainly not… you would question my credentials and rightfully so! So why is there such a fear in people who believe the bible is the word of God questioning whether it is or not? It’s as if God is going to punish you or be upset with you questioning the bible being the word of God…but why would He? Even the bible says to “come reason”… “ask and ye shall have”..”if you lack wisdom ask God”.. so why would there be so many people upset when a person questions or has questions about whether the bible is the word of God or not? It would seem that a person that knows God would want another person to be confident about what they are going to believe about God… and would encourage them to ask God and know for sure! But is this the real issue?? No, I think not. I think the real issue lies within the hearts of those that want to believe the bible is the word of God… that it is infallible…. and yet have not for one moment considered asking God if the bible is His word for themselves. We all know that where there is uncertainty… there is always defensiveness and fear! It goes hand in hand.

We’ve been told for years that the bible is the word of God. That is came through inspired men who HEARD God’s voice and penned what God told them about situations, circumstances, and things to come. We are told that the bible is the instruction book for life… but I have to ask…”who has told you that”? Have any of you ever taken a few minutes to ask God if those words are His words? Have you ever ask God if He left behind the bible for us to know Him, and know about Him? Have you ever asked God if those men were really inspired? Or have you like so many others simply taken the word of another instead of asking God? Have you like many others, “just assumed” that it was because so many say that it is? Would you likewise apply that same logic and reason to other things? Can you really base your entire destiny and journey through life on the “assumption” instead of asking God?

Then we have to consider why wouldn’t we have asked God? He is the Almighty, All knowing, creator of all, who is attributed to having inspired those men to pen the words He spoke…so why haven’t we asked God? It surely is something that everyone who believes in God as the Almighty, Supreme Being should consider and ask themselves. If all that we seem to believe about God is real…why would we take anyone else’s word for anything?

It is not my intention to prove to you that the bible is the word of God… or that it is not. It is only to say to each of you that we need to stop being habitually prone to take the words of another without asking God. Most of all that we’ve based Christianity and being a christian on is found in the pages of a book…of which we’ve never asked the Author any questions about. How is it that we’ve been reading and claiming to live by a book that few of us have ever asked God about at all? How can we base our entire life and the instructions for life on the pages of a book without asking the Creator of all things… if it’s His word or not? Can we really continue to live our lives… following or attempting to follow and trusting in the words found in a book without asking the God of the book whether it’s His words or not? Can we continue to live our entire lives with the hopes and belief that the bible is the word of God merely because someone else has told us that it is…or because the pages of the book records that it is? Is it something you’re willing to believe without asking about? Why would you?? Think about it… why would you want to do what you “think” is right… when you have the resource of the Almighty God to ask??

So many of us have without any consideration or question put so much faith and trust in the words of the bible and yet so few of us have ever asked God if they are in fact His words???If He truly is the God of the bible…and He hasn’t changed..then He will likewise speak the word to you that you need to hear and they will likewise inspire you as they did many before you… but you’ll really never know for sure until you ….Ask Him… Hear Him… and know Him!!