Defend The Bible! I Would As Soon Defend A Lion!

Unchain it and it will defend itself. -C. H. Spurgeon

Charles H. Spurgeon talked about the need to defend the Bible in this quote. He lived in the 1800’s. Back then, as today, the Bible is attacked, criticized, misquoted, and defamed.

What’s people’s problem with the Bible? Mark Twain perhaps answered that question best when he said, “It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that bother me. It’s the parts I dounderstand.”

In other words, the Bible is a powerful force. As it says of itself: “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12 NLT)

People don’t want to be exposed by it, obey it, give an account for living according to its words and submit to it. Therefore, they attack.

In the writings on this website, I seek to answer honest questions about the Bible.

I have written about why we can trust the Bible, follow the Bible’s teaching, and believe it.

But many don’t ask honest questions, they just want to attack. For those people, the response is Spurgeon is the best: “ Defend the Bible! I would as soon defend a lion!”

If you have honest questions about why and how we can trust the Bible, check out these resources on my site:

• 4 Reasons You Can Love and Trust the Bible Today

• How Digging in the Dirt Proves the Bible is Reliable

• Four Powerful Proofs Jesus Lives

• Have You Written Your Own Bible?

• Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

• Podcast: Where do dinosaurs fit in the Bible?

• Podcast: How do we know we have the right books in the Bible?

• Podcast: Why do some Bible versions omit certain verses?

• Video vlog: Twisting Scripture

To learn how to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and be saved for all eternity click HERE.

To develop your relationship with God, get my free eBook “10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth” click HERE.

The Christian Does Not Think That God Will Love Us Because We Are Good…

…but that God will make us good because He loves us.

“The Christian does not think that God will love us because we are good but that God will make us good because He loves us.”

This wonderful quote from C. S. Lewis really captures the concept of salvation in Christianity. Our salvation comes by grace through faith in Christ.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

Notice salvation is “not your own doing.” There is nothing we can do to “earn” our salvation.

Unfortunately, many people think they have to be “good enough” to become a Christian. But that is a contradiction of clear Biblical teaching.

Christians aren’t Christians because they are “good.” They are made good by God who continually works in us to make us better.

Even the great Apostle Paul admitted, “chief of sinners.”

The 3 writers who wrote more of the Bible than any others were all murderers! Moses, David and Paul. What a great illustration of the fact that:

“We are all infected and impure with sin.

    When we display our righteous deeds,

    they are nothing but filthy rags.”

(Isaiah 64:6a NLT)

All are sinners and Christianity alone offers complete hope for all. 

Someone put it this way: “All other religions are ‘do.’ Christianity is ‘done.’”

Do you get the picture? He died for our sins because we cannot be good enough to “earn” heaven.

It is totally wrong to think that God will love us because we are good.

Pride makes many dislike this and keeps many from heaven. We want to “earn our way.” But that is not possible according to the Bible.

To receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and have a real forever friend click HERE. 

To develop your relationship with God, get my free eBook “10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth” click HERE.

For more help in understanding salvation, see these resources:

• Who Needs Jesus, I’m a Good Person

• Facing Death Fearlessly How to Prepare for Eternity Now and Face Death with Confidence Later

• Podcast: Will someone lose their salvation if they commit terrible sins?

• How I made a Killing in Real Estate and You Can Too! 

My Help Comes From The Lord…

…the maker of heaven and earth.

As I started posting this card, James Taylor came on my Pandora Radio singing Carole King’s beautiful “You’ve Got a Friend.”

The lyrics say:

When you’re down and troubled And you need a helping hand And nothing, nothing is going right Close your eyes and think of me And soon I will be there To brighten up even your darkest night You just call out my name And you know wherever I am I’ll come running, oh yeah baby, to see you again Winter, spring, summer or fall All you’ve got to do is call And I’ll be there, ya, ya, ya You’ve got a friend

Carole King has said of writing of the song, “The song wrote itself. It was written by something outside myself, through me.”

I would argue that God wrote the song, gave it to Carole, in order to help people find true friendship through His Son Jesus Christ.

Listening I thought of the fact that of all our friends, the most faithful friend is the Lord Jesus.

Other friends come and go.Colleagues are often simply friends of proximity—leave a job and the friendships are over.Families members let us down and some desert us.

But “my help comes from the Lord.”

He is always with us. “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)“Nothing can separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:38-39)Even during and after death He is there: “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” (Psalm 23:4)

What kind of help comes from the Lord, our Forever Friend?

Is He compelled to answer every prayer we pray? No, He knows better than to do that!Does He protect us from every potential evil? No, we are protected in eternity, but “in this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33 NIV).

So when it says “my help comes from the Lord,” what does that mean?

It means that through following Christ, He lives in us, as does the Holy Spirit who provides the following:

• He encourages (Ac 9:31)

• He counsels (Jn 14:16)

• He convicts us of sin (Jn 16:8)

• He prays for us (Rom 8:27)

• He sends people out to do His works (Ac 13:4)

• He directs decisions for the church (Ac 15:28)

• He chooses missionaries (Ac 13:2)

• He convicts us of sin (Jn 16:7-11)

• He gives us new life (Jn 3:5-6, Title 3:5)

• He makes us realize Gods love (Rom 5:5)

• He gives power to witness (Ac 1:8, Ac 6:9-10)

• He teaches us what to say (Luke 12:12)

• He reveals God’s secrets to us (1 Co 2:10-16)

• He brings Christ’s presence to us (Jn 14:16-18)

• He teaches us about Christ (Jn 14:26, Jn 15:26)

• He enables us to find the truth (1Jn 4:1-6)

• He controls us (Rom 8:9)

• He gives us joy and peace (Rom 14:17)

• He draws us into fellowship (2 Co 13:14, Php 2:1)

• He enables us to live the Christian life (Rom 8:5-9)

• He works His fruit in us (Gal 5:16-25)

• He sanctifies us (Rom 15:16, 2Th2:13)

• He gives us gifts (1Co 12:4-11)

• He gives us his sword to fight Satan (Eph 6:17)

• He prays for us in times of crisis (Rom 8:24)

• He will raise us from the dead (Rom 8:11)

Now that’s real friendship! Indeed, “my help comes from the Lord.” 

For more help connecting with God through prayer, check out these resources I’ve prepared:

• Podcast: Why Aren’t My Prayers Answered?

• Why You Need Protecting Prayer in 3 Realms and How to Do It

• How Praising Unlocks Heaven on Earth

• So You Think You Can’t Take a Prayer Retreat?

For help with answering questions about why God allows suffering and pain (theodicy) see these resources I have prepared:

• 3 Trees That Explain Suffering (a series of 3 articles)

• How to be Joyful When You are Really Suffering

• The Best Quick Biblical Answer to Suffering

• Why is There so Much Pleasure in the World?

• My Classmate Bart Ehrman’s Hopeless Response to Suffering

• What Does God Owe Me?

To receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and have a real forever friend click HERE.

To develop your relationship with God, get my free eBook “10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth” click HERE.