My favorite book that is not the Bible is: George Mueller, Delighted In God. It is an amazing book. I highly recommend that you read that book. I'm sure others have a book that is their favorite. Maybe there is a book that means a great deal to you because it hits an area of your life that means a great deal to you. That's great! However, it's not the Bible. The Bible is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword. It is transformative. George Mueller, Delighted In God can never do what the Bible does.
The Bible should never be viewed as "just a book". It is the Word of God and, because of that, we have a responsibility to handle it rightly.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB95)
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
The Word of God is to impact our life. Too many people use their life to impact the Word of God. What I mean by that is that we allow our circumstances to influence what the Word of God means. This is a terrible approach to take with the Bible. Instead, God's Word, and God's Word alone, is to impact how you view and live your life.
God's Word is to be obeyed
Luke 11:28 (NASB95)
28 But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
I have seen and heard, with my own eyes and ears, people attempt to redefine what the Bible has to say because of a change in their life or the culture around them. The Bible means what it means. It doesn't matter what our culture says or how our culture changes. The Word of God is the same today as it was yesterday, and it will remain unchanged into the future.
The Word of God is to have authority in your life and we are called to obey God and His Word.
James 1:22–23 (NASB95)
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
God's Word is instructive, not restrictive
Romans 15:4 (NASB95)
4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Let me give a "real world" example. Sex is reserved for marriage.
Hebrews 13:4 (NASB95)
4 Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
Our society has a misunderstanding of why the "marriage bed" is to be undefiled. Their misunderstanding is that God simply wants to restrict them and not allow them to have "fun" or enjoy life. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that the marriage relationship is supposed to be the closest human relationship you have. In many instances, the close relationship of marriage is used to illustrate the closeness of Jesus Christ with His followers. The truth is that when a person has sex with someone other than their spouse, it weakens the marriage before that person is ever married. God's command about the "marriage bed" is to save us from the devaluing of the marriage relationship.
There are many more examples I could give, but I hope this example will suffice. God does want the best for His children on this earth. His commands are given so that we can "thrive" while serving Him on this earth.
God's Word can be trusted
2 Timothy 3:16 (NASB95)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
There is nothing in the Word of God that isn't profitable. His Word teaches, reproves, corrects, and trains. You can trust His Word because it is His Word given to us. You can also trust His Word because His Word has been shown to be true throughout history. It has proven Itself to be the most reliable "book" in history.
Pt. 2: Treat The Word Of God Rightly
My favorite book that is not the Bible is: George Mueller, Delighted In God. It is an amazing book. I highly recommend that you read that book. I'm sure others have a book that is their favorite. Maybe there is a book that means a great deal to you because it hits an area of your life that means a great deal to you. That's great! However, it's not the Bible. The Bible is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword. It is transformative. George Mueller, Delighted In God can never do what the Bible does.
The Bible should never be viewed as "just a book". It is the Word of God and, because of that, we have a responsibility to handle it rightly.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB95)
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
The Word of God is to impact our life. Too many people use their life to impact the Word of God. What I mean by that is that we allow our circumstances to influence what the Word of God means. This is a terrible approach to take with the Bible. Instead, God's Word, and God's Word alone, is to impact how you view and live your life.
Luke 11:28 (NASB95)
28 But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
I have seen and heard, with my own eyes and ears, people attempt to redefine what the Bible has to say because of a change in their life or the culture around them. The Bible means what it means. It doesn't matter what our culture says or how our culture changes. The Word of God is the same today as it was yesterday, and it will remain unchanged into the future.
The Word of God is to have authority in your life and we are called to obey God and His Word.
James 1:22–23 (NASB95)
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
Romans 15:4 (NASB95)
4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Let me give a "real world" example. Sex is reserved for marriage.
Hebrews 13:4 (NASB95)
4 Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
Our society has a misunderstanding of why the "marriage bed" is to be undefiled. Their misunderstanding is that God simply wants to restrict them and not allow them to have "fun" or enjoy life. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that the marriage relationship is supposed to be the closest human relationship you have. In many instances, the close relationship of marriage is used to illustrate the closeness of Jesus Christ with His followers. The truth is that when a person has sex with someone other than their spouse, it weakens the marriage before that person is ever married. God's command about the "marriage bed" is to save us from the devaluing of the marriage relationship.
There are many more examples I could give, but I hope this example will suffice. God does want the best for His children on this earth. His commands are given so that we can "thrive" while serving Him on this earth.
2 Timothy 3:16 (NASB95)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
There is nothing in the Word of God that isn't profitable. His Word teaches, reproves, corrects, and trains. You can trust His Word because it is His Word given to us. You can also trust His Word because His Word has been shown to be true throughout history. It has proven Itself to be the most reliable "book" in history.
Serving Him,
Bro. Joey