Reading Together: The Bible Is the Word of God

On Thursday our small group got together for our first real discussion of the book What Every Christian Ought to Know by Adrian Rogers. Here are a few highlights on chapter 1—Every Christian Ought to Know the Bible is the Word of God:

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I asked a few people about their past experiences regarding the concept of the Bible being the Word of God. One man talked about how he remembers hearing the Bible explained one way in church, and then another way on the Discovery Channel and the History Channel. He said it can be challenging and cause you to doubt because of all the experts on those programs—scientists, archaeologists, and historians—who try to say the Bible is mistaken.

To summarize the chapter, Adrian Rogers seeks to instill confidence in us in the Bible. He does this by highlighting six main areas which testify to the accuracy and trustworthiness of the Bible:

1)      Science

2)      History

3)      Unity

4)      Prophecy

5)      Timelessness

6)      Transforming Power

I asked our group which was most convincing for them. I wasn’t too surprised by the answers. One man said it was definitely the transforming power of the Bible. He said that before he was a believer, profanities were just a natural part of his speech. But after he was saved and a friend of his talked to him about what the Bible says (specifically Ephesians 4:29), he gave up swearing entirely. Another lady spoke out and said she is normally the kind of person who is fascinated by science and history, but it was the transforming power of the Bible that most convinces her of the truth that the Bible is the very Word of God.

Some other people chimed in about the story in the book when two scoffers came to hear Billy Graham preach. As time went on, they became convicted of their sin and need to believe in Christ. This occurred not because Graham was able to provide powerful scientific or historical proof, but because of the power with which he spoke the Word of God.

This kind of conviction ought to challenge all of us to crave time in the Word, to meditate on it and commit it to memory. I myself was convicted about my use of leisure time which typically focuses on myself and not on spending more time in the Word.

How about you? What has been your experience with viewing the Bible as God’s Word? What were your thoughts about the chapter?

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To join us in our readings, get the book in English or Spanish and download the reader guide (English or Spanish) to fill out for each chapter. Then stop by next week Saturday when we discuss chapter 2—Every Christian Ought to Know the Assurance of Salvation.