Taken from the sermon “Reasons We Don’t Believe: The Bible Isn’t Trustworthy” by Mark Vroegop.
In this series of articles, we have seen how the Bible is beyond human reasoning, considered how the Bible is better than the audible voice of God, and learned about how the Bible bears witness to itself.
But you may be thinking, “Look, all this stuff is interesting, but how do I actually engage with the Bible? Where do I even start?”
If that’s what you’re thinking, then this article is for you. Here are five simple ways to engage the Scriptures:
1. Read the Bible.
If you are not yet a believer, let me encourage you to start by reading the gospel of John. As you read it, ask yourself, “What if this is actually true?” And if you are a believer, remember that the Bible is not a book just to be studied; it is a window through which you see the glory of God.[1]
2. Learn the cultural language.
You might think it odd, after everything I’ve said, to add this application point. However, I would commend to you books like Evidence that Demands a Verdict, The Case for Christ, and other books that speak the empirical language of our day. You should read Tim Keller’s book The Reason for God and books like it. I’m not suggesting that you should be ignorant of good arguments in apologetics. I’m merely saying that they are not the basis of the trustworthiness of the Bible.
3. Pray for open eyes.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:6 that the same God who said “Let there be light” is able to open spiritually blind eyes, so plead for God to do the miraculous in opening people’s eyes, including your own, to the truth of the Word of God.
4. Share the Word.
I mean more than just evangelism. We must realize that there is something supernatural about the written Word of God. In our conversations with people, we must do more than give them biblical principles; we must literally share the Word of God with them.
5. Memorize the Word.
The greatest mechanism for sharing the specifics of the Word and having it ready is having it in your heart. But there’s more. The action of “getting it into your bones” increases your confidence in its trustworthiness as you feel its weight, see its application, and observe its effect. People who memorize the Word have great confidence in its trustworthiness.
You don’t have to defend the Bible. Spurgeon said defending the Bible is like defending a lion. Our role is not to defend the Lion, but just to unleash him.
Why? I’ll let Scripture speak for itself:
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Heb. 4:12-13).
Listen to the full sermon “Reasons We Don’t Believe: The Bible Isn’t Trustworthy.”
[1] John Piper, A Peculiar Glory – How the Christian Scriptures Reveal Their Complete Truthfulness, (Wheaton, Crossway, 2016), 18.
