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KNOWING GOD THROUGH HIS WORD
God reveals himself and his divine nature through the things he has made (Romans 1:20). He also reveals himself directly to us in the written Word — a love letter if you will. He tells us who he is, why he created us, what our purpose in life is, who Jesus is, and why he came to Earth. God's Word, the Holy Bible, reveals all those things and more. Nonbelievers scoff at this, saying the Bible is just words written by men. Let us look at the evidence.
The Bible gives us ample reasons to believe it could only be written by divine inspiration (Galatians 1:11-12; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). The evidences are many: (a) prophecies fulfilled such as Isaiah 53; (b) scientific knowledge revealed long before humans understood it; (c) historical accuracy regarding dates, events, people, and places; (d) archaeological support for biblical events, places, and people; and (e) the miracles described in the Bible that can only be done by divine power. God used miracles to prove to doubters that he exists and that Jesus was his Son — God in human form. God proved that by raising Jesus from the dead. Hundreds of people witnessed the resurrected Christ, and the resurrection has changed the lives of countless people since then.
Atheists have a problem with God because they do not understand who he is and his purpose for us. We learn those things from the Bible. Because God is a Spirit and cannot be seen by human eyes, his word describes who he is: he is light, he is love, he is truth, he is the beginning (alpha) and the end (omega), the Creator of all things — including time, space, and matter/energy (Genesis 1:1). He sent his only Son, Jesus, to become human to show us who he is, and also who we are — sinners separated from God.
The New Testament describes Jesus' life on Earth, his death and resurrection. It tells us clearly why he walked the Earth and why he died on the cross. Jesus died to pay the price for the sins of every human who ever lived. His blood sacrifice was for all people for all time (Hebrews 7:27). When we come to believe in God and Jesus, repent of our sins, and decide to live for God, we are buried by baptism into Christ and are “born again.” We are forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome sin and become more like Jesus (Romans 6 and 8). Most of the New Testament describes in detail how to live a godly life, how to overcome the temptations and trials of this world, and how to have the assurance of eternal existence with God when our bodies die.
— Cynthia Clayton
Picture credits:
© Julie Marcussen
Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website.