Why We Are "People of the Book"

Why are we Christians known as a “people of the book?” It is because the Word of God is the wellspring from which we draw any and all living water that slakes the thirst of our soul. Drawing from another well dilutes, muddies, or even poisons our intake. A retired pastor from Kenosha, Wisconsin that I have had the pleasure to meet a few times wrote about the four baseline convictions about the Bible that preachers must have. I think they apply to us as well!  You can read Mike Bullmore’s full article by clicking --> here

1. The Scriptures are God communication to you. 

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

God created us. He could have turned his back on us after the fall of our ancestors in the Garden of Eden. He didn’t. Instead, he spoke to us, savagely, tenderly, sternly, and lovingly. He made himself known to you and I where we are, where we work, where we eat, where we sleep, in our sin, and in our worship. God formulated his thoughts, then had them written to you and I. How could we not revere God’s very speech?

This is the foundation on which our first conviction rests. God has spoken something specific and objective, and it is contained in the Scriptures. And through these Scriptures he continues to speak.

2. God’s Word is understandable and accessible.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV)

You do not have to be a Greek or Hebrew scholar to understand God’s Word. You merely need eyes to read and ears to hear. 

Questions will arise as you go through your Bible, for sure. There are tough passages that require explanation. The good news for today’s Christian is that faithful resources for those answers abound like never before in history! A good study Bible will answer most questions. If more is needed, there are book written, commentaries authored, online articles promulgated, and podcasts abounding with faithful answers. 

One word of caution: there are faithful resources and unfaithful ones. Look for a trusted source that approaches a tough topic from all angles, then comes to a faithful answer that rings true when compared with 2,000 years of Biblical scholarship. Only an egotistical fool believes that there is a “new” reading of an old text. 

The Bible is understandable, and it has been so from the time it was written.

Remember, he initiated this written record of self-revelation for a purpose that he is eager to see accomplished. In order for that to happen, those who receive his words must be able to understand them.

3. God’s Word is useful.

… man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV)

In 2 Timothy 3:16, we see four ways that the Word is profitable to us: (1) teaching, (2) reproof, (3) correction, and (4) training in righteousness. We all tend to love teaching and training. Reproof and correction are harder. 

We always want to be right. Being told that we are wrong is a slight to our sinful ego! However, the Word of God stands over all opinions of man, offering to reprove and correct. For the Bible to be useful, your heart must be set in a position of humility. Lay down your opinions, your pride, your preconceived notions, and your biases so that you can listen to the self-revelation of God and apply it to your life. 

4. God’s Word is effective.

Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3 ESV)

Mike Bullmore gives us a partial list of the effectiveness of God’s Word in our lives:

It initiates faith (Rom. 10:17).
It gives new spiritual life (1 Pet. 1:23).
It helps us grow (1 Pet. 2:2).
It sanctifies us (John 17:17).
It searches and judges our hearts (Heb. 4:12).
It liberates (John 8:31–32).
It revives our souls, makes us wise, rejoices our hearts, and brightens our eyes (Ps. 19:7–8).
It refreshes us, renews us, gives us life, and does a hundred-plus other things (Ps. 119).

Like the airplane you get into, or the car you are a passenger in, or the train you ride – you instinctively place your trust in the vehicle. God’s Word is his letter to us, and it can be trusted far above anything that we commonly put our trust in during our daily grind. 

He is God. He has spoken. He loves us. He can be trusted!