Who's Right?

Who’s Right?

John 8:42-47, 14:3-6

11-1-98

INTRO: I have been corresponding with young man by E-mail who sent me a question about the trusting the Bible. He was writing a paper for school and wanted my perspective on the matter. I wrote him giving him the evidence that the Bible is the Word of God. He, however, kept writing back, quoting his professors who denied that the Bible was infallible and inerrant word of God. His final conclusion was that I was wrong, the Bible was defective. He ignored the evidence.

Is it not interesting that he chose to ignore all the evidence I presented him and rather decided to believe a professor who knew nothing of the Bible, its history, or authenticity. He decided to believe a lie and is quite proud of his intelligence and reasoning.

Prov. 4:12 "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Note what "scholars" have had to say about the Bible:

The Israelites were more history-conscious than any other people in the ancient world. Probably as early as the time of David and Solomon, out of a matrix of myth, legend, and history,. . .Thus the Pentateuch took shape over a long period of time" (Introduction to the Old Testament, New Oxford Annotated Bible). Who can argue with the Reader’s Digest! Surely, that popular magazine knows the truth or things:

Genesis: "Nearly all modern scholars agree that, like the other books of the Pentateuch, [Genesis] is a composite of several sources, embodying traditions that go back in some cases to Moses" (Introduction to Genesis, Reader’s Digest Condensed Bible). Here we have two scholarly sources which who in essence are saying the first five books of the Old Testament are only myth and legend, which means not the inspired revelation direct from God.

Did you know that Christ quoted from every part of the Pentateuch. Seems He thought it was the Word of God, written by Moses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Genesis (Mt. 19:4-6; 24:37-39); Exodus (Mark. 12:26 citing Ex. 3:6); Leviticus (Mt. 8:4 citing Lev. 14:1-32); Numbers (John. 3:14 citing Nu. 21:8,9); Deuteronomy (Mark. 10:4-5 citing Deut. 24:1). But who should we believe, Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God, or the Reader’s Digest?

A recent pole found that most United Methodist Church pastors don’t believe the Bible. Polls have shown that at least 30 percent of UMC ministers do not believe Jesus Christ is God, and 82% say they do not believe the Bible is the perfect Word of God. As early as 1968 a widely publicized scientific survey by Jeffrey Hadden which was published by the Washington University showed that about 60% of the Methodist clergy did not believe in the virgin birth and at least 50% did not believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ. A Gallup survey in 1982 revealed that 34% of Methodists believe community service is more important than proclaiming the Gospel. ( ’Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity", David Cloud)

Anglican bishop David Jenkins is typical of the clergy of his church and openly questions every major teaching of the Bible including Christ’s resurrection. This Church of England bishop says, "The Christian is not bound up with freak biology or corpses getting up and walking around." Of Christ’s virgin birth, Jenkins says, "As for the virgin birth, they’re the sort of stories that get told after you already believe somebody is very important. You don’t have to believe in the virgin birth..." ("Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity", David Cloud)

J. Kincaid Smith testified of his experiences with Modernism in Lutheran seminaries.

"When I graduated in 1973, to the best of my knowledge, none of my classmates, nor I, believed in any of the miraculous element in the Bible, in anything supernatural, no 6 day creation, that Adam and Eve were real historical people, that God really spoke to people, the flood with Noah and the Ark, the Red Sea parting. We believed that no Old Testament Scriptures foretold of Jesus of Nazareth, that Jesus was not anticipated in the Old Testament. No virgin birth." ("Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity", David Cloud)

Lets me ask you a couple of question? If you were God, would you call a man to the ministry to declare that your Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who declared "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but by me" is a liar!

If you were God, would you chose a man and call him to the ministry who said you, God, is a liar?!

Let me ask you folks here another question. What would you call a man who denies what God has said?