Good morning and a blessed Thursday morning to you. Would you open up your Bible please with me to the Gospel of John, the seventeenth chapter.  One of the songs that we oftentimes sing at the chapel time in preschool is "The B I B L E. Yes, that's the book for me."

I love the next lyric on that. "I stand alone on the word of God." The Bible can indeed be trusted. So that poses a question, why is it then that we can trust the Bible? 

Well, you can apply certain tests of truth. You can look for example at archaeology. And archaeology doesn't deny what Scripture says, but actually archaeology, it echoes what Scripture says. You can look at the test of rationality. In other words, does the Scriptures proceed in a logical, consistent fashion?

Well, of course they do. One can look at prophecy and see all the fulfillment of prophecy. So you can look at those tests of truth. But the ultimate test and the ultimate verification that indeed we can trust Holy Scripture, well that belongs to Jesus, doesn't it? Jesus is the guarantee for the truthfulness of Scripture.

In the Gospel of John, the tenth chapter, Jesus says, "and the Scripture cannot be annulled." In other words, it can't be changed, it can't be denied. And then in the Gospel of John, the 17th chapter, look at verse 17 here. In Jesus prayer, Jesus prays. "Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth." Here's the point.... The authority that we give to Scripture should be no less than the authority that Jesus gives to Scripture. 

We say that Scripture is inerrant. In other words, it has no errors. We also say that it is infallible. It's incapable of error, inerrant and infallible. And the infallible source for how we are to understand Scripture. Well, that's Jesus Christ, the ultimate source. And as we read Holy Scripture, all of Scripture drives to Jesus. It drives to what Jesus Christ has done for us. Dying on the cross, forgiving us of our sins, reconciling us unto God. That relationship that had been severed by sin because of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are forgiven. The tomb is empty. The sacrifice has been accepted. All of the inerrant, infallible Wwords of Scripture, they point to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The B I B L E. Yes, that's the book for us, isn't it? Trust it. 

Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time in your Word.  Your Word is truth. And we thank you that indeed we can stand on the bedrock of Holy Scripture. For we know that this Word is your Word for us. We can trust it, for we have the guarantee of Jesus. In his holy and precious name we pray. Amen. 

God bless you today. Encourage someone.

Pastor Eibel