Why is believing every word of the Bible so important? Could it be that the gospel and our salvation depend on every word being true?
And as we look at the book of Job, we’ll talk about how God reveals Himself in the beauty of creation, the power of storms and volcanoes, and the intricacies of the human body. Yet, we’ll see that as Job said, all we know and see are “the mere edges of His ways.”
Job also knew some things that scientists didn’t understand until thousands of years later.
Today’s Readings:
Job 26
Psalm 96.11-13
Proverbs 23.10-12
Romans 15.25-33
Why Believing Every Word of the Bible Is So Important
Job 26:
The Glory, Power & Holiness of God
If you have read the book of Job or if you have been following along with me as I’ve posted about it, you know that Job and his friends disagreed about the source of Job’s troubles, but they did not disagree about the glory, power, and holiness of God. Here in chapter 26, Job said:
He hangs the earth on nothing. He binds up the water in His thick clouds, yet the clouds are not broken under it … He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters, at the boundary of light and darkness. The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at His rebuke. He stirs up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He breaks up the storm … Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand? (vv. 7-8, 10-14).
Think about that phrase, “these are the mere edges of His ways.” Even when we view the beauty and majesty of creation or see His power in lightning, hurricanes, and volcanoes or study the intricacies of the human body or watch the birth of a baby, we are only seeing the mere edges of His ways. We see the mere edges of His power … His wisdom, His glory, His holiness, and His sovereignty. What an awesome God we serve!
The Bible & Its Divine Authorship
As you read those verses and others, it’s important to remember what Peter said in his second epistle:
Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1.20-21).
And as Paul wrote:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3.16).
He used men to pen them but the Holy Spirit guaranteed that they would write exactly what God wanted them to write. The Bible in its original autographs was completely free from error. It is true that as the Bible has been copied and translated many times, there can be human error. But if you study it out and not take someone else’s word for it, you’ll find there is so much proof that the Bible translations we have today are reliable and, in fact, almost identical to what the apostles and prophets wrote 2,000 or more years ago.
If you would like to read more about this subject, here are some links you can check out:
Is the original Bible still in existence?
Does the inerrancy of the Bible only apply to the original manuscripts?
Is my Bible really free from errors?
Bible Translation or Paraphrase
I do believe that it’s important to use a Bible that is a translation of the original manuscripts and not a paraphrase. Paraphrases are someone else’s interpretation of what they believe the Bible means. Translations are either word-by-word or phrase-by-phrase translations of the original manuscripts.
Paraphrases can be useful if understood for what they are. But reading the texts for ourselves is important as we consider any paraphrase. Some good modern translations are the English Standard Version, the New American Standard Bible, the New King James Version, and the New Living Translation. There are others that are reliable, as well, but those are the ones I most often use and recommend. When you buy a new Bible, look to see if it is a translation.
Now let’s go back to our original passage from Job.
A Circular Horizon
Look, in particular, at two phrases, “He hangs the earth on nothing” (v. 7) and “He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters.”
Long before man’s study of science could verify it and when many believed the world was flat, God revealed the truth to Job and recorded it in the Bible for us. In the same way, the book of Genesis gives us the historical account of creation.
And what we believe about creation is important to the rest of our theology. If the Bible can’t be trusted in its opening pages and other books like Job, why should we believe any part of Scripture?
Genesis speaks, not only about creation but about the fall of man (Gen. 3.1-7). It introduces the gospel and prophesies the coming of the Messiah (Gen. 3.14-15). It identifies man as created in the image of God and as male and female (Gen. 1.26-27). We see marriage as instituted by God in the Garden and as a covenant between one man and one woman (Gen. 2.24). Jesus Himself quoted many of these passages.
Bible Inerrancy & the Doctrine of Salvation
The doctrine of salvation itself depends on a literal Adam as revealed in Genesis.
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Cor. 15.21-22 ESV).
See, also, Romans 5.12-21 (ESV).
The Bible, Science & History
What about the Bible and science?
The Bible is not primarily a book about science. But where it speaks to science (as with creation and some of Job’s comments) or history (accounts of the flood, the parting of the Red Sea, and many other historical events), or any other subject, it is true. It’s not true because modern man has somehow proven it to be true. It’s true because it is the very Word of God (2 Tim. 3.16-17).
Yet, while very few people today would deny what Job said about the world being round, many consider the creation account as not that important or simply throw it out based on what they believe science has proven. Yet, it’s the underpinning of the Gospel itself and our ability to trust in all of Scripture.
In fact, modern man’s explanations of creation require faith in premises that cannot be proven scientifically. They must simply be believed. So, in many ways, the Big Bang theory, the theory of evolution, and many other so-called scientific facts are little more than secular religions. As believers, we must decide where we will put our faith.
There is so much that could be said about this subject. If you would like to read more, you might check out this post: “Are There Dinosaurs in the Bible?” or visit The Institute for Creation Research website.
If you have doubts in this area, I would encourage you to study and settle this issue for yourself. So much depends on it.
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 96.11-13:
His Glory in Creation
Think about these two verses:
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Even though nature only reveals “the mere edges of His ways,” it has much to show us about the character of God and our need to give Him glory. Here it is pictured as rejoicing over the coming of the Lord to rule His creation.
Proverbs 23.10-12:
Apply Your Heart to Instruction
Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge (v. 12).
Like the loving Father that He is, God encourages us to give heed and to pay close attention to instruction and knowledge—one more reminder about the importance of our main subject today.
Romans 15.25-33:
Praying for One Another
Paul recognized his continued need to rely on God and encouraged the faithful Christians in Rome to strive together with him in prayer.
What Do You Think?
How does enjoying nature, viewing science from a Christian perspective, or seeing God’s hand in your life help you love and understand Him more? And how does it impact you to realize all that we know about Him is still “the mere edges of His ways”?
What are your thoughts about the reliability of the Bible? How did you come to your conclusions?
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about whether spanking is outdated, seven ways to avoid a roller coaster of emotions, habits that rob us of God’s blessings, and ask the question, “If you died tonight, do you know for sure where you would spend eternity?”
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.
And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle or in paperback (the paperback has 31 days of blank journaling pages with prompts to help you get started).
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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