It would seem that, for those who claim to be Christians, much would depend on their faith in the accuracy and authority of the Bible. Yet many professing Christians today view the Scriptures as just another collection of human documents, innately fallible and often fallacious. One observer was so bold as to describe the services of many churches today as "meaningless, self-centered, feel-good motivational sessions."

The head dean of a conservative Bible college, after attending a conference of biblical scholars, theologians and pastors, lamented: "It had been disappointing enough to learn from one research project that virtually no one ever preached on the Old Testament...But worse was to come."

They claimed, he explains, "It was a book ... that justified, even advocated, violence against women, child abuse, cruelty to animals, repressive attitudes toward law and order, holy war, patriarchy and male chauvinism." Some of the attendees even declared dogmatically that the Bible was of no use in their ministries.

This was not the same Bible that dean knew and loved.

Let's now take a brief look into the pages of the Bible and see what the apostles of Jesus Christ actually said about those Scriptures. Peter clearly stated that we should be "mindful of the words which were spoken before by the Holy Prophets and of the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior [Jesus Christ]" (2 Peter 3:2). The apostle Paul adds that the New Testament Church is built on the foundation of these apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20).

Moses, an outstanding early prophet, was the author of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. He recorded the life of the patriarch Abraham in the book of Genesis.

Also, being very familiar with Moses' account since childhood, Paul wrote, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to Him for righteousness" (Romans 4:3, emphasis added throughout). Abraham's living, trusting faith was reflected in his obedience to God. So of him it is written, "By works faith was made perfect" (James 2:22).

Many centuries later Paul affirmed his own unwavering belief in the validity of the Hebrew Scriptures. While defending his ministry before the authorities, he stated: "But this I confess to you, that according to the way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets" (Acts 24:14).

The apostle Peter also confirmed his belief in the Old Testament Scriptures. He wrote in his last letter: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).

To round out the overall picture we interject Paul's classic statement. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God..." (2 Timothy 3:16). The Greek word theopneustos, translated "inspiration," literally means 'breathed out from God.'

The ancient King Jehoshaphat offers some very good advice to all Christians as well as to those who are just becoming acquainted with the Bible. "Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets and you shall prosper" (2 Chronicles 20:20). A truly abundant life depends upon a right approach to the Scriptures.

From a fourth to a third of the whole Bible is composed of prophecy. Many of the prophets describe severely difficult conditions of their time as a prelude to heralding passages about the fabulous world to come—the millennial rule of Jesus Christ. Sometimes they interspersed the good news of that coming utopian age with the bad news of their world. The publications of the United Church of God do the same today.

Do you believe God? Do you believe the prophecies of the Bible? Do you take them at their face value as an accurate description of the world we shall face in the future? Or have you, without really looking into it for yourself, gone along with the increasingly prevailing views of those who regard the Bible as just another classic collection of historic books?

Jesus said: "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). Many proofs of the authenticity and predictive authority of the Holy Scriptures are set out in two of our free booklets. Both are readily available to you upon request. You cannot afford to remain in ignorance of this vital knowledge. I recommend that you now request, download or read online: Is the Bible True? and How to Understand the Bible.