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My Discovery of
Proof
All my adult life a
vague conviction about the Christian faith has nagged
me. Surely our wise and compassionate God must have
provided the common man with a simple, tangible and
common sense proof of the validity of the Bible record.
Surely our Heavenly Father has not limited spiritual
certainty about the truth of the Bible to the scholar,
the philosopher, and the theologian.
R.A. Torrey emphasized
the common man's ability to understand the Bible. Torrey
declared, "I am always suspicious of profound
explanations of the Scriptures, explanations that
require a scholar or philosopher to understand them. |
The Bible is a plain man's
book. The Lord Jesus Himself said in Matthew 11:25, 'I thank
thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide
those things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal
them unto babes.' In at least ninety-nine cases in a hundred
the meaning of Scripture that lies on the surface, the meaning
that any simple-minded man, woman, or child who really wants
to know the truth and to obey it would see in it, is what it
really means." Having read Torrey's statement, you should
not think me presumptuous to propose that God has made the
Bible able to prove its own validity to the ordinary reader.
I venture to claim,
therefore, that I have discovered this available but often
ignored proof: God's gracious provision for the ordinary
person with common sense and a desire to know the truth.
My discovery detracts no
honor from the Christian believer's mystical knowledge of his
own personal salvation. What a wonderful gift of inward
assurance our Heavenly Father gives to each of His children!
Romans 8:16 says it best: The Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit, that we are the children of God:"
My discovery detracts no
honor from the Christian scholar's contributions based upon
logical reasoning and scientific investigation. Devout
scholars have exploded much, though obviously not all, of the
skeptic's cavil against the Bible as the ultimate authority
for the Christian's faith.
Both the believer's inward
assurance and the scholar's logical reasoning make unique and
valued contributions to human need for spiritual certainty.
Both of these evidences possess sources of spiritual strength,
but only for those who willingly accept their validity.
My discovery rests its claim
for a valid proof of the truth of the Bible upon a single
tangible and undeniable fact: we have a book that we call the
BIBLE. Anyone can see and handle this book. The Bible IS! The
Bible is a tangible fact! Admittedly, different people assign
a variety of values to the Bible.
Some accept the Bible as
infallible truth. Others hold that the Bible mixes truth and
error. Still others reject all claims of special inspiration
for the Bible. But all must accept one undeniable fact: we do
have a book called the Bible.
My discovery rests upon that
one simple, tangible, and undeniable fact! At the risk of
needless repetition, I emphasize that my discovery depends
solely upon one fact: the Bible IS!
The book you are now reading
will explain how this one single fact affords any person who
has an open mind and common sense with tangible proof for the
validity of the Bible and what it teaches.
Go to Chapter
One-->
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