Because of this mindset, many people have come to reject the message and claims of the Bible. Why? Because the Bible makes exclusive claims of absolute truth. The Bible goes so far as to say that, in our natural state, we are alienated from God and there is only one way to be reconciled to Him. People are very troubled by the idea that they should reject another individual or culture’s assertion of truth because it cannot be aligned with biblical principles. Indeed, in our current time, a great many highly educated people reject the entire idea of a transcendent Creator God who created the universe and all living things. Although there are serious academicians who follow Jesus Christ and believe in the biblical creation account, the large majority of scientists and faculty members who teach in our major institutions of higher education would argue that our existence can be explained via natural causes. According to this perspective, our lives and relationships are simply the result of an accident of history. Those who subscribe to this view would contend that we ourselves create our own meaning for life. There is no intrinsic purpose to life outside of the purpose we ascribe to it. Accordingly, there are no absolute standards of truth. We each create our own truth. You have your truth and I have mine.
The Bible presents a perspective that is dramatically different than the naturalistic worldview. It claims to be a transcendent Creator God’s direct message to His created beings. Although God used human agents to create the Bible, He inspired it and took steps to ensure that it would be accurately transmitted throughout history so that we can know the truth about God and His character. We can know why we have been created, how we should live, and how we should relate to both God and one another. In short, the Bible is God’s instruction manual for successful living. If we follow its teachings, we will have a fulfilling life. While we are free to ignore it, we do so at our peril.
For me, it makes more sense to believe that the complexities of the universe and life itself are the work of a super intelligent eternal being rather than a natural accident. I have great problems accepting the notion that we are here accidentally. After all, when I consider the origins of the natural world, I must begin by answering the question, how did something come from nothing? I must assume that space didn’t even exist in the beginning. Those who believe that we are here by Darwinian evolution don’t seem to have an explanation for how something came from nothing. They always begin the account of origins by assuming the existence of something (even if it is nothing but energy).
If it is possible to believe something came from nothing, why should it be hard to believe in an eternal Creator God who lives in a spiritual realm different from the natural world we’ve experienced. If, as the Bible itself explains, God has created us and has communicated with us through His Word, what could be more important than learning what He has told us. Indeed, the Bible is unique among all written communication. It is written as a many layered onion where even a small child can appreciate and learn from its stories. On the other hand, it includes complexities that can occupy a scholar for a lifetime. The Bible includes timeless principles dealing with our relationships with God and one another. It includes principles for financial success, leadership, education, and a host of human concerns. The Bible is a book of history and it has proven to be incredibly accurate in its accounts of the past. It has been criticized in the past by skeptics for giving accounts of peoples and cultures that the skeptics claimed never existed. The problem for the skeptics has been that further archeological evidence has regularly turned up demonstrating that the Biblical account was accurate after all. The Bible is also a book of prophecy. Despite the fact that its writings are nearly 2000 or more years old, the Bible has predicted events that are occurring in our present day. Indeed, the Bible is as current as tomorrow’s headlines.
If the Bible is indeed our Creator’s instruction manual for a successful fulfilling life and I believe that it is, then there is nothing that can be more important or beneficial that giving ourselves to a serious study of it. The institutions that make up the membership of the Association for Biblical Higher Education are firmly committed to the proposition that a knowledge of the Bible is foundational for all human learning. Indeed, the Bible is the integrating core of the curricula offered by these institutions. If you would be interested in serious Bible study, I would encourage you to consult the Directory of institutions provided by our website at www.abhe.org. Many of the ABHE members offer quality Bible courses that can be taken online as well as in traditional classrooms. There may even be an ABHE member institution near you.