Who is the God who spoke to the people of Israel from Mount Sinai? The text of Deuteronomy reveals many things about God. The transcendent causal Creator of the universe has revealed Himself in His creation, so that the universe displays God’s attributes of “His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Rom 1:20b). The study of the attributes of God is “theology,” and the theology revealed by the universe is “natural theology.” All that Moses revealed about God the Bible aligns with “natural theology” as displayed by the reason and science of the universe.

Moses revealed and recorded:

1. God gives commands to help His people. God’s relationship with His people sets an ancient model for every nation to establish order and protect the people by the highest ideals according to the great standard — God. At the beginning and end of this section of Scripture, Moses commanded Israel to keep God’s statutes and commands for their own good (Deut 4:1, 40). Furthermore, Moses commanded Israel to keep God’s commands that life may go well for them and their children so that they would live long in the land (Deut 4:40).

2. God’s laws are better than man’s laws. Moses commanded, “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you” (Deut 4:2). Moses reflected upon God’s justice to destroy the men who rebelled against God by choosing to worship Baal so they could sleep with other women (Deut 4:3; Num 25). While humanity has thought to progress the universal ethic and change reality to match their wants and desires, God does not change and He knows what is best for each nation. No nation can improve its laws without the highest ideals according to the most perfect standard — God.

3. God’s laws and statutes are wisdom and understanding. The greatest nation should be defined as having the greatest ethical ideals. God’s nation of people have laws that cause the nations of the world to respect them and admire their God. Regarding God’s Law, Moses commanded, “Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” (Deut 4:6; cf. Deut 4:5–8; Ps 119:98–105).

4. God wants His people to work diligently not to forget God’s works from their hearts. The model of God and Israel tells another truth more than that laws order a nation, but God’s highest teaching and wisdom belong on the hearts of every citizen and they must work not to forget the righteous instruction of God. Moses instructed, “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life” (Deut 4:9).

“And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God's. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do” Moses commanded (Deut 1:16–18 ESV).

When I read this, I cannot help but think about the Preamble of the Declaration of the United States and the Bill of Rights. By God’s instruction, the governing authorities are to protect and guard the rights of the people (Prov 31:8–9). God instructed the judges of Israel to judge impartially the Israelite and the alien, because the judgment is God’s judgment. Isaiah revealed, “For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him” (Isa 30:18b; cf. 33:22).

            Without individually rejecting the governing authorities, the American colonies worked to reform their government that Great Britain suspended. The unanimous Declaration of the United States affirmed the rights of every man as created equal and endowed by the Creator with unalienable rights. Furthermore, the Declaration affirmed the necessity and purpose of the government to secure those rights. For the Representatives of the General Congress of the United States published independence “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions” and pledged their lives to one another “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.”

            Today, government authorities still stand before God for their actions and God will bring justice (cf. Rev 19:1–2; 20:7–10). God has set today’s authorities to enact justice (1 Pet 2:13–15; cf Rom 13:3–4; Titus 3:1–2). However, many politicians and officials are intimidated and extorted to act partially and ignore justice. Politicians promise great things until the corrupt threaten to slander or uncover secret sins.

            God’s laws for Israel protected and guarded the rights of life, liberty, and property among the people of Israel and strangers in the land. God gave Israel the prerogative to choose their own leaders so that ancient Israel was a republic. Moses instructed Israel, “Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads” (Deut 1:13). God knew that Israel would one day ask for a king to judge and reign over them (Deut 17:14–15). Samuel warned them of the heavy burdens of labor and taxes from kings (1 Sam 8:4–18).

            Thank God for the government that secures rights for the people, and trust God to bring justice on those who do not. Thank God for the freedom that Christians have. Subject to the governing authority, be ready to do every good work, and speak evil of no one (Titus 3:1–2).

            When Jesus resurrected, He declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18; cf. Isa 9:6–7). Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth. He is the emperor — the King of kings (1 Tim 1:17; 6:15–16; Rev 1:5).

The United States government grants a federal holiday and recognizes Christmas as a national holiday. However, the Supreme Court noted that it is also a secular holiday. That is strange because the original meaning of holiday was “holy day” and this word has become secular — nonreligious without recognition of God. However, the national recognition of the birth of Jesus at Christmas is both encouraging and yet concerning. For Christians, we must be ready in this season to proclaim the gospel and teach devotion to God as Jesus did at Hanukkah (John 10:22–39).

            The Bible does not specify or command the celebration of Jesus’s birth on December 25 (or January 6). The oldest record of Christians observing December 25 as the birthday of Jesus comes from an early Christian writer Hippolytus who wrote in the early third century AD (Commentary on the Book of Daniel 4.23.3). However, most early Christian writers did not agree on the time of Jesus's birth. Christmas by definition is an early Roman church tradition as indicated by “mass” in the word “Christmas.” Historically, many protestant and reformed Christians opposed celebrating Christmas. Some have claimed that Christmas was originally a pagan holiday, but the evidence is lacking. Every observance of a day can be attributed to one of many pagan holidays, but such is parallelomania. Anyone educated in Christianity knows that Jesus was a Jew and His teachings built on the Jewish Scriptures of the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (cf. Luke 24:44).

             What are Christians to do with observing special days? Christians are to maintain the God-given traditions just as God has given them (1 Cor 11:2; 2 Thess 2:15; 3:6). The Scriptures do infer the significance of the first day of the week for assembly as “the Lord’s Day” (Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1–3; cf. Acts 20:7; Rev 1:10). For the faithful, the Lord’s Day for assembly and every day is committed to observing the coming of the Son of God in the flesh and Christ’s resurrection to conquer death (1 Cor 15:25–26, 54–55; 2 Tim 1:10; 1 John 4:2–3). Because Christmas is not a biblical holiday, the church should not publically recognize and observe the manmade tradition of December 25 as the day of Jesus’s birth. Recognizing Christmas as a church would imply the day is truly the day of Jesus’s birth and infer observance of a manmade tradition on fellow believers.

            The Christian Scriptures address how the faithful are to approach the observation of days. The apostle Paul wrote, “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord” (Rom 14:5–6a ESV). Furthermore, Paul taught the church not to judge or to despise one another over food or observing days because God is the Judge (Rom 14:10, 13). However, the apostle also taught the church at Colossi, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Col 2:16–17).

            Christians should not divide or drive away believers who observe days to the Lord. For harmony and unity, Paul concluded by teaching the Christians in Rome to bear with the weak and build up one another (Rom 15:1–2; cf. 15:5–7). However, Christians do have the right and duty to warn about manmade traditions and observances of days that can lead the weak away from Christ. Paul warned, “You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain” (Gal 4:10).

            Be gentle and respectful with those who observe Christmas as Jesus’s birth. Make good use of a nation recognizing a special day to Jesus of Nazareth. Because many are recognizing Jesus, share the gospel. Like the angel to the shepherds, let us say, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (Heb 3:12 ESV). The unbelieving heart is an evil heart rejecting God who the Source of all good things. God’s commands and traditions in the Scriptures are for the good of every believer. God did not create humanity for His whims, so God also did not give arbitrary commands. Likewise, Jesus taught, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

            When God gives us a command, He gives it because believers are capable of obeying His commands. God does not give commands that we can’t keep. When God tells us to endure temptations and make disciples and we dismiss our ability to do so, what are we claiming about God? What false god do we claim who keeps us from obeying His commands?

            Your church family is a constant reminder that you are capable of doing more. You can read, pray, assemble, overcome temptations, evangelize, and make disciples. Furthermore, the Pauline writer of Hebrews declared, “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 3:13; cf. 10:24–25). Christians need one another as we are in a spiritual war — a true holy war. The apostle Paul described that Christians are in a holy war against the evil of coveting and yet able to destroy every argument against the knowledge of God (1 Pet 2:11; 2 Cor 10:3–5; cf. Eph 6:12–13). God has given Christians every means to oppose evil. Paul revealed, “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Rom 13:12).

            God has given His holy nation the armor and weapons to destroy every stronghold and take captives to Christ (2 Cor 10:4–5; Eph 6:10–20). For this reason, the church must train to handle rightly the Word of God (2 Tim 2:15). The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17; Heb 4:12). Many Christians struggle with God’s Word and fail to carry their own shield of faith because they are not familiar with their armor. They refuse to train and engage the world that is in resistance to God. For this reason, many “believers” degrade themselves and think little about their abilities as a Christian soldier in spiritual conflict. Was God wrong about them or are they wrong about themselves?

            How can a soldier serve when he doubts himself or doesn’t trust his fellow soldiers? The Christian must train with other Christians. The Scriptures are all-sufficient to help the faithful confront struggles (2 Tim 3:16–17). The Bible attests that everyone is made in God’s image, significant, and purposeful so that no paralyzing self-doubt, insult, resentment, or anxiety can stop the faithful Christian. Stand by faith in the identity of God. God is faithful and provides you with more than basic training. God spoke, “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” (Isa 57:15).

            God made you to find Him (Acts 17:26–27). God made you in His likeness. God loves you while yet a sinner (Rom 5:8). Paul revealed, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). Christians must listen to God and act as one who is responsible for helping oneself. Paul taught, “For each will have to bear his own load” (Gal 6:5). However, he also taught, “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). If you can’t help yourself (and yet you can), then how can you help others? Love God and obey His commands!

You are not a useless nobody. God made you in His image — in His likeness. You were made in God’s likeness, thus you are not worthless. You are far from it. You have intrinsic value so that God loves you even when you are a sinner. God formed you in your mother’s womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps 139:13–14). What is your opinion compared to God’s standard? Don’t degrade yourself below what God has made you. It doesn’t matter your body shape, your age, and your success level. Your spouse and your family’s value of you are not greater than God’s love for you. God sets your value, not your spouse, your family, your friends, your boss, or your church family.

            Your business success will not save you (Luke 12:16–21). The rich fool said to himself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:19). However, God declared to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Luke 12:20). God wants you to seek eternal life before you seek retirement and comforts in this life because you are worth eternal life in Jesus Christ.

            After Jesus warned those whom He loved about Hell, Jesus revealed, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6–7). God knows all about you. He knows your every sin, secret, and fault, but that does stop His love for you. God has a goal and mission for you to seek His kingdom (Luke 12:31). God does not want anyone to perish and not be saved and that includes you (1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9). God loves you. You are precious in value to Him. Paul wrote, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).

            No matter your “winning” or “losing” at life. God loves you. Paul revealed, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4–5). Your sins can’t stop the love of God. Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:31–39).

            God wants a holy people (1 Pet 1:14–16). However, everyone sins with the exception of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who came and lived a perfect life. God could have taken Jesus straight into Heaven so that Jesus would never die and exterminated the rest of us. Why not? Jesus earned it and we spurned it. God wanted a holy people, and now Jesus accomplished that as one holy and divine person. God could have allowed Jesus never to die. Instead, God loves you so much that He sacrificed His only Son for sinners to resurrect for eternal life.

            Please, do not degrade yourself and devalue your life. Don’t judge yourself by how you perceive your usefulness or value to others. Stop measuring yourself as Jesus commanded you not to judge by your own standard (Matt 7:1–2). God gave you life and He knows the number of your days (Ps 139:16). God saved you, the believer, by grace and raised you to new life from baptism to become God’s worker now to do good works. Show the world that you work because God saved you by grace. Paul taught, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). Stop valuing yourself by your standards, your perspective, and your expectations of yourself. You’re not God! God has provided you a way to salvation in Jesus Christ. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Jesus did signs and wonders and He marveled at the unbelief of people (Matt 13:58; Mark 6:6). A man with a son who was mute came asking Jesus for compassion and help. Jesus responded, “If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23). “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’” (Mark 9:24).

            The writer of the Hebrews warned Christians about “an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (Heb 3:12). Paul warned about the hardening of the heart that comes from “the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 3:13). His answer was for Christians to encourage one another daily so that they all come to share in Christ and hold firm their confidence unto the end (Heb 3:13–14). Evil and unbelief have always linked together.

            Is there any lack of faith behind worry and anxiety? Today, many credit their anxiety to a mental disability. However, Jesus did not speak of humanity being helpless to address anxiety. Christ spoke of each person being able to confront how they think, feel, and behave even when that person thinks that he or she cannot. Jesus commanded His listeners, “Do not be anxious about your life” (Matt 6:25). Jesus preached on the mount and commanded listeners not to worry about food and clothing. He taught that worry does not help fix problems. Jesus taught that God loves and cares for you more any other living thing (6:26–30). The Son of God declared, “O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’” (Matt 6:30). What is the answer for those struggling with doubt and anxiety over their livelihood? The Righteous One commanded, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33). The faithful Christian follows Jesus’s commands.

            How did the apostle Peter encourage the church as they struggled with the anxieties of being persecuted? Peter commanded, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:6–7). Why should Christians struggle with worry when others are not persecuting them? All Christians should cast all of their anxieties upon Christ. Casting anxieties on Christ means the Christian should have the faith to give their concerns to God and rely on the Son of the Almighty God. The worst that one experiences are nothing before God and nothing in the end (Rom 8:31–39).

            Jesus and His apostles did not need to become licensed counselors to instruct Christians about how to confront anxiety and stress. Paul commanded rejoicing, faith that God is near, praying with requests to God, and praying with thanksgiving to God (Phil 4:4–6). These commands come with the promise of the peace of God that surpasses all understanding to guard the hearts and minds of those in Christ (Phil 4:7). This is how the Christian must confront stress and anxiety.

            Everyone who feels such a burden can find the rest that God promises. Jesus invited, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28–30). Thank God that He is the God of all comfort!

“Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Crowds of people were stepping on one another to hear Jesus. Jesus responded to the man, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” (Luke 12:13–14). Then, Jesus warned the crowd, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15 ESV).

            Is it coveting to want one’s inheritance? Coveting is greatly desiring something especially when it belongs to another. The tenth command is “You shall not covet […] anything that is your neighbor's” (Exod 20:17). The apostle Paul wrote, “For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” (Rom 7:7b). That's true for every one of us.

            Paul translated the tenth commandment as “You shall not covet” with the same Greek that translators rendered “lust” in Matthew 5:28. Jesus preached in Matthew 5:28, “but I say unto you that everyone who looks at a woman to want her has committed adultery already with her in his heart” (translation). Jesus is not condemning women for their physical beauty but the act of men to look with want. Sexual sins begin with looking to want. Fathers should teach their sons not to look to covet women (Eph 6:4). Women too should avoid looking to want and fantasizing about another husband.

            Coveting is among Jesus’s list of evil things that come from within and defile a person (Mark 7:20–23). What is so wrong with coveting? Among sexual sins and desires, Paul revealed, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col 3:5; cf. Eph 5:5). The Christian must put to death coveting especially wanting a sexual relationship outside of marriage. Coveting is idolatry. Those who covet are worshipping something other than God.

            Jesus taught, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matt 6:24a). When a person wants another sexual relationship, that person will come to despise his or her spouse. Foolish people who are agnostic of God do this. Believers who drift from God do the same. Covetousness chokes out one’s life with God. Jesus taught, “And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature” (Luke 8:14).

            If you want more than you need or desire what someone else has, then you are coveting (Deut 5:21). Many do not realize they are coveting when they want and try to become someone else who has attention, wealth, influence, or freedom. If you are looking for significance or acceptance in anything other than God and the faithful people whom He has put in your life, you are coveting. If you want someone who is not your spouse, you are coveting. If you want something over church and Bible study, then you are coveting.

            At the root of many personal problems, we have our wants and unmet needs. However, Christians must be very careful not to confuse wants for needs. The personal needs of purpose and love are met by God. Every person is responsible for finding God for God is not far from anyone to seek and find Him (Acts 17:26–27). However, many want more than God and wanting more than God is coveting.

            Thank God that He meets our every need. God loved us when we were sinners (Rom 5:8). God wants us now to be saved and repent (1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9). God has gives us an eternal purpose and mission to glorify Him (Matt 5:14–16; 1 Pet 2:9).

“Paul was only talking about the Old Testament Scriptures being inspired by God.” Many have made this assertion often that the apostle Paul and other New Testament writers were not aware that they were writing new Scripture. They assert this to undermine any certainty in New Testament Christianity.

            The apostle Paul wrote 2 Timothy 3:16–17 recognizing that the Scriptures included the Christian Scriptures as God-breathed and all-sufficient for teaching and equipping for every good work. Paul’s recognition of the Gospel of Luke as “Scripture” confirms the apostolic oversight of the biblical collection (1 Tim 5:18; cf. Luke 10:7). In addition to this, Paul’s associate Luke mentioned previous accounts of Jesus’s life from eyewitnesses including Mark and Matthew in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:1–3). The apostle John wrote about the eyewitnesses of Jesus testifying and proclaiming eternal life including himself who are “writing these things so that our joy may be complete” (1 John 1:4). John recognized that the apostles were writing to spread the gospel as eyewitnesses.

            The writing of authoritative letters by the Holy Spirit occurred early as noted in Acts 15. The apostles with elders in Jerusalem distributed letters concerning doctrine very early in the church about AD 48 (Acts 15:22–25, 30). After this event, Paul began writing epistles to churches.

            Paul declared that his writings were Scripture when he noted that he wrote the command of God for the churches to obey (1 Cor 14:37; cf. 4:17; 7:17). The apostle’s writings were authoritative as Paul wrote wisdom “taught by the Spirit” (1 Cor 2:13; 7:40; 2 Pet 3:15–16). Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to the church at Corinth and for all Christians (1 Cor 1:2). Furthermore, the apostle wrote what God revealed through all the apostles and prophets for churches to read especially in assembly (Eph 3:4–5; Col 4:16). Christians assembled for edification and worship and then read letters from a missionary whom they believed spoke the commands of God (Acts 15). Sadly, many believers struggle to endure the reading of Scriptures today.

            The apostle Peter recognized all the writings of Paul as “Scripture” (2 Pet 3:15–16). Peter noted that Paul’s writings were spread throughout nations including some nations that none of the apostles specifically addressed (1 Pet 1:1; 2 Pet 3:2, 15–16). The early Christians spread the Scriptures throughout the known world in the first century.

            Paul wrote about the gospel that had gone to the entire world when he wrote the church in Rome in AD 57–58 (Rom 1:8; 10:18–20; 16:25–26). Likewise, Paul noted again that the gospel had gone to all the world when he wrote to the church in Colossae in AD 61–63 (Col 1:5–6, 23). The spread of the gospel by the apostles and other Christians explains the spread of the Christian Scriptures as these writings were completed, copied, and distributed.

            Early Christians spread the message of Jesus throughout the world in the first century and the Scriptures spread through the churches. Those Scriptures survive and exist today by God’s providence passed down centuries among various churches to profit all with teaching and equip the church for every good work.

            Christians can and must trust the Scriptures as the all-sufficient guide for teaching and good works as the apostle Paul taught (2 Tim 3:16–17). Thank God that His apostles oversaw the collection and spread of the New Testament Scriptures in the first century.

“The Catholic church put the Bible together in the late fourth century, so the New Testament Scriptures do not reveal the true teachings of Jesus and early Christianity.” This is a common assertion of unbelievers, Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, and more. However, scholars recognize that the New Testament writings date to the first century and are the earliest writings of the Christian faith.

            Christians can and must trust the collection of the New Testament Scriptures. Jesus never questioned the Old Testament Scriptures that the prophets collected, priests protected, and scribes passed down. Jesus noted the three parts of the Jewish Scriptures, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44 ESV). He also declared, “My words will not pass away” (Matt 24:35; cf. Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33). The scribes that Jesus promised have fulfilled Jesus’s words (Matt 23:34).

            The apostle Paul recognized the New Testament Scriptures being written in his time as he quoted Jesus in the Gospel of Luke as “Scripture” by stating “the laborer is worthy of his wages” (1 Tim 5:18; cf. Luke 10:7). Paul is quite passive in recognizing the Gospel of Luke as “Scripture” as he expected all Christians to have already accepted this. In Luke’s Gospel, he wrote a consecutive order just as eyewitnesses had written previous accounts about Jesus (Luke 1:1–3). Scholars recognize that Luke quoted from Mark’s Gospel and from Matthew’s Gospel or source confirming the preexistence of Mark’s Gospel and probably Matthew’s Gospel.

            The apostle Paul did not intend his writings only for those explicitly addressed but included “with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” when he wrote the church in Corinth (1 Cor 1:2; cf. 2 Cor 1:1). The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the cornerstone (Eph 2:19–22). For this reason, the apostle Paul revealed, “When you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;” (Eph 3:4–5).

            Peter recognized “all” of Paul’s epistles were “Scripture” written to Christians throughout Asia, Galatia, Pontus, Cappadocia, and Bithynia (2 Pet 3:15; cf. 1 Pet 1:1). Peter anticipated that all these churches had all of Paul’s epistles when Paul did not specifically write to churches in Pontus, Cappadocia, and Bithynia. These scriptures demonstrate that the Scriptures did spread throughout the world. Peter encouraged all these Christians to “remember the words spoken” by the Apostles and so to read Paul’s epistles (2 Pet 3:2).

            Peter noted that John and he had “the prophetic word” more fully confirmed than by hearing God’s voice on the mount of Jesus’s transfiguration (2 Pet 1:16–19). Peter added that Christians must attend to this prophetic word knowing “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). Peter would have been referring to Paul’s writings among these Scriptures as he noted later in his letter, and this is true in addition to John and him writing Scripture too (cf. 1 John 1:4).

             Christians can and must trust the Scriptures as the all-sufficient guide for teaching and good works as the apostle Paul taught (2 Tim 3:16–17). Thank God that His apostles noted the Scriptures in the first century.

“The Bible was written by bronze-age goat herders.” Even if goat herders were the writers of the Bible, that does not discredit the Bible. Personally, I am impressed that such “uneducated” writers of the Bible can even read, write, and think theologically. The Bible did come from somewhere. People can see that the Bible existed generations ago. The substance of the Book attests to its identity and source.

            How should people respond to the most influential book in history? The Bible is a collection of 66 books written over 1,600 years by more than 40 named writers? The Bible is the most diverse book in history consisting of various genres and repeated themes. The Bible is united in its theology, which is its teaching about God. The writers didn’t introduce new gods. They built on the Abrahamic faith in one God as the Creator of the universe and the Source of all good (Exod 34:6–7).

            Some assert, “You can’t use the Bible to prove the Bible.” Yes, I can — because the Bible came by various people in different periods writing about the same God. Older parts of the Bible set the foundation and even predict future events confirmed in later scriptures while the newer texts attest to the authenticity of past scriptures. Jesus used previously written Scripture to demonstrate that He is the Son of Man — the Messianic King (John 5:46–47).

            By trusting Jesus, Christians trust the Bible. By seeking to do God’s will, Jesus taught that those who consider His words will know whether His teaching is from God or not (John 7:17). Faith in Jesus according to the Gospels attests to the whole of the Bible because Jesus quoted from past scriptures in the Old Testament and He would send His Spirit to guide His apostles and prophets into all truth and produce the New Testament Scriptures (John 14:26; 16:12–13).

            Believers can trust that God has preserved the Bible as He desired. They can know this by faith in Jesus as the Christ. Jesus revealed, “My words will not pass away” (Mark 13:31). Jesus also taught that Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35). In further external support, 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament Scriptures and almost another 20,000 in other languages including Latin and Coptic confirm that the Bible has not changed over 1500 years from the 1^st to the 15^th century. Strata of various church writers cite and quote from the New Testament starting immediately after the apostles and prophets wrote the New Testament (cf. Eph 3:3–5). The detailed early Christian commentators in the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries address every book of the New Testament.

            Those who disbelieve the Bible choose to view the world from an agnostic, negative, and distorted view of God and the Bible. They see contradictions because they want to see contradictions. For believers, the Bible is perfectly harmonious and unified. Much of the doubts concerning the Bible come from a person’s perspective when someone refuses to view God by the wisdom of God (cf. 1 Cor 1:21).

            Thank God for the Bible! You believe that Jesus loves you and died for you, then read His words. You believe that Jesus resurrected from the dead to give you eternal life, then study the Scriptures. View the world through God’s revelation to humanity and so see the truth of God’s Word in the Bible.