The Bible is the Only Holy Book (10 Evidences, A)

Read 2 Timothy 3:10-17

We cannot live faithfully without a deep respect for and understanding of and participation in the Bible, the Word of God.  I want us to take some time for a few days thinking about why the Bible is the greatest book in all of history.  Paul says the Bible is holy (the Holy Scriptures or Writings), able (to show you the wisdom which will save you), inspired (God-breathed; not just inspired like Shakespeare but in actuality, the Word of God) and profitable (of value to do for you what no other book can do).

Our goal is to encourage you to value no other book as you do the Bible, no matter what any other book may claim.  When Paul called the Bible holy he did not use the normal term for holiness, meaning set apart.  Rather he is saying it is sacred, pertaining to God.  What the sacred things in the temple were to Israel (1 Cor. 9:13; such as the altars of sacrifice and incense, the bronze laver, the table of showbread, the menorah and the ark) in specking to them of their Messiah, so the Bible is to the Church.  It is the one “thing” we must have.  We don’t have to have a building, a pulpit, a piano or drums; none of these are sacred.  But the Sacred Scriptures we must have.  And by definition (Scriptures, from the Greek for writings, something written down) we must use it and benefit from it in the way God intends.

Vernon Grounds, in his wonderful little book The Reason for Our Hope (p44) recorded this verse by W. W. Howe that expresses our recognition of Scripture:

O Word of God incarnate!

O Wisdom from on high!

O Truth unchanged, unchanging,

O Light of our dark sky;

We praise Thee for the radiance

That from Thy hallowed page,

A lantern to our footsteps

Shines on from age to age.

But you might ask, “Aren’t there other sacred books?  Why is the Bible exceptional?”  Whether you ask this or not, it is a valuable question to ask.  These thoughts were first preached in a sermon Sept. 9, 2001, two days before the attacks by a group of Muslims flying airplanes into the World Trade Center buildings in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC.  It was interesting because as I preached I used two other supposed sacred books as contradictory illustrations: the Book of Mormon and the Koran.  I will refer to them occasionally as we study this matter in days to come.  We will consider ten evidences as to why the Bible alone is Sacred and worthy to be called The Word of God.  This is fundamental to our faithfulness to Jesus Christ.  And it is uniquely essential to who we are as followers of Christ.