What Does It Mean to be a Bible-Believing Christian?
What does it
mean to be a Bible-believing Christian? I have claimed to be a Bible-believing,
Bible-proclaiming Christian minister. I am a Bible Preacher and Bible Teacher.
My Master of Arts degree is in Biblical Studies. You can see on this website phrases such as, "Biblical Studies from the Ministry of Wesley McCarter," and, "Devoted to the Detailed Study of Scripture." There are thousands of
Evangelical Christians, especially in the American South, that have long claimed to be
people of the Bible. We even have many “Bible Churches” and “Bible Colleges”
all over the country and globe. So, what does all of this "Bible-believing" stuff really mean?
Let us first
and foremost state emphatically that we do not worship a book, but we have put
our full trust in Jesus of Nazareth as Christ, Son of God, crucified Savior,
and risen Lord. Our faith is not in a leather-bound, gold-trimmed book but in
the person and accomplishments of Jesus Christ. We do not live as if owning a
Bible is our “ticket to heaven.” We believe that the righteousness of Christ,
which we have received by faith, is our only hope of salvation.
Having said
that ultimately our faith is in the person of Christ, let us now turn our
attention to the importance of the Book. Evangelical Christians believe that
the Bible is the “Word of God” and “God-breathed” in the sense that God has
revealed Himself through the spoken and then written word of the prophets and
apostles of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that the Holy Spirit
divinely guided these men over a long period of history to record for us what
He would want us to know about Himself, how He interacts with creation, and what
He is doing to redeem us. While this is a historic faith, rooted in past
events, we believe this on theological grounds. His Spirit tells our spirits
that we are His children, and His Spirit tells our spirits that this is true
revelation of the divine. As Jesus said, “I am the Great Shepherd,” and, “The
sheep hear my voice,” we are confident that we hear our Lord’s voice through
the written documents of the 66 scriptural books. Through the message of the
Bible, we have been changed, and we continue to grow in our knowledge of life
and faith.
While there
are secular sources which support the historicity of Christianity’s claims about
Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, we know very little about the details of
those claims apart from the Bible. All of the theological understanding we have
about those historical realities comes from the Christian Scriptures. We have
come to know full-well the person and work of Jesus Christ from the Gospel
narratives. We know the history of the beginnings of humanity; God’s dealings
with the Hebrew people; the life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of
Christ; and the church’s proclamation of the blessings of Christ all from the
Bible. We believe that there is nowhere else to turn because the Bible offers
the words of true atonement and eternal life.
Therefore,
we are Bible-believing Christians because, among other things, (1) the Bible
informs us about the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and because (2) we
believe that the Bible is completely trustworthy as a guide for all things
concerning life, faith, and salvation.