St. Augustine - "The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home."
"Greater is the authority of the Scriptures than all the powers of the human mind."
J. Sidlow Baxter - "Think here about that basic book. Christianity stands or falls with the Bible. It is no use saying, as the liberalists or modernists do, that so long as we have Jesus we do not need an infallibly inspired Bible. Nay, all that we know authentically about the Lord Jesus we owe, and shall keep on owing, to the Bible. To say that so long as we have Jesus we do not need the Bible is about equal to saying that so long as we have the sunshine we don't need the sun.
"Let it be sounded out again: the life-and-death issue is the Bible More than ever in these days we evangelical ministers and leader: and christian educationalists need to be men who really believe the Bible, and know the Bible, and preach the Bible, and love the Bible and live the Bible, and, if need be, are ready to die for the Bible. Our Protestant churches are needing a new generation of Bible prophets, not just pulpiteers. We are needing men who have made themselves experts in putting over the case for the Bible and it mighty truths. Far too many ministers are so busy with secondary matters that they have not time to become the Bible masters an teachers which they ought to be. When the minister's study becomes an office, the prophet has degenerated into a manager and the pulpit becomes an impertinence. The crying need just now is for prophets, not just preachers; for ministers, not just managers; for men with a passion to put our dear old Bible back where it ought to be in the christian faith, in the Protestant pulpit in the nation's schools, and in the life of the people. Let all of us help toward that end."
Ricahrd M. Bennett - ". . . there were many deeds and sayings of the Lord not recorded in Scripture. Nonetheless, Scripture is the authoritative record that Holy God has given His people. We do not have a single sentence that is authoritatively from the Lord, outside of what is in the written word. To appeal to a tradition for authority when Holy God did not give it is futile. The idea that somehow sayings and events from the Lord have been recorded in tradition is simply not true."
Louis Berkhof - "The Reformers developed the doctrine of Scripture as over against the Roman Catholics and some of the Protestant sects. While Rome taught that the Bible owes its authority to the Church, they maintained that it has authority in itself as the inspired Word of God. They also upheld the necessity of Scripture as the divinely appointed means of grace over against the Roman Catholics, who asserted that the Church had no absolute need of it, and some of the Protestant sects, who exalted the "inner light," or the word of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the people of God, at the expense of Scripture. In opposition to Rome they further defended the clearness of the Bible. They did not deny that it contains mysteries too deep for human understanding, but simply contended that the knowledge necessary unto salvation, though not equally clear on every page of the Bible, is yet conveyed in a manner so simple that anyone earnestly seeking salvation can easily gather this knowledge for himself, and need not depend on the interpretation of the Church or the priesthood. Finally, they also defended the sufficiency of Scripture, and thereby denied the need of the tradition of the Roman Catholics and of the inner light of the Anabaptists."
Napoleon Bonaparte - "The Bible is no mere book, but it's a living creature with a power that conquers all who oppose it."
F.F. Bruce - " The Bible, at first sight, appears to be a collection of literature -- mainly Jewish. If we enquire into the circumstances under which the various Biblical documents were written, we find that they were written at intervals over a space of nearly 1400 years. The writers wrote in various lands, from Italy in the west to Mesopotamia and possibly Persia in the east. The writers themselves were a heterogeneous number of people, not only separated from each other by hundreds of years and hundreds of miles, but belonging to the most diverse walks of life. In their ranks we have kings, herdsmen, soldiers, legislators, fishermen, statesmen, courtiers, priests and prophets, a tentmaking rabbi and a Gentile physician, not to speak of others of whom we know nothing apart from the writings they have left us. The writings themselves belong to a great variety of literary types. They include history, law (civil, criminal, ethical, ritual, sanitary), religious poetry, didactic treatises, lyric poetry, parable and allegory, biography, personal correspondence, personal memoirs and diaries. in addition to the distinctively Biblical types of prophecy and apocalyptic.
For all that, the Bible is not simply an anthology; there is a unity which binds the whole together. An anthology is compiled by an anthologist, but no anthologist compiled the Bible."
Bob Buchannon - ". . . there's no way around it, the faith of a Christian stands or falls on two things - on the inspiration of Scripture and on the deity of Christ. If either of these are false - if the Bible is not God's eternal Word, or if Christ is not God's Son - Christianity is false. It is bound to crumble and fall. If these two things are true, however, Christianity will stand forever, regardless of how many skeptics, atheists, or infidels attack it.
John Calvin - "It is the native property of the divine Word never to make its appearance without disturbing Satan and rousing his opposition."
Alexander Campbell - "All revealed religion is based upon facts. Testimony has respect to facts only; and that testimony may be credible, it must be confirmed. These points are of so much importance as to deserve some illustration, and much consideration. By facts we always mean something said or done. The works of God and the words of God, or the things done or spoken by God, are those facts which are laid down and exhibited in the Bible as the foundation of all faith, hope, love, piety, and humanity."
Amy Carmichael - "Never let good books take the place of the Bible. Drink from the Well, not from the streams that flow from the Well."
(quoted by Warren W. Wiersbe in his book, In Praise of Plodders!, p. 55)
Carmichael Baptist Church - "This book we call the Bible "is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction... that it has truth without any mixture of error for its matter... it is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creed, and opinions shall be tried." It is a book worthy of our attention, daily reading, and helpful if we enter into a systematic study of its contents. It is God's revelation of all things most necessary to us. We have need for both chart and compass to guide us in moral and spiritual matters. Political and social changes challenge our every move. In the Bible we have a book for all ages, one which shall stand for eternity. Jesus promised those who followed Him: "If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed: and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." It is the unspiritual man who does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, who seems them as foolishness. It is up to you to read, to study, and to apply the Word of God to your life. It is up to you to be in a church where the Bible is questioned for truth and not about whether it contains truth. You have a priceless possession for which men and women have given their lives over the centuries. Surely we can give some time each day for study and meditation with the Word of God."
Lewis S. Chafer - "The Bible is not such a book a man would write if he could, or could write if he would."
Robert Chapman - "This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. . . . Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. . . . It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword. . . . Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. . . . It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and condemns all who will trifle with its sacred contents."
Clovis G. Chappell - " Give the Bible first place among your books and your heart will burn within you as He through its pages
talks with you by the way. It will become to you an increasing power and joy, and you will find yourself saying in genuine gladness,
Holy Bible, book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine.
Christian Research Institute - "As it stands, the Bible is clearly at odds with the sacred writings of the world's religions. And while, of course, it's logically acceptable for someone to believe that one of the writings is inspired, it makes absolutely no sense at all to believe that they're all inspired, since their claims and statements are, in many cases, mutually exclusive. If we are to regard the Bible as being truly inspired by God, we can only conclude that He had no hand whatsoever in these other writings. To profess otherwise is to mischaracterize God as Someone who Himself is full of contradictions and inconsistencies. Now, I want to make it absolutely clear that the Bible alone gives us the answer for living successfully in this life and the life to come. In fact the Bible says, "These things are written that you may know that you have eternal life." The Bible is the only answer, and the Bible alone is the inspired Word of God. "
Charles Colson - "The authority and truth of Scripture is not an obscure issue reserved for the private debate and entertainment of theologians, it is relevant indeed critical for every serious Christian."
Dr. Mark Eastman - "In the twentieth century it is commonly presumed that the Bible is fraught with scientific inaccuracies and misconceptions. Students are often given the impression that numerous scientific fallacies, including a flat earth and a geocentric universe, are contained within the Bible. However, when the biblical text is carefully examined the reader will quickly discover an uncanny scientific accuracy unparalleled by any document of antiquity."
Dr. Jerry Falwell - "The Bible is the inerrant word
of the living God.
It is absolutely infallible, without error in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, as well as in areas such as
geography, science, history, etc."
Charles G. Finney - "In studying elementary law I found the old authors frequently quoting the Scriptures . . . as authority for many of the great principles of common law. This excited my curiosity so much that I went and purchased a Bible, the first I had ever owned,"
H.L. Hastings - "Infidels for eighteen hundred years have been refuting and overthrowing this book, and yet it stands today as solid as a rock. Its circulation increases and it is more loved and cherished and read today than ever before. Infidels, with all their assults, make about as much impression on this book as a man with a tack hammer would on the Pyramids of Eqypt. when the French monarch proposed the persecution of the Christians in his dominion, and old statesman and warrior said to him, 'Sire, the Church of God is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.' So the hammers of infidels have been pecking away at the book for ages, but the hammers are worn out, and the anvil still endures. If this book had not been the book of God, men would have destroyed it long ago. Emperors and popes, kings and priests, princes and rulers have all tried their hand at it; they die and the book still lives."
Craig S. Hawkins - "There is no objective evidence that the biblical text has been tampered with by the Jews or the early Church. There is no manuscript evidence, no archaeological evidence, no eyewitness--or otherwise--testimony, no support from the writings of the early Church, nor any evidence from the study of textual criticism to substantiate witches' or other occultist's or critics subjectively based claims of a tampered Bible.
On the other hand, there is overwhelming objective evidence to support the conclusion that the biblical text was not tampered with by the early Church, but has been faithfully transmitted down through the centuries to us today and is indeed a reliable historical document of the first order."
Jack Hayford - "The Bible is...as necessary to spiritual life as breath is to natural life. There is nothing more essential to our lives than the Word of God."
Robert E. Hempy, Jr. - "The very words of Scripture are inspired of God and inerrant, referring to verbal inspiration (Matthew 4:4; 5:18). Inerrancy extends to every portion of Scripture, referring to plenary inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16). The Scriptures bear the very stamp of God as the ultimate Author—they are authoritative. While the teaching of the Bible may be foolishness to the unbeliever, the Holy Spirit convinces the believer that this is God's Word, not just the product of the human wisdom of man (cp. 1 Thessalonians 2:13)."
A. A. Hodge - "That Scripture is the only infallible voice in the church, and is to be interpreted, in its own light, and with the gracious help of the Holy Ghost, who is promised to every Christian (1 John 2:20-27), by each individual for himself; with the assistance, though not by the authority, of his fellow Christians. Creeds and confessions, as to form, bind only those who voluntarily profess them, and as to matter, they bind only so far as they affirm truly what the Bible teaches, and because the Bible does so teach."
E. Paul Hovey - "Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself but because it contradicts them."
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones - "We all therefore have to face this ultimate and final question: Do we accept the Bible as the Word of God, as the sole authority in all matters of faith and practice, or do we not? Is the whole of my thinking governed by Scripture, or do I come with my reason and pick and choose out of Scripture and sit in judgment upon it, putting myself and modern knowledge forward as the ultimate standard and authority? The issue is crystal clear. Do I accept Scripture as a revelation from God, or do I trust to speculation, human knowledge, human learning, human understanding and human reasons Or, putting it still more simply, Do I pin my faith to, and subject all my thinking to, what I read in the Bible? Or do I defer to modern knowledge, to modern learning, to what people think today, to what we know at this present time which was not known in the past? It is inevitable that we occupy one or the other of those two positions. "
Immanuel Kant - "The existence of the Bible, as a book for the people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity."
Helen Keller - "The Bible gives me a deep, comforting sense that 'things seen are temporal, and things unseen are eternal'."
David L. Kooyers - " How we view the inspiration of the Bible directly impacts the value we place upon Scripture and how it affects our life. If it is human in origin then it should be placed on a list of great literature of the world. If it is partly human in origin and partly from God then it should be regarded even higher. But, if it is truly God’s Word, as held by orthodox Christians since the time of Christ, then it demands the highest regard and must direct our daily affairs. In this paper we will examine what the Bible, Jesus, and the authors say about the inspiration of Scripture."
Woodrow Kroll - " . . . the Bible is the best-loved, never-read book of all time. It has become the world's most popular coffee-table book. Even if carried consistently to church, it is picked up from the coffee table only to be returned there by Sunday lunch."
Abraham Lincoln - "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book"
Martin Luther - ""unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason -- I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other -- my conscience is captive to the Word of God . . . God help me! Here I stand."
"[The Holy Spirit's] words cannot have more than one, and that the very simplest sense, which we call the literal, ordinary, natural sense. . . . We are not to say that the Scriptures or the Word of God have more than one meaning. . . We are not to introduce any . . . metaphorical, figurative sayings into any text of Scripture, unless the particulars of the words compel us to do so.. . . For if anyone at all were to have power to depart from the pure, simple words and to make inferences and figures of speech wherever he wished. . . [then] no one could reach any certain conclusions about . . . any article of faith. "
"The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me."
Cleland B. McAfee - "If every Bible in any considerable city were destroyed, the Book could be restored in all its essential parts from the quotations on the shelves of the city public library. There are works, covering almost all the great literary writers, devoted especially to showing how much the Bible has influenced them."
Dr. John F. MacArthur, Jr - "So the written words of Scripture are binding. Apostolic preaching was equally binding for those who heard it from the apostles' own mouths. Beyond that, Scripture lays no burden on anyone's shoulders. But, thank God, His own Word assures us that Scripture is fully sufficient to bring us to salvation and to equip us spiritually for all that God demands of us.
No man, no church, no religious authority has any warrant from God to augment the inspired Word of Scripture with additional traditions, or to alter the plain sense of it by subjecting it to the rigors of a "traditional" meaning not found in the Word itself. To do so is clearly to invalidate the Word of God -- and we know what our Lord thinks of that (Matthew 15:6 -- 9)."
"As Christians, we have certain resolute beliefs about the Word of God, all of which we should be able to substantiate. Because we spend so much of our time studying it, teaching it, and living by its principles, we should know the evidence that reinforces the Bible's authenticity. The Bible was written by God to reveal Himself. It is the only authoritative and absolutely reliable record of man's origin, dilemma, salvation, and destiny. It serves as man's only moral and spiritual standard. God inspired every word of the original manuscripts, and they were without error in every detail. The Bible is the only completely trustworthy source of knowledge about God. Man can't learn all he needs to know about God from human reason, philosophy, or even experience. God alone is the source of the knowledge about Himself, and He has chosen to reveal Himself in the Bible and in no other book. "
J. Vernon McGee - "God's Word is as good as He is. There is an old saying that a man is as good as his word. Well, God is as good as His Word. His character is behind what He has said."
George Mueller - "The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our life and thoughts."
"
We have, through the goodness of the Lord, been permitted to enter upon another year—and the minds of many among us will no doubt be occupied with plans for the future, and the various fears of our work and service for the Lord. If our lives are spared we shall be engaged in those: the welfare of our families, the prosperity of our business, our work and service for Christ may be considered the most important matters to be attended to; but according to my judgement the most important point to be attended to is this: above all things see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord. Other things may press upon you, the Lord's work may even have urgent claims upon your attention, but I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself! Day by day seek to make this the most important business of your life. This has been my firm and settled condition for the last five and thirty years. For the first four years after my conversion I knew not its vast importance, but now after much experience I specially commend this point to the notice of my younger brethren and sisters in Christ: the secret of all true effectual service is joy in God, having experimental acquaintance and fellowship with God Himself.
But in what way shall we attain to this settled happiness of soul? How shall we learn to enjoy God? How shall we obtain such an all-sufficient soul-satisfying portion in him as shall enable us to let go the things of this world as vain and worthless in comparison? I answer, This happiness is to be obtained through the study of the Holy Scriptures. God has therein revealed Himself unto us in the face of Jesus Christ.
In the Scriptures, by the power of the Holy Ghost, He makes Himself known unto our souls. . . . [Therefore] The very earliest portion of the day we can command should be devoted to the meditation on Scriptures. Our souls should feed upon the Word. . . . This intimate experimental acquaintance with Him will make us truly happy. Nothing else will. . . . In God our Father, and the blessed Jesus, our souls have a rich, divine, imperishable, eternal treasure. Let us enter into practical possession of these true riches; yea, let the remaining days of our earthily pilgrimage be spent in an ever increasing, devoted, earnest consecration of our souls to God. (George Mueller, A Narrative of Some of the Lord's Dealings with George Mueller, Written by Himself [Muskegon, Mich.: Dust and Ashes Publications, 2003], pp. 730-732)
"
Sir Isaac Newton - "There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history." .... "I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."
Gary North - "Maybe you're tired of hearing the old line: 'The Bible isn't a textbook of [ ].' The person who says this is really saying: 'I don't want to subject my conclusions to what the Bible says. I don't want to re-think my life's work in terms of the Bible. The Bible doesn't tell me what to think!' "
Dr. James I. Packer - "The biblical concept of Scripture, then is of a single, though complex, God-given message, set down in writing in God-given words; a message which God has spoken and still speaks. On the analogy of scriptural usage, therefore, it is evident that to describe Scripture as the Word of God written is entirely accurate. Accordingly, if when we speak of "the Bible" we mean not just a quantity of printed paper, but a written document declaring a message -- if, that is, we view the inspired volume as a literary product, a verbal expression of thought -- then . . . it will be correct to call the Bible the Word of God, and to affirm that what it says, God says.
If, on the other hand, we are thinking of the Bible simply as a printed book, it will not be wrong to say that the Bible contains the Word of God, in the same sense in which any other book contains the pronouncements of the author. To speak in these terms, however, is to invite misunderstanding, since Liberal theologians have been in the habit of using this formula to insinuate that part of what the Bible contains is no part of the Word of God. It is worth guarding our languauge in order to avoid seeming to endorse so unbiblical a view."
A.W. Pink - "As a general rule the writings of man within fifty years of their first public appearance lie untouched on the top shelves of our libraries. Man's writings are like himself - dying creatures. Man comes onto the age of this world, plays his part in the drama of life, influences the audience while he is acting, but is forgotten as soon as the curtain falls upon his brief career; so it is with his writings. While they are fresh and new they amuse, interest or instruct as the wise may be, and then die a natural death. Even the few exceptions to this rule only exert a very limited influence, their power is circumscribed; they are unread by the great majority, yea, are unknown to the biggest portion of our race. But how different with God's Book! The written Word, like the Living Word, is "The same yesterday, and today, and for ever," and unlike any other book it has made its way into all countries and speaks with equal clearness, directness and force to all men in their mother tongue. The Bible never becomes antiquated, its vitality never diminishes and its influence is more irresistible and universal today than it was two thousands years ago. Such facts as these declare with no uncertain voice that the Bible is endued with the same Divine life and energy as its Author, for in no other way can we account for its marvelous influence through the centuries and its mighty power upon the world."
John Piper - "I love the Bible the way I love my eyes—not because my eyes are lovely, but because without them I can't see what's lovely. Without the Bible I could not see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” Without the Bible I could not know “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Without the Bible I would not know that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior. I love the Bible because it gives the wisdom that leads to salvation, and shows me that this salvation is nothing less than seeing and savoring the glory of Christ forever, and then provides for me inexhaustible ways of seeing and knowing and enjoying Christ."
Theodore Roosevelt - "A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education."
Sir Walter Scott - "The most learned, acute, and diligent student cannot, in the longest life, obtain an entire knowledge of the Bible. The more deeply he works the mine, the richer and more abundant he finds the ore."
When the poet and novelist, Sir Walter Scott, lay dying, he said to his son-in-law, Lockhart, "Son, please bring me the Book." The son-in-law was a bit uncertain because Walter Scott had a large library, so he replied, "Sir, which book? Which book?" The dying saint answered immediately, "My son, there is just one Book. Bring me the Book." At once Lockhart went to the library and returned with Sir Walter's Bible. Yes, there is but one Book!
Steve Schlissel - "The Word of God is unchanging in its divisive character. As Calvin noted, 'It is the native property of the divine Word never to make its appearance without disturbing Satan and rousing his opposition.' We see the divisive nature of the Word in the cross of Christ: on the one hand, there is the Word of salvation, and on the other hand, the Word of condemnation. Everywhere the Word is, there is division. God's Word is a separating word, and as a separating word, those who believe it are duty bound to protect it and defend it against all attacks. We must also recognize the simple historical fact that the church's greatest attacks have always arisen from within the church itself. We are not the first, nor are we alone in the fight."
R.C. Sproul - "Here then, is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God’s Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy."
Charles Haddon Spurgeon - "Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years."
" . . . then, since God wrote it, mark its truthfulness. If I had written it, there would be worms of critics who would at once swarm on it, and would cover it with their evil spawn; had I written it, there would be men who would pull it to pieces at once, and perhaps quite right to. But this is the Word of God. Come, search, ye critics, and find a flaw; examine it from its Genesis to its Revelation and find error. This is a vein of pure gold, unalloyed by quartz or any earthly substance. This is a star without a speck; a sun without a blot; a light without darkness; a moon without paleness; a glory without a dimness. O Bible! it cannot be said of any other book, that it is perfect and pure; but of thee we can declare all wisdom is gathered up in thee, without a particle of folly. This is the judge that ends the strife, where wit and reason fail. This is the book untainted by error, but is pure, unalloyed, perfect truth. Why? Because God wrote it. Ah! Charge God with error if you please, tell Him that His book is not what it ought to be . . . . Blessed Bible, thou art all truth."
Ray Stedman - "The whole testimony of this church is to the fact that it is the preaching and the exposition of the Bible that establishes its authority. We do not need to defend it, just declare it, proclaim it. Nothing explains the world situation as the Bible does. No philosophy that is current among men today ever comes to grips with international affairs like Scripture. Take even the question of the origin of the world and the nature of it, let alone matters of political and international importance. Only in the light of Scripture can one understand the total process of history. The very fact that in this ancient book, coming through such feeble and thoroughly human instruments, we have that which twenty or more centuries later is an adequate explanation of the things that are taking place in our own time, is a tremendous, powerful, compelling argument that this book is more than man's."
"The choice that is left to us as Christians is very simple; it is always the same in every generation: either we accept the Bible as God's word to us, his own self-revelation, his own explanation of the affairs of life and of human history, or, as the only other alternative, we must rest our faith upon the shifting, complex, ever-changing authority of modern knowledge and human ability. It is either Christ or the critics, one or the other. One way leads to moral decline and final collapse; the other way brings us to illuminating insights into our own hearts, and into the processes of history and to the place of integrity and character."
Don Stewart - "The Bible is not merely a history book to be studied for its teachings or admired for its wisdom. In the twentieth century educated men and women still can investigate the Bible in detail and believe in its message without compromising their intellectual integrity."
"When we speak of the Bible being inspired, it means that it is God’s accurate revelation of Himself to
us. Though the various books of Scripture were composed by humans, the result was an error-free
work in the original manuscripts. This is because all Scripture was God-breathed. Consequently, the
Bible cannot be categorized with other literature that causes the human heart to be challenged or
inspired. It is much more than that— it is God’s divine Word to humanity."
"When we say the Bible is without error, we mean it is completely true in all that it says— there are
no statements in the Bible that are falsely reported. Every statement, every event, is recorded for us
truthfully. This however, does not mean that every statement is true. For example, every time the
devil spoke he lied. Yet the lies that he uttered are accurately recorded in Scripture."
Dr. John R.W. Stott - "Since the Bible is God's Word, we cannot read it with the casual indifference which we might give to the daily newspaper. Instead we shall approach it with 'that reverence and humility without which no-one can understand' God's truth (John Calvin). We shall also cry to the Holy Spirit to illumine our minds, and in particular to show Christ to us... The Holy Spirit delights, in answer to our prayers, to bring Jesus Christ alive to us in our Bible reading."
"Our responsibility is to read, re-read and go on reading the passage, and to worry at it like a dog with a bone. I find it helpful to keep asking myself two questions. First, what did it mean? That is, what was its original sense? Secondly, what does it say? That is, what is its contemporary application?"
Lord Tennyson - "Bible reading is an education in itself."
Henry Thiessen - "The Bible is superior to all other religious books in content. It sets up the highest ethical standards, enjoins the most absolute obedience, denounces every form of sin, and yet informs the sinner how he can become right with God. How could uninspired men write a book like that?"
R. A. Torrey - "It is clear that there must be difficulties for us in a revelation such as the Bible. If someone were to hand me a book that was as simple to me as the multiplication table, and say, 'This is the Word of God. In it He has revealed His whole will and wisdom,' I would shake my head and say, 'I cannot believe it; that is too easy to be a perfect revelation of infinite wisdom.' There must be, in any complete revelation of God's mind and will and character and being, things hard for the beginner to understand; and the wisest and best of us are but beginners."
A. W. Tozer - "The Bible was written in tears, and to tears it yields its best treasures."
William Tyndale - "I defy the pope and all his laws; and, if God spares me, I will one day make the boy that drives the plow in England to know more of the Scriptures than the pope does!"
Author Unknown - "Those who accept the Bible as the Word of God believe that God has spoken to us unambiguously. We believe that there is only one "right" interpretation of any given Biblical passage - the meaning God intended when He "breathed" His word into the human author."
"The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened and the gates of hell disclosed.
Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.
It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will regard the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents."
"Behind 10,000 events stands God, the builder of history, the maker of the ages. Eternity bounds the one side, eternity bounds the other side, and time is in between---Genesis-origins, 'Revelation-endings, and all the way between God is working things out. You can go down into the minutest detail everywhere and see that there is one great purpose moving through the ages, the eternal design of the almighty God to redeem a wrecked and ruined world. The Bible is one book, one history, one story, His story."
"The Bible has consistently been one of the best sellers and most often translated books ever known to man. The Bible purports to be God breathed (theopneustos) and the Bible backs up its claims with many attendant internal and external proofs (2 Tim. 3: 16, 17). As a consequence, the Bible demands that men accept it as God's inerrant revelation and as man's only authoritative creed book; the only book by which man is to live and die (Heb. 1: 1, 2; Jn. 12: 48; 6: 63). The word of God is able to "build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified" (Acts 20: 32)."
"The Bible does not present itself as an exhaustive text on any one subject; but since it has been written under the guidance of God, creator of all that is, where it touches on any subject it teaches the absolute and unalterable truth."
"For our first 150 years, the Bible was the base of our religious devotion, our education, and our government. However, most of our Bibles came from England and the Revolutionary war cut that source off. The Bible was thought so indispensable that in 1781 Congress voted to print it's own Bibles, know as the "Bible of the Revolution," the first American printing.
Today, the ACLU and other socialist factions would have a heart attack at the mere mention of such an endeavor. They have either forgotten, or never knew, the "rock" on which America was founded."
"As believers we understand the importance of the Bible. It is God's inspired, infallible, inerrant Word. It is authoratative in all matters to which it speaks, for it is the very Word of the Almighty God of the universe. It is not enough, however, to speak of its importance. We must learn to read it, study it, momorize it and apply it to our lives. When it comes to studying the Word of God it is important that we handle the text correctly so that we "rightly divide the Word of Truth." (2 Tim. 2:15)"
Henry Van Dyke - "Born in the East and clothed in Oriental form and imagery, the Bible walks the ways of all the world with familiar feet and enters land after land to find its own everywhere. It has learned to speak in hundreds of languages to the heart of man. Children listen to its stories with wonder and delight, and wise men ponder them as parables of life. The wicked and proud tremble at its warnings, but to the wounded and penitent it has a mother's voice. It has woven itself into our dearest dreams; so that love, friendship, sympathy, devotion, memory, hope, put on the beautiful garments of its treasured speech. No man is poor or desolate who has this treasure for his own. When the landscape darkens, and the trembling pilgrim comes to the Valley named of the Shadow, he is not afraid to enter; he takes the rod and staff of Scripture in his hand; he says to friend and comrade, 'Goodbye; we shall meet again;', and, confronted by that support, he goes toward the lonely pass as one who walks through darkness into light."
Rick Wade - "Our evaluation of the Bible and other "holy books" is governed by the recognition that the Bible is the inspired word of God. If God’s final word is found in what we call the Bible, then no other book can be God’s word. To differ with what the Bible says is to differ with God."
George Washington - "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
Daniel Webster - "If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering . . . but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity."
Here is the spring where waters flow,
To quench our heat of sin;
Here is the tree where truth doth grow,
To lead our lives therein:
Here is the judge that stints the strife,
When men's devices fail:
Here is the bread that feeds the life
That death cannot assail.
The tidings of salvation dear,
Comes to our ears from hence:
The fortress of our faith is here,
And shield of our defense.
Then be not like the swine that hath
A pearl at his desire,
And takes more pleasure from the trough
And wallowing in the mire.
Read not this book in any case,
But with a single eye:
Read not but first desire God's grace,
To understand thereby.
Pray still in faith with this respect,
To bear good fruit therein,
That knowledge may bring this effect,
To mortify thy sin.
Then happy you shall be in all your life,
What so to you befalls:
Yes, double happy you shall be,
When God by death you calls.
From The First Bible Printed In Scotland (1576)
The Martyrdom of William Tyndale
William Tyndale gave us our English Bible. This is perhaps the best-kept secret in the history of the Bible.
No man ever gave more than he! For from that first translation, all the translations since have been made.
