For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Argue With God, Not Man

The longest argument in the history of man is the history of man and the word of God. No debate can match the thousands of years of argumentation against and for what God says and what He does not say. The devil is the one who began the debate when he deceived Eve. In the days of Noah, all but eight argued against the word of God. Those who opposed the word of God died, and the eight righteous souls who accepted the word of God lived.

Noah preached to a world filled with wickedness. His preaching was based on righteousness, holiness, and the judgment to come. Moved by godly fear, Noah prepared an ark for the saving of his household. The rest of the world laughed and mocked him and denied the word of God. When the Lord shut the door of the ark, and the water came, everyone believed in the word of the Lord. Sadly, it was too late for those who perished, but they knew their argument with Noah was against God.

When Jesus came to earth, He testified to the word of His Father. He constantly reminded the people the words He spoke were not His own but from the One who had all power and authority. The miracles of Jesus affirmed He spoke in the Father’s name. When the Jewish leaders rejected the teaching of Jesus, the Lord reminded them they rejected not Him but the Father. Everything Jesus said was true because it was the word given to Him by His Father. Rejecting the teaching of Jesus was to reject the word of the Divine. Killing Jesus on the cross was the final demonstration of how far men will go to deny the word of God. But then Sunday came, and the world shuttered. The Word arose from the dead.

Through the divine providence of the Holy Spirit, the Bible has come into existence to guide men into all truth. The Bible’s purpose is to open God’s mind to the hearts of men. Contained with all of its pages, the Bible unfolds the plan of redemption promised in the garden of Eden and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The early church was established on the word of God. Letters and books form the canon of the new covenant written down so that men could read and understand the will of God. Paul commended the saints at Thessalonica because when the word was preached to them, they accepted it as the word of God, not the word of men. The Bereans may have been more noble than those at Thessalonica at one time, but there is no book of the Bereans preserved.

Religious division is rampant among those who profess to follow Christ. Multiple churches abound with different doctrines, practices, beliefs, and names. For some, unity is found in the diversity of churches, but this is against the prayer of Jesus, who sought for all men to be one. The reason religious division exists is that few men see the word of God as divine authority. They follow the words of men rather than what is plainly written in the Bible. God did not craft a book that is hard to understand and follow, yet human wisdom has denied the power of God’s word.

The only time there will be religious unity is when the Bible is accepted as the word of God. When men argue about the doctrines of the Bible, they must realize they are arguing against God. This is an argument that cannot be won. All the reasons and excuses were given in the days of Noah to view the coming flood as a myth. But those who saw God’s word as a myth, ‘mythed’ the boat and died. Let all men be liars, and God be true. His Word is His word. Deny His word and you die.