“For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matthew 5:18 (NIV)
You may have heard someone say, “I trust Jesus, but not the other guys who wrote the Bible.” There’s a problem with that logic.
Jesus trusted the Bible—every word of it! He taught that the Bible is a unique book, above all others.
In Matthew 5:18, Jesus said, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (NIV).
Jesus said the Bible will last until the end of time. It will accomplish what God wants to accomplish in this world. He said, “We know that Scripture is always true” (John 10:35 NIRV). Jesus proclaimed the truth of the Bible. And when Jesus talks about the truthfulness of the Bible, we need to listen.
When Jesus talked about the Bible, he would often base his argument about the truth of the Bible on a single sentence or even a single word from the Bible. He believed every single sentence, every single word of Scripture. So if you trust Jesus, why wouldn’t you trust the Bible?
It’s clear that Jesus didn’t think of the Bible as simply poetry or history. He saw the Bible as something that changes lives. In Luke 11:28 Jesus said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (NIV). Jesus doesn’t want us to only read the Bible. That’s what you do with poetry and history. Jesus wants us to obey the Bible. That’s what you do with anything the Creator of the universe writes.
Jesus talked about the Bible as if the people and events in it were real. He talked about all the prophets being real. He talked about Daniel being real. Jesus believed in Noah and everything that happened with the flood. He believed in Adam and Eve. He believed in the tragedy of Sodom and Gomorrah. He believed that Jonah was swallowed by a large fish.
Jesus believed in some of the most disputed stories in the Bible, particularly Noah, Adam and Eve, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Jonah. People who think that the Bible is mostly good stories that didn’t really happen always point to those four stories.
If Jesus really believed in Jonah, then you should too. I don’t know how God created a fish that could swallow a guy, but it’s in the Bible, so he did.
I trust in the Bible because Jesus trusted in it. You should too.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over
Do you see the Bible as something that changes lives? What is the evidence of this in your life?
Do you have trouble believing some parts of the Bible? Why?
What do you think God wants to accomplish in your life through his Word?
This devotional © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Jesus trusted the Bible—every word of it, even the parts that we have trouble believing today! Learn what this means for your life in today’s #DailyHope devotional.
Rick Warren Bio
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book The Purpose Driven Church was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created The PEACE Plan to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at PastorRick.com.
Tags
40 Days in the Word – 2023, God’s Word, Trust, Truth, Bible Study, Spiritual Maturity, Jesus, Belief, Matthew 5, John 10, Luke 11
Broadcast Series: 40 Days in the Word – 2023
Sermon Series: 40 Days in the Word (2012)
Sermon: 023602_Why Can I Trust the Bible
