The Unshakable Absolute Standard of God: The Bible

 The Unshakable Absolute Standard of God: The Bible

 

                    The world changes rapidly. Values that were considered absolute truth until yesterday are shaken today by new discoveries or social consensus. The fashionable ideas of each era often relegate what didn't seem to be the "right answer" into the right answer, while turning what was once considered correct into relics of the past. In this ever-changing environment, we stand at countless crossroads. We constantly ponder what is truth and what is the foundation we must hold onto. However, amidst all these waves of change, there is a unique and absolute standard that God has granted us which never shakes. That is the Bible.

                    Today, voices threatening the authority of the Bible are becoming more cunning. Some define the Bible merely as a cultural product of the Ancient Near East and argue that what does not fit modern reason should be critically reinterpreted. Criticisms that seek to demote the Bible to a mere book of wisdom from a specific era or see it as just one of the religious phenomena in human development try to undermine the transcendent status of the Bible. Such a perspective leads us to see the Bible as a text that changes according to the flow of the times, eventually shaking the very roots of our faith. However, this is merely a misunderstanding that completely overlooks the essence of God the Creator revealing His will to humanity.

                    The Bible was written by humans, but it is not knowledge devised by humans. The Bible is God's redemptive revelation that has continued from the time before Christ (B.C.), and it is the living Word that saves and transforms human life across ages. God preserved His Word even in areas beyond human wisdom, and its authority is not determined by human evaluation or criticism. The Bible is absolute because its Author is God. The reason the words proclaimed through the prophets of the Old Testament exert the same life-giving power today is that those words reflect God's will, not human thought.

                    We should not try to evaluate the Bible with our own yardsticks. Rather, we must evaluate ourselves and the world we live in using the Bible as the absolute yardstick. Even if modern criticisms dismiss the Bible as old-fashioned, truth does not follow trends. Unlike worldly knowledge, God's Word is not revised or discarded; it remains the standard of our lives forever. The Bible is the solid rock upon which we stand and the only navigator that guides us so we do not lose our way amidst rough storms.

                    The essence of faith is to stand on the unchanging truth. Even if the world's values are constantly changing, if we are deeply rooted in God's Word, we will never be shaken. Every attempt to undermine the authority of the Bible is like building a house on sand. When rain falls and winds blow, worldly knowledge will collapse, but faith built upon God's Word will be firm.

                    The Bible is not merely a moral textbook or a record of human history. The Bible is a love letter from God who constantly speaks to us and a law of life that presents the way of salvation. When we approach the Bible, we must lay down human knowledge and the standard of criticism, and humbly listen to God's voice. We must not try to compromise the teachings of the Bible to fit the trends of the times, but see how God's Word governs the ages. That is the secret to overcoming this age and maintaining the integrity of our faith.

                    In conclusion, the Bible is the beginning and the end of our faith and an absolute foundation that can never be compromised. Through the Bible, God has revealed to us His character, His will, and the way of salvation, and we find true freedom and peace only within that Word. No matter how much the world may criticize the Bible and try to deny its authority, God's Word will stand forever unchanged until heaven and earth pass away. When we entrust our lives fully to this unshakable truth, we can walk the path of firm faith that the world cannot give. I earnestly hope that all of you will hold onto this great inheritance given by God and complete the race of faith without wavering.