A professional musician gives cello concerts in New York City subway stations because he fears the day when classical music will be no more. Some commuters stop and stare, curious or captivated, many having never heard a cello or Bach concerto before. For the musician, the music is an offering of something meaningful, seeds for future generations of classical music admirers who might not otherwise be exposed to it; beauty well worthy of the effort of lugging his heavy cello down into the subways. This musician does this because he cannot imagine a world without classical music.
Imagine, if you can, a world without the Bible. There would be no:
Light from Heaven
The intensity and the density of the darkness in which we would be groping is unimaginable. Creation would tell us of divine power, but our sinful hearts would have turned to worshiping sun, moon, and stars. It is the light of the Word of God which has shined into our hearts and given us a knowledge of God. It is the Scriptures which have told us of the advent into our world of the Living Incarnate Word, Who has brought us salvation.
Life Fitting us for Heaven
Our darkness would only be equaled by our deadness. Estranged from God in our sins, without life, destined for an eternal death, our despair would have been extreme. But the Word of God has brought the knowledge of a Savior Who has “brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2Tim 1:10, KJV).
Paul speaks of the “Word of Life” in his exhortation to the Philippians (Phil 2:16). It is not only a living Word, it is a life-giving Word. We have been begotten by the Word of God which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23).
Link Day by Day with Heaven
It is the Scriptures to which we turn daily to maintain fellowship with God. It is to the Scriptures that we turn to know God and feed our souls. As newborn babes instinctively crave milk to grow, so we turn to the Word of God for our spiritual sustenance. Commentaries, devotionals, and other related writings are helpful, but nothing can replace the living Word of God.
This issue of Truth & Tidings is devoted to increasing our appreciation of, and confidence in, the Word of God. Various aspects are dealt with by the contributors to this issue, ranging from the archeological confirmation of the accuracy of Scripture, its textual evaluation, to the inspiration. Not every article will appeal to all. There is, however, something for everyone in the articles which follow. The “Scriptures of Truth” are life indeed. We turn from the best that men can produce, to the infallible Word of God. The words of John Greenleaf Whittier are still true:
The Bible – The Book Our Mothers Read
We search the earth for truth, we cull
The good, the pure, the beautiful,
From graven stone and written scroll,
From the flower-fields of the soul;
And weary seekers for the best,
We come back laden from our quest
To find that all the sages said
Is in the Book our mothers read.
