July 4, 2024 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Greetings, friends! Recently, we have been looking at some of the snares our enemy, Satan, uses to try to lure us away from God in this on-going war known as the great controversy.
In the book, The Great Controversy, we have seen how Satan has attacked God’s Word down through the centuries. At first, the sacred writings were kept from the common people, locked away in libraries and monasteries where very few could gain access to them.
The Roman Church held the key to the Scriptures—both physically, as they kept the writings under lock and key, and in interpretation, claiming the sole right to interpret the Bible in the way that best served the Church.
Later, as the Scriptures were translated into the languages of the people, many who dared to translate were martyred, along with those who followed the Word of God.
Praise God, according to the Wycliffe Global Alliance, the Bible, or at least some portions of it, has now been translated into 3,658 languages.
But while the Bible is available to much of the world today, Satan continues trying to keep people from reading it by creating confusion and division. Often, this is done by those who, instead of carefully studying God’s word humbly, seeking to learn His will, instead try to discover something strange or original. They try to support their erroneous doctrines or unchristian practices by wrenching Bible texts out of context, perhaps only quoting a single verse to make their point. Others try to interpret the prophetic symbols in new and strange ways.
The Great Controversy explains how such errors can take place: “Whenever the study of the Scriptures is entered upon without a prayerful, humble, teachable spirit, the plainest and simplest as well as the most difficult passages will be wrested from their true meaning” (p. 521).
How important it is that we approach the Bible with a humble, teachable spirit, asking God to guide us as we read.
What is the purpose of the Bible? We are told, “The Bible was designed to be a guide to all who wish to become acquainted with the will of their Maker. God gave to men the sure word of prophecy; angels and even Christ Himself came to make known to Daniel and John the things that must shortly come to pass” (The Great Controversy, p. 521).
And these prophecies are not clouded in mystery. God said, through the prophet Habakkuk: “Write the vision, and make it plain . . . that he may run who reads it” (Hab. 2:2, NKJV). Ellen White confirms this in The Great Controversy, where we read: “The word of God is plain to all who study it with a prayerful heart. Every truly honest soul will come to the light of truth” (pp. 521, 522).
Another snare that Satan uses to try and discredit the Bible is to make it appear that the Bible contradicts scientific research. For example, many believe the creation account described in the book of Genesis is simply an allegory. They believe science has confirmed evolution correctly describes Earth’s origins. Others claim a worldwide flood as described in the Bible never happened because, in their view, there is no scientific evidence for such an event.
However, we read in The Great Controversy that “Human knowledge of both material and spiritual things is partial and imperfect; therefore many are unable to harmonize their views of science with Scripture statements. Many accept mere theories and speculations as scientific facts, and they think that God’s word is to be tested by the teachings of ‘science falsely so called.’ . . . The Creator and His works are beyond their comprehension; and because they cannot explain these by natural laws, Bible history is regarded as unreliable” (The Great Controversy, p. 522).
Going on, we see what the terrible results are when a person considers the Bible untrustworthy: “Those who doubt the reliability of the records of the Old and New Testaments too often go a step further and doubt the existence of God . . . Having let go their anchor, they are left to beat about upon the rocks of infidelity” (The Great Controversy, p. 522).
Friends, the Bible is filled with important truth, given to us by God so we will know the way of salvation. Another one of Satan’s deceptions, however, is to entice people to accept some truth of the Bible, but not all—as if they can decide for themselves what is inspired and what is not. But the Bible tells us: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16, NKJV).
In the end, Satan’s great objective is to destroy our confidence in God and in His Word. We are warned that “Satan stands at the head of the great army of doubters, and he works to the utmost of his power to beguile souls into his ranks” (The Great Controversy, p. 526). The author continues, “While God has given ample evidence for faith, He will never remove all excuse for unbelief. All who look for hooks to hang their doubts upon will find them. And those who refuse to accept and obey God’s word until every objection has been removed, and there is no longer an opportunity for doubt, will never come to the light” (The Great Controversy, p. 527).
My friends, it is very serious to doubt the word of God, or to try and divide it, saying that one part is inspired, but other parts are not. Let’s take God at His word, accepting it as the wonderful gift that it is, saying with the Psalmist: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, NKJV).
I invite you to pray with me just now.
Father in heaven, thank you so much for the plain Word of God. Thank you that we can accept that all Scripture was given by inspiration. Help us now to fully understand how to approach your Word, and to allow the Holy Spirit to help us to understand it fully so that we might share it with others as well. Thank you that we can rely upon the Word of God as the foundation of our faith in you. Thank you for those in the past who preserve the Word of God, who translated the Word of God, who risked their lives for the word of God. We’re so grateful that we can have copies of this precious word in multiple places, even in electronic format. Lord, help us not just to have it, but to read it. In Jesus name we ask it. Amen.