“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.” (Psalm 19:1-3). We sometimes sing the song, “This is my Father’s world,” in which is the line, “He speaks to me everywhere.” That line refers to the truth in Psalm 19 that God is telling us something in His creation, not of course in audible human words, but figuratively. He is declaring “His eternal power and Godhead” (Romans 1:20) in “the things that are made.” Truly He has not left Himself without witness.
But the creation is not God’s only revelation. God has spoken in words, words that were written for us, and we need that revelation from God! That revelation is the Bible, and every person needs it!
Every person needs the Bible because although we can know about God through his creation, we cannot come to know God, for His creation which we observe and in which we operate will not tell us about His love, His wrath, His holiness and His justice. It will not tell us of His grace and His mercy. It will not tell us of His Son Jesus Christ and how to be saved through Him. It will not tell us of the service and the worship that He expects. It will not tell us about the soul of man and the truth of our eternal destiny.
Every person needs the Bible because we are incapable on our own to direct our steps in the way that we should go. This is by our Creator’s design. “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Our own thoughts and opinions are insufficient to guide us in how to live right as well as how to worship God acceptably.
Every person needs the Bible because human wisdom and reasoning is insufficient to know God and to be saved. “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21). Human wisdom could not lead the Jew or Gentile to come to know God and to be saved; only the preaching of the gospel could do that. The Bible is necessary to lead anyone to Christ. Human reasoning leads people to defend the murder of the unborn and the elderly.
The condition of the world shows us that every person needs the Bible. Giving no attention to the Bible, the world is filled with selfishness, hatred, and confusion. According to the world, lying is ok, homosexuality is God-approved, and murder is acceptable. Just witness the recent reports about so many sympathizing with and even defending the alleged murderer of a large corporation’s CEO. Many in the world do not believe in an absolute standard; their belief leads to a world where everyone does what is right in his own eyes (e.g. Judges 21:25) – “live and let live.” But they must confess that such will work for them only so long as the other person’s way does not violate their relative standard – at which point they want to play a different tune. How much better it is then to live by the absolute truth in the Bible, including truths such as “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise” (Luke 6:31), and “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Every person needs the Bible! -Larry Jones