The Transforming Power of the Bible
by Rev. Max Solbrekken, D.D.
There is an inherent power in God's Word to
change the lives of those who trust its holy precepts and worship the Living
God!
"Transforming"
and "revolutionary" are
terms that are compatible with the message of the Gospel.
Evolutionist
Charles Darwin visited Tierra del
Puego in 1833 and found a people whom he thought were incapable of being
civilized.
He wrote, "The Fuegians are in a more
miserable state of barbarianism than I ever expected to have seen any human
being".
Thirty six years later Darwin revisited the same people, and was astounded by the change wrought by the power of the Word of God preached to them by missionaries!
He wrote, "I should have predicted that not all the missionaries in the world could have done what has been done. It is wonderful and it shames me, as I have always prophesied a failure. It is a grand success".
In a letter to the London Missionary
Society, together with a gift the equivalent of US $125, Darwin wrote, "I
shall feel proud if your committee shall think fit to elect me as honorary
member of your society".
St. Paul states, "The Scriptures are able to make you wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Jesus Christ our Lord". ( 2 Tim. 3:15)
Books of mathematics, sciences, philosophies and medicine can make one wise in those fields, but only the Bible makes one wise unto salvation!
Jesus Christ declares, "You are
now clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you". (John 15:3) And St. Peter emphasized that the New Birth
is attainable only through the Word of God (Holy Scriptures) and the Holy
Spirit!
“Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and
abideth forever.” (1 Peter 1:23)
We are Saved by God’s
Grace alone, through Faith alone and in Christ alone! All Glory, Honour and Praise
be our Heavenly Father for His goodness and mercy that we receive through His Son
Jesus Christ, our Lord!
REDEMPTION comes to us by the grace of God (Eph. 2:8-9), through our faith in His finished work on Calvary (Rom. 5:1) and by Christ Alone. (Heb. 1:3)
The Bible says: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain converasation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish or spot.”
THE BIBLE HAS MANY WITNESSES!
There are many witnesses which testify
to the Bible's transforming power. The
following historical data shows the power of both faith and unbelief.
Jonathan
Edwards, the nationally known
evangelist and Max Jukes, the avowed
atheist, were contemporaries living in the USA.
Max Jukes lived a godless life and married a girl of the same caliber. This union produced 310 paupers, 150 criminals, 7 murderers, 100 drunkards. And more than one-half of the women were prostitutes! Jukes' 540 descendants cost the State 1.25 million dollars.
Jonathan Edwards was a Minister of the Gospel. He married a girl from a Christian family and from that union, there were 1,394 descendants.
An investigation of Edwards' posterity revealed 13 college professors, 65 college presidents, 3 US Senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 prominent authors, 1 US vice-president and 60 other public officials, 295 college graduates, among whom were State governors and ministers to foreign governments. And the preacher's descendants did not cost the State a penny,
WHY IS THE WORD OF GOD IS SO EFFECTIVE?
The Bible says, "For prophecy came not at any time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost". (2 Peter 1:21). Jesus said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life". (John 6:63)
2)
It is alive and active!
"For the Word of God is quick
(living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb. 4:12)
“He hath sent His Word, and healed
them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Ps. 107:20)
3) It is authoritative!
Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth will pass away, but not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law until it is fulfilled". (Matt. 5:18)
The Bible says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
4)
It is immutable!
God stands behind His Word. It cannot fail. It is permanent! "God is not a man that He should lie...Hath He said and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good"? (Num. 23:19)
"So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)
5. It is eternal!
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, but by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. But the Word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (1 Peter 1: 23-25)
“In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, promised before the world began; but hath in due times manifested His Word through preaching…” (Titus 1:1-30)
6. It is holy and pure!
“Every Word of God is pure; He is a shield unto them that put their trust in them. Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” (Prov. 30: 5,6)
7. It is infallible and true!
“The sum of Thy Word is truth: and everyone
of righteous ordinances endureth forever.” (Ps. 119:160)
THE BIBLE AND ITS AFFECT ON THE USA!
A Newsweek
report dated December 12, 1982 carried the headline: 'How The Bible Made America'.
Here is an excerpt of their report: "Since the Puritans and the Pioneers,
through Wars and Social Conflicts, a
sense of Biblical Mission has united us, divided us and shaped our National Destiny”.
A month earlier, President Ronald
Reagan declared: "For centuries it (the
Bible) has exerted an unrivaled influence on American culture, politics and
social life. Now historians are
discovering that the Bible, perhaps even more than the constitution, is our
founding document. The source of the
powerful view of the model society, a beacon in the world".
In 1665, Sir Isaac Newton - one of the world’s most renowned scientists -
said, “No sciences are better tested than the religion of the Bible”.
In 1787, Daniel Webster wrote, “God’s Word contained in the Bible has
furnished all necessary rules to direct our conduct”.
In 1850, America’s greatest president, Abraham Lincoln declared, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to mankind and that all things and desires for man to know are contained in it. All of the good from the Saviour of this world is communicated through the Book; but for this Book, we could not know right from wrong. All of the things desirable to man are contained in it. And in 1870, Charles Dickens stated, “The New Testament is the best book the world has ever known or will know."
U.S. PRESIDENTS & THE BIBLE!
Thomas Jefferson: “I always said, I always will say, that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands.”
John Quincy Adams: “In what light soever we regard the Bible, whether with reference to revelation, to history, or to morality, it is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue.” Andrew Jackson: “The Bible is the rock on which our republic rests.”
Ulysses Simpson Grant: “Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of your liberties: write its precepts in your hearts, and practice them in your lives. To the influence of this Book we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization, and to this we must look as our guide in the future.”
William
McKinley: “The more profoundly we study this wonderful Book, the
better citizens we will become, and the higher will be our destiny as a
nation.”
Theodore
Roosevelt: “I plead for a closer and wider and deeper study of
the Bible, so that our people may be in fact as well as in theory “doers of the Word and not hearers only”.”
Woodrow
Wilson: “When you have read the Bible, you will know it is the
WORD OF GOD, because you will have found it the key to your own
heart, your own happiness, and your own duty.”
Warren
Harding: “I have always believed in the inspiration of the Holy
Scriptures, whereby they have become the expression to man of the Word and Will
of God.”
Calvin
Coolidge: “The foundation of society and of our
government rests so much on the teachings of the Bible, that it would be
difficult to support them if faith in these teachings should cease to be
practically universal in our country.”
Herbert
Hoover: “We are indebted to the Book of books for our national
ideals and institutions. Their preservation
rests in adhering to its principles.”
Harry S.
Truman:
“The Bible is the moral
code of our nation and of civilization.”
Dwight D.
Eisenhower: “In the highest sense the Bible is to us the unique
repository of eternal spiritual truths.
In the most tangible sense, it is the ultimate and indispensable source
of inspiration for America’s life in freedom.”
Ronald Reagan: “Within the covers of the Bible are the
answers for all the problems men face.
In 1831, Alexis
de Tocqueville, after visiting the USA, made this statement:
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her
commodious harbours and her ample rivers, and it was not there: in her rich mines and her vast world
commerce, and it was not there. Not
until I went into the churches of America, and heard her pulpits aflame with
righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power.”
The great English preacher, Spurgeon, told
the story of a poor woman who was confronted by an agnostic.
"What are you reading?" "I am reading the Word of
God", she answered. "Who told you
that?" "He told me so
Himself", she countered. "Told you so? Why, how can you prove that?"
Looking skyward, the poor woman said, "Can
you prove to me that there is a sun up in the sky"? "Why of course; the best proof is that it
warms me and I can see its light."
"That's it", she shouted. "The best proof that this book is the Word of God is that it warms me and lights my soul."
BRITAIN’S QUEEN VICTORIA!
Here is the glorious testimony of how
England’s Queen Victoria was born again! A beautiful incident in the
experience of Queen Victoria is worth remembering.
It has been published and is
unquestionably authentic. The Queen had
attended a service in St. Paul’s Cathedral and had listened to a sermon that
interested her greatly; then she asked her Chaplain, “Can one be
absolutely sure in this life of eternal safety?” His answer was, “I know of no way that
one could be absolutely sure.”
This
was published in the Court News and fell under the eye of a humble minister of
the Gospel John Townsend, an intimate friend of George Mueller, whose life
of faith led to the founding of his well-known orphanages. This John Townsend was the father of the
famous “Sister Abigail”, another Christian of extraordinary faith and service.
After
reading of Queen Victoria’s question and the answer she received, John Townsend
thought and prayed much about the matter, then sent the following note to the
Queen:
“To her gracious Majesty, our beloved Queen Victoria, from one of
her most humble subjects: With trembling hands, but heartfilled love, and
because I know that we can be absolutely sure now of our eternal life in the
Home that Jesus went to prepare, may I ask your Most Gracious Majesty to read
the following passages of Scripture - John 3:16; John 5:24; Romans 10:9-10?
These passages prove there is full assurance of salvation by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ for those who believe and accept His finished work.”
I sign myself, your servant for Jesus’ Sake, John Townsend
“Your
letter of recent date received and in reply would state that I have carefully
and prayerfully read the portions of Scripture referred to. I believe in the finished work of Christ for
me, and trust by God’s grace to meet you in the Home of which He said, ‘I go to
prepare a place for you’.”
(Signed) Victoria Guelph.
The people of Taiwan were spared the tyranny of the ‘Butcher from Bejing’, Mao Zedong who murdered and killed his opponents by the millions. They were spared the inhuman agonizing deaths of between 40 and 80 million whom Mao - the corrupt, unconscionable and filthy emissary of Satan - destroyed through a mass famine, while exporting grain to prove to the world how great his lying ‘cultural revolution’ really was.
Yes, thank God that the people of Taiwan escaped the kangaroo trials, murders by the inquisitional Red Guards because of that godly man President Shaing Kai Shek and his belief in Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour!
THE TESTIMONY OF TAIWAN’S PRESIDENT CHIANG KAI SHEK’S PERSONAL FAITH TO HIS PEOPLE. Taken from the book translated from Norwegian into English
“How I wish that all the people would read the Bible, worship and believe in the one and only true God! The Bible which is God’s Living, inspired and true Word teaches us about the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Bible also declares that we can attain righteousness by our faith in His Son Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself through His death on the cross, and shed His blood as an offering for sin. God’s righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ exalts a nation. That has been proven historically. Christ is Freedom’s Rock! His love covers a multitude of sins. Everyone who believes on Him shall receive eternal life!”
PRAISE GOD FOREVER!
