The Bible: God's Message to Humanity

There has been a lot of talk about Billy Graham in the wake of his home going. There is much talk about the simplicity of his preaching, the focus of his message the integrity of his living, and the humility of his character. News media has spoken of his being “Pastor to the nation” and confidant of Presidents and other world leaders. We have revisited his roll in the civil rights movement and the tearing down of the Iron Curtain. Make no mistake about it . . . .this humble man from North Carolina was a mighty man of God during our day.  Millions can testify to hearing him preach, multitudes will tell you were saved because he came to their town. A handful of people can claim to have walked close by his side and a few of us brushed the hem of his garment.

He was a gift of God to a lost and dying world reminding us that God still loves us and though we have sinned and come short of God’s expectations He sent his own Son to give His life for our sin so that whosever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  But by his own testimony he said he could not go one step further in ministry until he settled the matter of whether or not he could trust the Bible. After much trivial and searching of soul he finally came to say that he didn’t understand it all but that by faith he believed it all and the rest is history.

Folks the Bible, the Word of God and I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ it declares: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”

When I was a young preacher having only preached in my home church I had a chance meeting with Dr. Billy Graham at the Houston Baptist College. If was brief as he was leaving the property but for reasons I shall never know this side of heaven as he left shaking hands with those lined along his path he took my hand, looked directly into my eyes as though he were looking at my soul and ask what my plans were for my life. I replied, that God had only recently called me to preach. He then said, "That's good . . . .preach the Bible." With that he moved on but I have never forgotten that handshake, those focused eyes and that advice to "preach the Bible."

He may have said that a thousand times before to other but that day it was to me and it stuck. In turn over my 50 plus years of preaching I have given that same advice to a lot of preachers. It is something that I have endeavored to do myself and it is my advice to all who would seek to be a preacher.  Billy Graham has been, and rightly so, lauded for staying on message. He literally purposed in his heart an d through his preaching to know nothing save Jesus Christ and him crucified. His message could be summed up in a few basic Scriptural truths.

 1 .God loves us.
 2. All have sinned
 3. Sin separates us from God.
 4. We cannot overcome the consequences of our sin.
 5. God knowing this sent Jesus, His Son, to die on the cross to pay the price of our sin.
 6. God raised Jesus from the dead
 7. Those who by faith accept Jesus as Savior and Lord have their sin forgiven.

To me these seven ideas formed the core of the Gospel and the summation of everything that Scripture declared. If you do not believe these I do not see how you can call yourself a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel and there is no other. Jesus said emphatically that he “is the way the truth and the life and that no one, absolutely no one comes to the Father but through Him.

“Preach the Bible” . . . . . . . those words ring in my are to this day. Through four years at what I believe to be one of the nations preeminent conservative Christian Colleges and three years at the world’s largest theological seminary I would be exposed to a wide range of theological theories and positions. But when I walked of off the campus of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for the last time as a student I did so with the same rock solid faith in the Bible as God’s word.  To this day I cannot understand how anyone can reject the Bible as God’s Word and call themselves a Minister of the Gospel.

After all, was it not on accepting the authority of God’s word that I came to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If I could not trust the veracity of the Scripture how could I trust its promise that God loved me.  Early in my life I adopted the motto of the Apostle Paul, “Who be unto me if I preach not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

We are living in a society that has largely relegated the Bible to some dusty shelf or cabinet drawer. It is rarely taken out and read. When it is it is usually to debate some arcane doctrine or esoteric point of view.  Billy Graham tells of his having doubts about the Bible and having to have a dramatic confrontation with God in the woods to settle in his heart the roll of the Bible. I have no such story. In fact, it was not un til I crossed paths with people who rejected the Bible and the loving God it spoke about that I even knew not accepting the Bible as God’s word was an option.

So let me say clearly that today I cannot say with the late B.H. Carroll that “there are only a few things in the Bible I don’t understand but I reckon its because I have not studied it enough.”  Well, there are a lot of things I still don’t understand but there is not a single passage that I do not believe to be God’s word.  I must tell you that in all my years I have never seen or heard of a preacher who doubted the Bible . . . . . never in my life, never in my life, never ever.

I heard the following story from Dr. Criswell when he preached the dedication sermon for the First Baptist Church of Longview.  Here is a little description of it.  Seems “there were two mischievous boys who got a hold of the preacher’s Bible and glued some of the pages together.  And the preacher stood up to deliver his sermon, and he read his text, ‘And in those days, Noah took unto himself a wife.’  And he turned what he thought was one page and continued to read, ‘And she was . . . fifteen cubits broad, thirty-five cubits long, made out of gopher wood, and daubed on the inside with pitch.’ He held up the Book and said, ‘My brothers and sisters, that’s the first time I’ve ever read that in the Word of God, but if the Word of God says it, I believe it!’  Amen, amen, amen.  ‘Just goes to show,’ he said, ‘we am wonderfully and fearfully made.’" 

So I grew up believing every word of this Book is inspired, inerrant, and infallible and brings us the good news of God’s love.  I wish that could be said for all my colleagues in ministry. Some began questioning the Scripture as a result of theological studies, some because of harsh life experiences and others for reason only they know. When God called me He called me to preach. He did not call me to be a pastor but to be a preacher. Being a pastor was a means to a platform from which to preach. I used to tell Pastor Search Committees that they were not paying me to be a preacher. As a preacher I did not work for them. I was called of God and took my lead from  God in the matter of preaching. Preacher was what I was.  What they paid for was that other part, the platform, i.e., being their pastor. I was God’s preacher and their pastor.

I also felt that when it came to the worship service my job was to preach the Bible. I was not called to be their psychotherapist though I understand psychotherapy and I was not there to teach them how to become healthy, wealth, and wise although if they were to abide by the word of God these needs may very well be met. My job was to preach the Gospel and then step aside and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work.  Every wonder why Billy Graham was so successful with his services. Well, I’ll tell you anyway. Dr. Graham preached the Gospel, told them people what they needed to do and the stepped aside and let the Holy Spirit do what only He can do, i.e., quicken the spiritually dead.

I fear the is the element that is missing in today’s Mega-Church era. I suspect if Billy Graham were living today and were to preach in any of our Mega-churches you might find half the congregation come to salvation. What do suppose would happen if every pastor went to their pulpit this Sunday and preached a Billy Graham content sermon. Now I did not say style but content. Style of preaching changes from person to person and age to age but the content should not. I believe it is time that we as church leaders we must return to our core beliefs and move away from the psychologically inspired gospel because in truth it is not gospel at all.  God said in His word, “I change not” and we should give care that the changeless God’s eternal message is not changed through our modern psycho-religious preaching.

Let me give you some really good advice for regarding the Bible. First, by faith accept the Bible as God’s word and second as I have suggested to every congregation in churches I served as a pastor and to a multitude of individuals face-to-face, that you read one chapter of Proverbs a day and three chapters of Psalms each day in addition to any other Bible reading that you do.  Do this faithfully for one year and it will change your life.

I once announced from the pulpit that when I die and my mortal remains are laid to rest that I want them to take my Bible and put it on my chest so when people pass by to see where I used to live for the last time, I want them to see me with a Bible in my hand.  Now I am announcing to my children that same thing.