Question: Is my friend right when he says that Christians should not take the Bible as the inerrant word of God?

Answer: No, your friend is not right! If anyone says that they believe in the God of the Bible, but don’t believe the Bible is the word of God, they are being deceived.  “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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” ( 1 Timothy 3: 16-17 NKJV)

Satan wants us to doubt God and not follow God’s teachings in the Bible. The devil’s tactic of deception is not new. He started deceiving mankind all the way back in the beginning in the Garden of Eden. Genesis Chapter 3 tells how the serpent tried to make Eve doubt God’s word and disobey God’s instruction to not eat the fruit of the tree “in the midst of the garden.” Eve told him that God said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.” (v.3)

“And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'” (vs.4-5)  Eve fell for the devil’s deceptive words.  She ate of the fruit and gave some to Adam. They both disobeyed God! All three, Adam, Eve, and the serpent, received God’s punishment!

Likewise, today, Satan continues to try to deceive us into thinking that we don’t need to live our lives according to God’s  Holy Word.  For example, he tries to deceive us when we are dealing with troubles in our personal relationships with family and friends. Satan wants us to fight against each other and not get along.  But, God wants us to show love to one another, pray for each other, and forgive each other. We should treat each other the way God’s Word teaches us to treat each other.

Also, when we face physical and mental illnesses or addictions, Satan wants to deceive us into losing hope for getting better. But God tells us to put our hope and trust in Him. We are to pray and believe in Him for healing. “…And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Therefore, we must recognize when Satan is trying to deceive us. “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things (our sins) the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:6)  To be protected against Satan’s deceptions, we must “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)  We must pray and study God’s Word.  Ephesians chapter 6 spells this out for us. We need the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (v.17b)

Most importantly, we must make sure we “take the helmet of salvation.” (Ephesians 6:17a)  To do this, we must understand that our sins separate us from a Holy God.  But God’s love for us led Him to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus willingly took the punishment for our sins that we deserved.  He rose again on the third day and sits at the right hand of God.  By accepting Jesus as our one and only Savior, we have everlasting life with God.  His Holy Spirit will live in us to help us live for God. 

And, His Holy Spirit will help us resist Satan’s deceptions.  Amen! 

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