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Yesterday’s devotional titled, “Is The Resurrection True,” addressed the “ad hominem” argument someone, on an online TV station, was using to prove that Jesus did not rise from the dead. In the said video, the man also sought to impugn untruth to the Bible, and disputed it being the word of God by pointing out the inconsistencies in the resurrection stories, and also saying Matthew did not write the “Book of Matthew”, and quoting Matthew 9:9 which says,

“As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him.” (Matthew 9:9 NKJV)

Without saying it, his likely argument was that, Matthew could not have written about himself in the third person. In other words, he was saying if Matthew wrote the Book of Matthew, he should have written,

“As Jesus passed on from there, He saw me sitting at the tax office. And He said to me, ‘Follow Me.’ So I arose and followed Him.”

I think quoting Matthew 9:9 was farfetched. It is very obvious to everyone that Moses couldn’t have written the book of Genesis; because it was only Adam and Eve that were there at the beginning. Moses’ birth was announced in Exodus 2; but Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are called the “Books of Moses”.

Let us look at something else.

READ Deuteronomy 34:1-6

“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan,all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”

So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.  And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor;  but no one knows his grave to this day. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.” (Deuteronomy 34:1-7)

Have you noticed that the text we just read is from one of the books of Moses? If it was written by Moses, then Moses just wrote about his own death, where he was buried, how old he was when he died, and his own physical and health conditions when he died!

What am I trying to say here? The names given to the books in the Bible are not necessarily the names of those who wrote the books. The Books named Timothy were not written by Timothy; and it is written right there in 1 Timothy 1:1-2, (and 2 Timothy 2:1-2). 1 Timothy 1:1-2 states:

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope; To Timothy, a true son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Timothy 1:1-2)

 So, the names of the books in the Bible are not necessarily the names of the writers; although some are, fully or partly. If it were so, we would have said Acts wrote the book of Acts, but who is “Acts” in the Bible?

What we call the Bible today is a compilation of writings spanning several centuries, by several people, in several places; that we Christians believe is inspired by God for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.  

A lot of people take the word “inspired” as used for the Bible, out of context. To inspire means to stimulate, motivate, persuade, encourage, influence, rouse, move, stir, spur, energize, incite or impel.

For example, when we “inspire” people to go to school, we don’t study for them, write their exams for them or determine which courses they pick. We leave them to work the rest!

When God also inspires people to write, He leaves them to write with their own thoughts, style and impressions. God has always involved humans in His divine agenda.

That is why even when Paul explicitly says,

“But to the rest I, not the Lord, say…”  (1 Corinthians 7:12)

we still believe it is inspired!

As stated in yesterday’s devotional, it is a “Faith Thing” and not a “sight thing,” in the final analysis. It cannot be explained away with the very limited, flawed and impaired human knowledge.

To conclude this, we believe:

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

“No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

What do you also believe?

I invite you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you would be saved.

MEMORY VERSE

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

QUESTIONS

1. Have you been faced with arguments and doubts about the authenticity of the Bible?

2. Do you know those arguments have always existed? But our belief is by faith, not by sight(2 Corinthians 5:7).

PRAYER TIP

Father, please help us to know you more; and also reveal yourself to those who don’t know You, in a special way.

Written by:

BENNY MALM

For:

TESTIMONY DEVOTIONAL

URGENT CALL

If you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior, you need to do that now!

Please visit “The Believer’s Prayer” for guidance.

We will be happy to hear from you through the contact information on that page. God bless you.

🌹 SPECIAL GRATITUDE 🌹

Thank you for visiting the Testimony Devotional Website. 

We would not have gotten here without your prayers, goodwill and overall support. We are grateful, and humbled. 🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️

We thank God for counting us worthy to share in His Great Commission.