If the Bible Is Not the Word of God…
One of our high school students became involved in a conversation with two of his friends on the subject of evolution. When he asked them if they believed the Bible, they said no. He gave them some things to think about but wished that he might have done better. At our June 4th Youth Meeting, everyone present was asked to write down a list of things that would be true if the Bible is not the Word of God. Our young people suggested all but three of the following truths. What follows is the list plus parts of the discussion and a little elaboration.
1. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then there is no objective source of morality. Morality either arises from what human beings think it should be, or it arises from some source other than man. It obviously does not come from animals, plants, minerals, or the stars; it could only come from God. Many of the books claiming to be from God do not deal with morality, and there is no compelling reason to believe them. Only the Bible provides morality that is based on an objective standard (God) rather than the opinions of men.
2. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then all morality amounts to is: "This is what I think about it." Related to the previous point is the inescapable conclusion that all morality and ethics are subjective and autonomous (from two Greek words, meaning "self law"). Each individual decides his own philosophy of morality. One person may think that it is wrong to steal, but another says, "Why not?" Some might answer, "Well, it's not practical to steal from others. Our culture says that it is wrong, and therefore you should not do it." But the thief says, "I don't care what culture thinks. I like it, and I'm going to do it." Some will answer, "But if you get caught, you'll go to jail," to which the robber replies, "I'll just have to be clever and not get caught then, won't I?" Such is the result of no objective standard of morality.
3. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then there is no justice or solution to the problem of wrongdoing. Sure, all countries have a system of justice, but at best these are inadequate. Murder is generally thought to be one of the worst crimes, since a fellow human being has been deprived of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness without due process of law. So, how many murders go unsolved in major cities each year? Insufficient evidence leads to many guilty persons never being charged in the first place, and technicalities involving procedure may result in the case being dismissed. Sometimes the jury is sympathetic to the defendant and fails to convict. In other words, justice is not served, and the guilty go free. "But this happens whether or not the Bible is true." Yes, but if God punishes sin, as the Bible teaches, then the guilty do pay in the Judgment—even if they escape punishment here. Despite man's best efforts, he cannot bring about perfect justice on earth.
4. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then might (or cleverness or wealth) makes right. This actually is an evolutionary principle—"the survival of the fittest." Those who obtain power, such as Adolph Hitler, may choose to practice genocide. A dictator like Stalin might kill 20 million or more of his own people. The one who holds the power can do what he wants. Fortunately (perhaps with the help of God?), in World War II, the Allies prevailed, but how many times have dictatorships flourished and inflicted great harm upon others?
5. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then people usually do not enjoy freedom. It is difficult for dictatorships to thrive where people believe the Bible. Consider life in countries where the Qur'an is the nation's holy book. Most of those countries are ruled by force, not democracy. Communist countries are no different. Without question, the Bible has held a prominent influence in the United States, and we are a nation of laws and rights that do not exist in many other areas of the world.
6. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then man has no account of his origin. We are left to the guesswork of scientists trying to determine the way that man arrived on the earth. Thus far the explanations absolutely defy the scientific principles that we know to be true. Pasteur proved (and no one has ever demonstrated otherwise) that life does not arise from non-life. Therefore, even if matter were eternal, no one has or can create life from that which is not living. This is a problem that Christians do not have; the very first verse of the Bible says: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). Life comes from life—God, the one who created matter. Apart from God, however, man is still stumbling in the dark, looking for explanations that do not exist.
7. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then man has absolutely no idea why he is here. This fact might not bother some people who get busy enjoying the life they have and look to make the most of their opportunities. Others are devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and never seem to care about their origin or why they are here. However, others reach a point of futility. With no reason for existence, they take their own lives. Those in their teens and early twenties have the highest suicide rate, but at any age people may ask, "Why am I here?" and find no sufficient answer—especially if they have rejected the Bible as the Word of God. In it we find that our purpose is to glorify God. We are commanded to love Him with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. We are commanded to love others, also. Many who reject the Word are concerned only about themselves; few can find any meaning in life within themselves.
8. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then we do not know what happens to us when we die. Is that all there is—this life only? If so, some are greatly cheated who never make it to the age of twelve or twenty. While these tragedies may be fewer than in the past six thousand years, they still occur. How awful to have no sense of destiny whatsoever. Those who trust and obey the Scriptures know that eternity is a much more glorious place than earth. Those who reject the Word probably will experience a fearful future, whether they believe the warnings or not. How encouraging is it to look forward to the day when we are nothing, the same as before we arrived on earth? Their entire existence would be futile and meaningless.
9. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then evolution might be true. In most people's minds, evolution is the only alternative, but who knows what someone might someday concoct? Some have suggested that earth was populated by beings from some other planet, but this hypothesis does not do away with the question of man's origin; it just pushes it further back. If evolution were true, and we arrived here via a big bang or through an accident of nature, then we are on our own with no guidance whatsoever. No wonder so many are confused! We have no explanations except those that we invent, and many of them contradict each other. We are left with chaos. Not only are we here through chance, we can only operate on the basis of luck.
10. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then there is no such thing as absolute truth. The Bible says that truth is derived from God, but where would we get the idea of truth if we are the result of chance? The only answer is that we would discover it by observation. But can we ever be sure that we have observed enough to draw the conclusions we think are correct? We already noted that Pasteur discovered the truth that life cannot come from non-life, and what do some scientists say in response to that? "Well, perhaps it was different in the creation of the universe." The point is that no "truth" is safe.
11. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then there is no sense of right and wrong, good and evil. How could there be? These can only exist in a universe created by a moral being. Whereas God (through the Bible) can define good and evil, matter cannot. Matter is simply matter; there cannot be good matter and evil matter (maybe anti-matter). In other words, whatever happens just happens. If a tornado wipes out half a town, it cannot be termed bad because this is just what nature does. And why should anyone have any compassion or sympathy for those folks? It's just a case of matter acting upon matter. Since nature has no intellect, nothing is right or wrong. Human beings must have just made up these terms; they cannot exist.
12. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then there is no reason to respect human life. We are all just matter in motion. A human being has no more value than a cockroach. Why is it any worse to kill the one than the other? A Christian would say that the reason is that human beings are made in the image of God. All that the evolutionist can say is that humans beings are more evolved. Hitler did not hesitate to eradicate human beings that he felt were inferior. He had no respect for human life. Defective human beings were a drain on the economy; he eliminated them. Why protect any human being in the womb? It is defenseless, right? Why waste money rehabilitating those with severe injuries? Why not just shoot them? It's cheaper. Why go to such great lengths to protect criminals? Instead of allowing them 15 years on death row, why not just execute them immediately? How ironic that many atheists want to protect criminals but kill innocent human beings! Why should anyone bother to save Private Ryan? People need to get over this sentimentality towards mere matter. It prevents progress. The elderly don't need Medicare. Let them die (with assistance) and get out of the way.
13. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then Jesus was a liar. He taught that God sent Him to earth and that He was the Son of God. These things are lies, if God does not exist. This conclusion means that everything He taught is suspect. If it is a lie that loving God is the greatest commandment, why should anyone do the one that is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself"? Why should not everyone just be selfish? Jesus said that happy people are those who are poor in spirit (humble); is this another lie? Kindness has no premium, either. We do not see nature being kind but rather random. Human beings may as well be the same way. Jesus is certainly not to be believed about heaven and hell; how can He be trusted in His teachings about moral purity? This line of reasoning could continue ad infinitum. What it amounts to is that some of the loftiest and noblest teachings regarded highly the world over would be negated.
14. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then there is no sense of ought. Many times those who are atheists or reject the Bible talk about what a person ought to do. But ought or must cannot exist in the absence of any moral authority. Why ought a man to love his wife? Why ought children to obey their parents? Why ought people to obey the laws of the land? Why should we abhor what Hitler did? Some prefer lawlessness. Why do some have no problem with the Manson crimes? Why do mass murderers have women who fall in love with them? They ought to be grateful that such men are locked up behind bars instead of being free to stalk and kill them. But without the Bible, there is no ought. No one ought to tell the truth, pay his debts, or do anything else that others think is required.
15. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then rationality does not exist. If the universe exists by chance and not as the result of planning, no one is compelled to be logical. Reason is one of the faculties that God gave to mankind, and in Isaiah 1:18 He calls upon His creation to reason with Him concerning their actions. No logic exists in chaos; randomness does not spark syllogisms. The very fact that we understand and think logically all the time is an anomaly. How can logic come from that which is not rational? Mathematical truths should not exist, either. How can these be explained by an alleged explosion not guided by intelligence?
Conclusion
These just scratch the surface. Without the Bible, we have no explanation for the origin of languages or the races. We do not know why we have hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes. We have no concept of sin or redemption. We have no motivation to excel or to live up to our potential. And we have no basis for optimism. We cannot know that God is working providentially on our behalf or realize the goodness that exists and is extended toward us. Worst of all, we have no hope.