Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. Hebrews 1:1-2

Does Christianity really make sense? Or, is it trying to believe something that is not true, but you would like to believe is true? Paul Little has written, “We live in an increasingly sophisticated and educated world. It is no longer enough to know what we believe. It is essential to know why we believe it. Believing something does not make it true. A thing is true or not regardless of whether anyone believes it.” Little is right! Have you heard the story of the man who was a mental case? A friend visited him in the hospital. He was trying to convince his friend that he was Napoleon Bonaparte, when his friend said, “What makes you think you are Napoleon?” The mental case said, “God told me I am Napoleon.” The stillness of the moment was shattered by the booming voice of another patient across the ward who said, “I did not.”

Have you ever taken a hard look at Christianity and asked, “What makes it true?” The fact that it says it is true? Or is there more than this? The case for Christianity hinges on three important truths. Call them Guidelines for Faith, if you like. The first guideline to faith involves God’s revelation to men. Naturally the question arises, “What kind of a God is there, and how has He revealed Himself to men?”

God has revealed something of Himself to us in three ways. The first is through nature, or the created universe. Here is a picture of a powerful Creator. Nature does not tell me whether God is loving or cruel, but as I look out at the stars, millions and billions of light years away, I realize how powerful God must be. Our space scientists are shoving powerful rockets into space, and are exploring the surface of the planets. But we must remember, we have just begun to penetrate our universe, and there are millions of other universes like ours–which gives us an indication of how vast the created universe must be.

The second way that God has chosen to reveal Himself is through His revealed Word. We call it the Bible. Here God tells us that He is not only powerful, but that He is interested in man. The Bible gives us a record of man’s reaction. It tells us where he came from, what life is all about, and something of man’s destiny after time has ceased and eternity begun. The revelation of God in His Word zeroes in on man and our lives right here. It is a picture of God that I can understand.

I know what you are thinking. You are saying, “How can I be sure that the Bible is the revelation of God? How do I know that it is not man’s record?” For a quick answer, let me point to what scholars call “textual criticism,” evidence from ancient manuscripts showing that the Bible has been preserved quite free from corruption, as it has come down to us through the centuries. The New Testament writers tell us that the Bible was written as holy men of God were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the New Testament documents. Then God preserved those documents for us.

The third revelation of God to man comes in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that Christ is like a photograph of God Himself. John said, “The Word (Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Jesus said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). The Bible says that Christ came to bridge the gulf between man and God, to unite man with a loving Heavenly Father, to mediate the separation that was caused by the sins of humanity. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). This is faith that makes sense. If it makes sense to you, read your Bible and discover that you can know God.

Resource reading: John 1:1-14.