The Bible Offers   Hope 

For me, one of the biggest attributes of the Bible is that it contains a message of hope for us all irrespective of wealth, race, nationality or where we are in the world – that hope is the same. 

 In the book of Isaiah chapter 40 and verses 7 and 8 we read:

7  The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8  The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

There is a consistent hope, the words written in the Bible apply to us today just as they did years ago. It’s a solid message and never changes. The Bible has not changed over the centuries. Amongst the Dead Sea scrolls found in 1947 was one of the book of Isaiah. It was written nearly 2,000 years ago. The text is almost the same as the book of Isaiah that we have today. The Bible message has not changed with time. The Bible is unique. It claims to be God's Word to men and women. It offers to men and women a hope of life.

 The Bible claims to be the Word of God. It says in the 2nd book of Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16:

 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God".

The word "inspiration" means 'God-breathed'. God guided men so that they wrote His message. Many times the Old Testament prophets say, "Thus saith the Lord". If the Bible is not the Word of God then it is not important; but if it really is God's message to man, then it is vital that we read it and try to do what it says. If we ignore the Bible message, we are ignoring the Creator of the Universe.  The Bible contains many accurate, clear and direct predictions. The people making the predictions have no influence in making them come true. The people involved in fulfilling the predictions are not aware that they are so doing. The predictions are not vague – cities and nations are specifically named.

There is a consistent message which tells us: Where we came from, what the meaning of life is and where we are going in life. It’s all planned out for those who follow Jesus and are baptized. Amid all human frailty, there is one thing that endures, and will endure and that is God's Word.   The Bible is the guide God has given us, showing us the way to everlasting life in His Kingdom. There is no other book like it. It is not a dead textbook - it is a living Word. If we read it every day, carefully and prayerfully, it will transform our lives, and make them pleasing to God.

To understand and believe its message, we need to read the Bible regularly and with a prayer for God’s blessing. There is hope for us. Let’s look at 1 Timothy 4 verse 13 for example -

13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus

or Psalm 119 verse 105 - 

105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”.

 What a wonderful hope that the Bible can be a source of light in our lives. The important thing is to remember the ideas taught in the Bible.

The Bible itself is its best interpreter. Some parts of the Bible help us to understand other parts. Luke chapter 24 verses 25-27:

25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

The Bible has been a source of information for generations in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus was revealed in the Bible in the Old Testament.

Using the same criteria by which we judge other historical works, not only is the Bible reliable, it is more reliable than any other comparable writings. Reliability is a question of truthfulness and accurate copying. Writings that are historically and factually correct and that have been faithfully preserved over time would be considered reliable. By those measures, we can consider the Bible reliable

In Psalm 33 verse 4 we read:

For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth. The Bible tells us that we are unable to decide how to live and questions our own judgements:

Jeremiah 10 verse 23 tells us:

“O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps”

We see what the Christian life looks like. The knowledge of God we glean from Scripture serves as an invaluable foundation for applying the Bible’s principles for life.

The first step toward applying God’s Word in our lives is reading it. Our goal in reading is to get to know God, to learn His ways, and to understand His purpose for this world and for us individually. In reading the Bible, we learn about God’s interactions with humanity throughout history, His plan of redemption, His promises, and His character.