One sign that you are a real Christian is that you see the Bible not just as an old book, but as the very Word of God.

I clearly remember the days of my youth, when I viewed the Bible as merely a book — I read it sparingly (mostly in Sunday School class), and revered it as a special book, but did not grasp its meaning or significance. When my best friend became a Christian, I thought he was in a cult, and dusted off my Bible to rescue him from his new beliefs. But he showed me what was actually in the Bible. I would argue other points of view, but could not refute what could be plainly read in the passages he showed me.

Over the next several months I was drawn to read more of the Bible, but it was convicting me, as if it said: “you are not a Christian at all, despite your church going and all.” It was the truth, and I could no longer deny it. One evening (in the summer of 1978), weeping, I knelt at my bedside and confessed my sins, pleading with God to forgive me, and save me — make me a Christian.

From that night onward, the Bible was an open book to me, rich with meaning and significance for my hunger soul! Things I had read before (and even underlined) came alive to me! Reading it was (and is) a great joy, showing me the glories of my God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Christians are those who know by experience that the Bible is God’s holy Word. This seems to be implied by Paul, as he wrote to the church in Thessalonica:

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. [2:13, esv]

How do you see the Bible? Have you experienced the power and truth of God’s Word? Read the Word. Seek Him there. Hear, heed and hope in the Word of God.

pdb