TNG How the Bible Can Change Your Life

Best-selling author, speaker, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland.

Best-selling author and apologist, Dylan Burrows. Together, bringing you truth for a new generation. This is TNG Radio. In Colossians chapter 4, verses 5 and 6, the Word of God says, Walk in wisdom that you may know how you ought to answer each person, each and every man, giving an answer to all people. Welcome to TNG Radio.

Alex McFarland here with Dylan Burrows. And in the next couple of shows, we're going to talk about, overall, some of the things that differentiate between one person whose spiritual life is thriving and maybe another person who, while they may be a born-again Christian, their spiritual life is kind of anemic. And in this show today we're specifically going to talk about the role of the Bible in the life of the Christian. And I would say, Dylan, that if you talk about what makes the difference between somebody whose spiritual life is consistent, is growing, they're able to reflect Jesus Christ, they're able to rein in temptations and the carnal flesh that wars against the Spirit. I mean, if they're a thriving, fruitful, joyful Christian, and the difference between one who is and one who is not, at least one of the very tangible difference makers, let's call it the X factor, the secret sauce that's a great Christian life versus one that struggles. At least one of those deal-breakers is where the Bible is in their heart and life, the priority to which they give the Word of God.

Dylan, would you agree? Oh, certainly. You see that throughout Scripture. For example, Psalm 1 talks about the person who delights in the law of God day and night.

You look at the example of Jesus, that when he was tempted in the wilderness after 40 days of fasting, three temptations came his way. Three times he responded with Scripture. So when we are filled with Scripture, when we are equipped with the truth of God, we can respond to temptation, and we can delight in the Lord and grow in him in a way that other people simply cannot.

Exactly. And let's talk about the role of the Bible and understanding the Bible, because Dylan, I was in upstate New York over the past weekend, and what a joy it was to be up there and have a number of seminars we did at a church. But somebody came up and they said, you know, how can I understand the Bible if there's anything I need to know? It's how to understand the Bible. In 2 Timothy 2, verse 15, very well-known verse, it says, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, greatly dividing the word of truth. It's very interesting that we are commanded to handle God's word accurately and to know God's word, and fortunately the Spirit of God comes alongside to be our tutor.

If you read Ephesians 4, 11, and 12, and in 1 Corinthians it says that God gives pastors and teachers, but also it says the Spirit of God indwells the believer, and as 1 John 2.27 says, will teach you all things. You know, this idea that the Bible is, quote, too hard to understand goes back a long way. Dylan, it was my privilege to talk with Will Graham one night at the Cove, and Will Graham was talking about when his grandfather, the late Billy Graham, met with Winston Churchill.

And at one point it was my privilege to talk with Russ Busbee. Russ Busbee was the photographer for the Billy Graham ministry for many years, and he was there when Billy Graham spent an afternoon with Winston Churchill, and they talked about a lot of things, prayed together, and, you know, Churchill, shortly before he died in 1965, they were talking about even then that people couldn't understand the Bible, the Bible was too tough to read and know. Churchill said of the young generation, quote, must everything be pre-digested, does the Bible have to be reduced to pablum?

That's a sugar pill, a fake medicine. In other words, reducing something to pablum was a euphemism for oversimplification. And here's what Churchill said, and this was in the 60s, I refuse to believe that modern man who split the atom and his exploring space is unable to cope with the grandeur and glory of the King James Version. End of quote. Now Churchill was old school, tough guy, saved the world from Hitler, obviously, and that's a well-known story, but he, in his final months of his life, was saying that the young people of Great Britain needed to rediscover the Bible and they could understand it. And I bring that up because the Bible, one of the great Reformation doctrines, we celebrated the Reformation last year, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, and I want to throw out a big word here, and Dylan, I'll throw it back to you, but the word is the perspicuity of Scripture. The Reformers, like Luther and like Churchill, who we just quoted, they believed that the Bible was perspicuous.

Now you say, what in the world does that mean? It means understandable, that the message of the Bible is understandable and accessible for all people. And we need to believe that as we come to the Word of God, that everybody can read and internalize God's Word. Now there are some passages that are challenging, but the Spirit of God who gave these words, the Spirit of God that drew you toward Jesus, the Spirit of God that regenerates the believer's soul when we call on Christ to be born again, that very same Holy Spirit can open your understanding to the Word. God wants you to know His Word. And Dylan, isn't that encouraging that when we come to the Bible, the author of the book will come alongside us to help us grasp the meaning of those words. And we need to believe that and come to the Bible and read it, knowing that God, our teacher, wants us to learn it. Right, and it's interesting because there is a difference between reading a book and sitting down and reading a book with the author present with you at that moment.

And if you've ever had the privilege of being with an author who has written a book and listened to them tell the story of how it was made or what they meant or what they were going through at the time, it's a special opportunity to hear from the writer of a story. And when we come to Scripture, it's interesting that we do have access to the author through the Spirit of God who can give us wisdom and insight into understanding it. I like that passage in 2 Timothy 2.15 you shared, Alex, that said that we are to be a worker who does not need to be ashamed. Now, Scripture can be understood, but it's not necessarily simple.

We have to put some effort into it. We have to ask difficult questions sometimes, do some research, do a little historical study to determine what God would have us to know of His Word and how we would apply it today. And so in a few moments, we're going to come back from our break and we're going to talk about certain questions to consider of a text of Scripture that will help us to better understand what it meant in its original setting before we take the time to understand what it means today. So when we come back, we'll talk more about these questions to consider of a text and stick with us here at Truth For A New Generation, we'll be right back. I interviewed hundreds of children ages 5 to 12 and we address actual questions from actual children, the spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids. The book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation. The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask, the book study guide and video series, you'll find it at AFASTORE.net.

That's AFASTORE.net. For centuries, the Bible has inspired humanity and shaped the very world we live in. But how do we know this book is the Word of God and not merely the words of men? What we believe about the Bible is based on what we believe about its source. The God Who Speaks explores the evidence of the Bible's inspiration and authority through some of the world's most respected biblical scholars. We have essentially a dual authorship. So it's true to say that Paul wrote Romans. It's equally true to say that God wrote Romans. He says, we saw this.

And that sets the Bible apart from almost everything else in the ancient world and its religious pantheon of gods and goddesses. The God Who Speaks is a feature-length documentary from the American Family Association. Available now at thegodwhospeaks.org. Word of God speak, would you pour down like rain, washing my eyes to see, your majesty, please still and know that you're in this place. Please let me stay in rest in your holiness. Word of God speak, would you pour down like rain, washing my eyes to see, your majesty, my majesty, my majesty.

Welcome back to TNG Radio. We're talking about the Bible, that X-Factor in the life of a thriving Christian. And before we continue to talk about what questions we ask of a text and accurately understanding, I do want to mention that we're so excited about a brand new book that just came out. Dylan and I worked on it.

Dr. Tony Beam of North Greenville University worked on it with us. But it's called Life Answers. And it's really, Dylan, something I'm excited about because if there's one thing for years people have asked us is, do you have an apologetics curriculum, like a small group study or a Sunday school curriculum? We've, by God's grace, written a lot of apologetics books defending the faith. But the Life Answers book is written and it's perfect for a Sunday school class. It's written at about a seventh to eighth grade level.

So while adults can read it, young people can get it too. But in the Life Answers book, here's what we go over. We go over things like God.

How do we know God exists? We go over the Trinity. How do I understand as best as a human can the Trinity?

How do I defend that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? What about truth? Does truth exist? What about some of the hard subjects like why is there pain and suffering in the world? What about hell?

If God is love, do people really go to hell that reject Christ? And Jesus, the resurrection, it is a wonderful intro to apologetics. It would be good for a Christian who wants to know how to defend their faith or maybe to have a small group and bring a skeptic, bring a person with doubts and issues. The book is called Life Answers, Making Sense of Your World. It is a wonderful Sunday school curriculum, perfect for all ages. We want to send you this book for your gift of at least $25 to help the multi-faceted ministries of T&G, Truth for a New Generation. You can get this online at the website truthforanewgeneration.com or you can write to us P.O.

Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. It will help you and you may be for your church. Churches are using this in large groups, small groups, the Life Answers curriculum in apologetics.

We know you will not be disappointed. Well, Dylan, back to talking about the Bible. Have you ever read an introduction to a book or in some Bibles there will be an introduction about the Bible and it says it is the mind of God, the Word of God, it is with us in this life, it will be opened in the judgment and it warns any who would trifle with its holy precepts. But I love this line, this tribute to the Word of God. It often says this, if you have ever seen one of these, it is in a Gideon Bible, but it says, God for its author, truth for its content, without any mixture of error. I love that because that is the truth about God's Word, isn't it?

Amen. And as we come to these questions to consider of a text, we want to give you examples to give you an idea of what to look for when you are studying the Bible or reading Scripture for yourselves. The first one is obviously when you are looking at a passage, who wrote it? We don't always know the author of a particular book of the Bible, but generally we do. Matthew wrote Matthew, Luke wrote Luke and so forth. And so when we look at a passage, for example, in Matthew, we say, who wrote this book?

Matthew was a disciple of Jesus Christ, a former tax collector who converted to Christianity. And yet, when we look at his words that he wrote, it has a very Jewish flavor because of his Jewish background. It has a very educated flavor because he was probably one of the more educated of the disciples. And it was written from the perspective of an eyewitness of the accounts of Jesus. So it gives us a special insight that's different from Luke, that's different from Mark, that's important in understanding the text.

But there are several others as well we want to consider today. And Alex, let us hear some of these other questions we should consider when we're looking at a text of the Bible to know it for our own lives today. And these fall under the heading of what we would call hermeneutics.

And don't let that big word scare you, but hermeneutics is really the science and the discipline of accurately handling the Word of God and getting the Word of God, the message, out of a text. We don't want to project a message in. We don't want to impose our assumptions on a text. We want to draw out the message.

And I'm sure you've heard people talk about exegesis, the prefix ex means out of, like exit, an exit, out of something. Well, we want to be exegetical exegetical Christians. And one of the questions is, when was it written? For instance, it's important to understand the historical context of the Exodus, or the book of Joshua, as Israel was leaving Egypt to be led into their land, because the historical dynamics of that are going to be different from the historical dynamics of Solomon when he was king of Israel in the kingdom. It's definitely going to be different than, say, the book of Acts, which is the history book of the early church. So try to grasp, and fortunately there are a lot of resources that will help you, when was it written? Where was it written? Philippians, which is so full of joy, we know that that's a book about thankfulness and joy. And then we discover, well, it was written from a prison cell.

And that's powerful in and of itself. The knowledge of where Paul was when he wrote some of his epistles, that's quite significant. To whom was it written?

Who was the intended recipient? Dylan, let me throw a statement out that I learned in grad school, and I want your response, because when we're considering to whom a book or a passage was written, who was the intended recipient? Here's the statement that I used to hear people like Gary Habermas and Elmer Towns would say, all of the Bible is equally inspired, but not all of the Bible is equally applicable. Give me your response to that statement. Well certainly, every word in the Bible is inspired by God. That's what we're told in many places throughout scripture. But in terms of application, there are different ways to go about it.

For example, you might look at the genealogies in the Old Testament and read a few pages and get a general application about the importance of family and the importance of legacy. But in the New Testament, you could read one verse or one phrase and have more application in some context than from several chapters in the Old Testament. So from the standpoint of application, certainly some places in scripture are more powerful than others, yet it's all equally inspired, equally important for us to read from cover to cover still today.

Exactly, exactly. And it tells us about God. It tells us about his work in the world. It's been said that all of God's work could be lumped under one of two categories. God's great work of creation, God's great work of redemption.

We've got to pull away for a break. Stay tuned, because our look at the Bible and how we can internalize it in our lives on this edition of TNG Radio will continue after the break. You know, Alex has been writing for many years, and one of his classic books is still great today as a basic introduction to the Christian faith. It's called Stand, Core Truths You Must Know for an Unshakeable Faith. This book will help you help your teens get off the roller coaster of doubt and onto solid ground. You'll read about the six pillars of biblical Christianity.

They are, one, inspiration of the Bible, two, the virgin birth, three, the deity of Christ, four, atonement, five, Christ's resurrection, and six, Christ's return. You know, Alex mixes it up with humor and stories he gleaned from decades of working with youth and encourages teens to build a foundation of faith that will stabilize their lives and help them take a stand for Christ. Simple and straightforward, Stand, Core Truths You Must Know for an Unshakeable Faith, available wherever Christian books are sold. First Peter 3.15 tells us to be ready always to give an answer for the hope we have.

We're instructed to be prepared to defend our faith. This is Alex McFarland for the Life Answers Team, students we train at North Greenville University, a leading Christian college in South Carolina. The Life Answers Teams are made up of students who will inspire and equip your congregation. These apologetics teams we train speak in churches to youth groups and train Christians of all ages to address key issues of our times from a biblical perspective. Like, is there a God?

Is the Bible true? What about gender and moral issues? Call me at 864-977-2008 and we will arrange for the Life Answers Team to come to your church and give a presentation that will benefit your people for years to come.

864-977-2008 and always be ready. Hello, we're back. This is Dylan Burrows with Alex McFarland on Truth For A New Generation Radio and we've been talking about the Bible and its importance in our lives today and as we consider some of these questions to ask of the text of the Bible, we've spoken about four of them already and just briefly let's cover a couple more. We talk about what was society like for the writer and the recipients of this particular part of scripture. In other words, what was the culture like? A quick example is found in John chapter 4, the woman at the well.

In that time, Samaritans and Jews did not associate with each other. There was a lot of discrimination between the two, so when Jesus asks the woman at the well for water to drink, that's a significant turn of events that starts a conversation that changes that entire village where they are located. Modern readers completely miss this if you do not know anything about the culture of the time. A sixth one is what insights can be gained for the writer and the recipient?

In other words, what did it mean for the people of that time? And a seventh is what is my responsibility in light of what the text says? We have a couple more we want to mention before we get into some final applications. Alex, tell us a little bit about the eighth one here, this idea of how does this text of the Bible correlate with other teachings that we find throughout scripture? Why is this important? Well, it's important because God is consistent. The message of the Bible, written by 40 authors over a 1500 year period, but it's really the Savior and how you can know Him.

The kingdom of God and how to get in. The Bible doesn't have any isolated rabbit trails that have a different message. There's a rich, almost endless tapestry of history and people and circumstances and vignettes, but know this, that the overall theme is the Savior and how you can know Him. And that's point nine, what light does this text shed on the Bible's overarching redemptive theme?

So many wonderful nuggets are in there. You know, I think about how Rahab was a Gentile who, she was a prostitute, but she did come to know the God of Israel and even her life is mentioned in the genealogies of Jesus in redemptive history, a lost Gentile in a very unseemly profession, finds Christ, is saved, and is mentioned in the story of Jesus' genealogy. And so I think it's important as we look at all a passage has to say, not only linguistically, not only historically, it does shed light on God's redemptive theme. That's why my friend Dr. Ken Hemphill talks about mining for gold.

And hey, digging gold out of a mine takes work. Oftentimes discovering the truths of a passage for all that are in there takes some effort and some diligence. But Dylan, let's talk about the Bible and let's talk about our interaction with the Bible. And I want to give a testimony and just say that shortly after I became a believer while I was in college at age 21, somehow God in his grace just gave me an incredible love for the Bible, and I would read the Bible. And I will say, I wouldn't be who I am had I not, early in my Christian life, just in the providence of God, become a diligent, daily, passionate reader of the Bible.

And I thank God for doing that in my heart, because it really has made all the difference. Do you know, we're told to desire the Bible, read the Bible, obey the Bible, present it to others. We mentioned 2 Timothy 2.15, we're actually commanded to correctly understand the Bible. We don't just handle it haphazardly. We are to suffer for the Bible, and many have for the translation and the spread of the Bible.

Many have suffered, and even right now are. And if necessary, we're to give our lives for God's Word. And by the way, all of these points about what the believer is to do for the Bible are in my book. Stand, core truths you must know for an unshakable faith, stand, core truth for an unshakable faith, which a lot of people continue to use this as a basic intro to the faith.

But like a babe being nursed on milk, we're to desire that milk of the Word. The Word of God will make you the child of God, because it will introduce you to the Son of God, and all of this takes place under the power and leading of the Spirit of God. The Bible will convert the soul, James 20 says in James 1.8. The Bible will give you guidance, and we all need that. The Bible will produce within you joy. The Bible can provide you with strength.

The Bible can give you hope. The Bible can cause you to grow in your character, your soul, spiritual growth, and really your personality and your people skills. The Bible will mature and grow you. The Bible will convict you of sin. The Bible will help you have a clean conscience and peace within your heart.

And the Bible will give you comfort and so much more. Dylan, there are a lot of people that are smart, but I don't think you can be truly wise unless you know God's Word and internalize that and begin to live that, to take God at his Word, Proverbs 1.7. I really do think that is the starting point of wisdom. And without God's Word and God himself, you can't truly be called wise.

Yes, and God as the source of truth, as the Creator of all things, is the one that we turn to for wisdom. And I think often of Psalm 119.11 that says, I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against God. It's one of those verses that if you grew up in church you probably memorized as a child. And yet, as adults, we often forget the importance of putting God's Word in our heart on a daily basis so that it can grow within us, so that it can come out of us during the difficult struggles we face in life and be an inspiration to us throughout our day. We are so consumed with the things of this world, the worries of this world, that often we neglect the things that are of eternal significance that can change us and those around us. Now Alex, as we conclude our final moments today, give us a word of encouragement for those who maybe have struggled to stay on track with Scripture and want to get back on board in following God through his Word. Start where you are and begin to read.

We often encourage people that are new to Christianity or maybe just sort of beginning to take seriously the call for spiritual growth. The Gospel of John is a great book, very accessible, 21 chapters. You can read a chapter a day, in three weeks you'll read the Gospel of John, which will give you the story of Jesus. I would encourage you to begin to read the book of Proverbs. There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs.

You can read it in a month very easily, God's book of wisdom. But I think of the power of the Word of God to shape history. Martin Luther, when they were praising him for being that great reformer, and he said, �Look, I did nothing. I simply taught and preached and wrote God's Word.

The Word of God did it all.� And, Dylan, we need a reformation again, and I still believe the book, the blood, the blessed hope, Scripture still has the power to change lives and even change the world, as it has done in history before. Amen. And we appreciate you being with us today on Truth For A New Generation Radio, talking about the Word of God. Join us online at truthfornewgeneration.com. We'll be with you next time.

Thanks so much. Truth For A New Generation, in association with Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, exists to equip Christians with a biblical worldview through conferences and camps. For information about upcoming events, visit truthforanewgeneration.com, or give us a call at 877-YES-GOD-1. That's 877-YES-GOD and the number 1. TNG Radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. That's P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. Or give online at alexmcfarland.com or truthforanewgeneration.com. Thanks for listening and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG Radio.