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As a new believer in Christ, one question I faced was about the reliability of the Bible. Is it just a religious book of Christians, or is it the word of God? If it is the word of God, then it is to be studied and obeyed. The Bible itself claims to be inspired by God. As I began to read books by many Christians I noticed that those who had become godly in their lives believed in the inspiration of the Bible, while others had an intellectual approach that was separate from their life. I learned about why we could believe in the the Bible as God's word, such as the same storyline that comes from the 66 books, the miraculous fulfilment of prophecies, the resurrection of Jesus, the conversion of sinners into saints, the Bible as a live communication channel with God, etc. I also learned that since God had used human authors to write His word, we need to be careful in interpreting what we read.

As I got to know God better and studied His word, I realised that imperfect men could not produce a perfect medium for God. Some Christians assume a perfect Bible without considering the part imperfect men played in writing it. Many others tend to treat it essentially as a work of man. As academic studies increase, this latter approach seems to be overtaking the devotional approach, even while they profess to believe in the inspiration of the Bible. In their studies into the meanings of words and cultural contexts, these scholars do not seem to realise that they tend to ignore the role of God in inspiring these writers.

To me it is clear that if the Bible is really the word of God which He has inspired men to write down, it is to be given the utmost respect, accepted as being true and reliable, and followed in daily life. Then the Bible becomes the basic source of truth and the ultimate standard for our life. Whenever we have to deal with things that are not addressed in the Bible, we ought to stand with the Bible and see if we can accept or reconcile them to the Bible. But many scholars are trying to adapt the Bible to popular theories and opinions, showing that they do not think of God as being the Author of the Bible.

Look at the variety of opinions Christian scholars have expressed about the different narratives in the Bible. For example, instead of examining scientific theories about the origin of the universe and life with reference to God's narrative of creation, Christians are trying to force-fit the Bible to science, eliminating in the process Adam and Eve, the Flood, and all the miracles of God for man. On the other end, Paul's writings are depicted as his opinions coloured by the culture around him! What has happened to the idea of the inspiration of God that makes the word living for us?

Is scholarship our goal or godliness? Will we conform to the world or stand as witnesses of God to the world (Ro.12:1,2)? Or will we sacrifice our living relationship with God in order to find respect and acceptance in the world?

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