How You Receive the Scripture

Though the Scripture may be shown to be trustworthy by many historical and logical proofs, it is essentially received as true because of the revelation of God’s glory experienced through it. 

Just as nature reveals God
(Rom 1:19-21), and some receive or reject his glory, so man receives or rejects the glory of God in Scripture. In other words, a man sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking a majestic display of nature has every reason to believe in a Creator because nature accurately displays God’s own objective glory. So also with a man viewing God’s glorious revelation of himself as he looks into the Bible. The panorama and particulars of the Bible woven together present a compelling glorious depiction of God that is received as convincingly trustworthy by those God is calling. They see what is true. 

And in the same way a first century man would receive or reject the spoken words of Christ and therefore Christ himself, so the Scriptures written by his prophets are received by those God is drawing, or is fatally rejected. 

The reader or listener encounters God in his glorious revelation, the Scripture. By this phenomenon simple men and women as well as intellectual men and women may receive the ground of confidence required to be a true believer. 

It is the glory of God we perceive in the Scripture that makes it irresistible and powerful and causes us to accept it as true. Though many other evidences have their place, his glory revealed binds the heart to the truth.

Since it is through Scripture that you see the glory of the Lord convincingly, spend much time there, gazing at the Lord gloriously revealed. By doing so, the Bible reader will be changed from glory to glory, as God has told us.

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18