What we need to defend is the reason for our belief in the Bible and therefore the Gospel. We do not need to defend the Bible itself or what it says. We do not need to defend the God of the universe. We only need to explain who He is and what it means to have a relationship with Him.

Is the Bible true?

Yes, the Bible is most definitely true. If there is anyone who thinks that the Bible is not true, they need to read it for themselves. Once they read it for themselves, they need to bring proof that it is not true. Everyone who has tried, throughout history, has failed. The Bible does not need us to defend it. When people study the Bible to test for truth, they always find it.

There are many, many prophecies in the Bible, 300 plus about Jesus Christ alone. The odds of just 8 of them being fulfilled by one man is 1 in 10¹⁷. All of them have been proven to be true about Jesus of Nazareth. All of the prophecies that can be proven, have been proven true, none have been proven false. All of the facts – places, people, times, events – recorded in the Bible, are true. Nothing the Bible says has been proven false. Most of the prophecies in the Bible have already happened. The next prophecies have to do with the end of the age. The end of life as we know it here on earth. They prophesy the coming of the Antichrist, seven years of tribulation and planetary upheaval, then the second coming of Christ.

Defense of our belief.

What we need to defend is our belief in the Bible and the God it reveals to us. Why do we believe? We believe because God is real, the Bible is true, and we have accepted the reality that God loves us and sent His Son to die in our places. Because we did accept that gift, God has sent His Spirit to live within us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We can communicate with God whenever we want through prayer. It is easy to talk to God, it is harder and much more complicated to listen. God will not do anything through us that we do not agree to. He is a complete gentleman by not going against any of our wishes, or against our will. He works in us and through us as we walk on this earth, when we let Him.

This is a master and servant relationship, where the Master is a holy and loving God. Why do we accept Him as our master? Who else will give us eternal life in heaven? We will live forever, one place or the other, Heaven or Hell. We can serve a loving God, or the accuser who wants to destroy us only because God loves us. “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin (John 8:34)”. We will serve God or the enemy, it is our choice. You might say, “I have not chosen”. Unfortunately you were born in sin with a sin nature “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).” You can choose to stay in your sinful nature and die the second death in Hell, or choose God and eternal life with Him in Heaven.

The God of the universe.

He is: God of the universe, creator, sustainer, beginning and end of all things. He also loves us. God is triune (Matthew 28:19). Three distinct persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all of one essence, all of one authority, and are all one God (Isaiah 48:16). Each person of the Trinity takes on a different role than the others (Hebrews 9:14), the Father calls us and is the sustainer; the Son saves us and died on our behalf to make us righteous before the Father; the Holy Spirit is within us working to make us more like Jesus so that we can be useful and righteous in God’s sight (1 John 5:7; John 14:26). They are all the same essence, substance, and authority.

Our relationship with Him.

When The God of the universe loves us and cares about what we do and what happens to us, who are we to refuse that love? God sees the future. God is present in the future, just as He is in the past. When we (as Christians) die, we will be like Him (John 3:2). We will be heirs of God – joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him (Romans 8:17). When God, who ordains everything, says, “The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned (Psalm 33:22).” You can take that to the bank. Depend on it. Stake you life upon it. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away (Matthew 24:35).”

What He requires of us is belief in Him and His Son and obedience to His commands. Do not worry because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When He asks us to accomplish something, He always gives us the ability to do it. If we need personal ability, He supplies it. If we need financial ability, He supplies it. Where God guides, He provides. He does not call the prepared, He prepares the called. When we trust Him to be Lord of our lives, and control our choices, He will take care of us. We are called to give Him authority over our stuff, our lives, our future, and to treat Him as our personal, daily, everpresent King. Whatever happens, it is for His glory and our good. We have to obey, He takes responsibility for the consequences and fall out when we do. We have to make sure that He gets the credit for the successes and triumphs. When we obey our own thoughts, our own best guess, we are responsible for whatever happens, good or bad. We have acted under our own authority and will answer for the outcome as the authority that caused it.

When we die, as believers, we will be with Him where He is. We will be able to worship Him with pure worship. We will know as we are fully known. We will be with Him forever, serving, and worshipping Him with Joy.