Everyone has their process in believing that God exists and that the 66 books of the Bible are His literal words to mankind and contain personal conduct guidance to help us grow in our love relationship with God.
Some believe the Bible is God’s word. Some do not. And some believe parts and pieces of the Bible, but not the whole. Wherever a person is at in that process directly affects where his or her moral compass finds its “true north.â€
We can say from our experience where we are at in our process:
We believe that the 66-book Bible is the literal and true word of God. As believer’s in Jesus Christ, our personal relationship with His Holy Spirit helps us better understand what God is saying in His word and how we can become more like Him by listening to Him and obeying His word.
We have learned first-hand that we can trust the 66-book Bible to help us love God and love people more compassionately and fairly. We believe that it is God who directs our love relationship with Him and who lays down the moral and ethical ground rules, not the other way around.
We prefer the New American Standard (NAS) or the New International (NIV) versions of the Bible but also enjoy The Message and the New King James (NKJV) versions. In our more robust times of study, we especially enjoy looking into the original Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek.
2 Timothy 3:15-17 from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Philippians 2:15-16 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life
Revelation 22:19 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.