Journey to Jesus

By God's servant

Written with the same untiring spirit expressed in the Second London Confession of 1689 and by founding fathers such as John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, John L. Dagg, Charles Hodge, James P. Boyce, and Charles Spurgeon, this reader-friendly manual presents a methodical plan marked by truthfulness and thoroughness. In a clear, coherent, and concise manner, God’s servant communicates a God-centered handbook of biblical teaching and revelation which awakens the religious conscience, settles the answers to difficult contemporary theological questions, and expresses the Reformed faith with vigor. In a biblically- referenced text which serves to elucidate Christ and edify those who want to be well informed, God’s servant, practiced teacher of reading, writing, English, and biblical studies for over twenty years, offers this book with self-teaching chapters that are scholarly yet easy to understand.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493117789

God's servant

God’s servant, former entrepreneur and educator, has devoted years of study to religious theology and to study of the Bible after completing certificates and degrees from secular and religious colleges and university that include graduate, post graduate, and seminary studies. God’s servant is a Biblical teacher who has written monographs for various churches, and has authored numerous articles and two other books: The ABC’s of Christianity and Journey to Jesus before penning Giver of Truth Commentary on the Bible that brings clarification to the meaning to its text.

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Copyright © 2014 by God’s Servant.

ISBN:              Softcover            978-1-4931-1777-2

                        eBook                  978-1-4931-1778-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The content of this book derives its main source from the Bible but may reflect insights of earlier Christians because of the indelible mark made upon the very being of this Christian writer. It is not the author’s intent to plagiarize any others’ work and asks Christian forgiveness for any oversight or lack of acknowledgement or credit given.

SCRIPTURE TAKEN FROM THE KING JAMES VERSION OF THE BIBLE.

SCRIPTURE TAKEN FROM THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, COPYRIGHT © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 BY THE LOCKMAN FOUNDATION. USED BY PERMISSION." (WWW.LOCKMAN.ORG)

Rev. date: 05/08/2019

GOD’S SERVANT

ABC’S OF CHRISTIANITY ©1992, ©1998

JOURNEY TO JESUS ©2002, ©2005, ©2014

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Contents

GLORY BE TO GOD

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

PART ONE

ABSOLUTE ALMIGHTY

THE BIBLE

CONVERSION

DISTRACTION

ETERNITY

FAITH

GRACE

HOLINESS

IDOLATRY

JESUS

THE KINGDOM

LAST THINGS

MAN

THE NATION

OBEDIENCE

PRAYER

QUIET

REPENTANCE

SOVEREIGNTY

THE THIRD PERSON

THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

THE VIRGIN CONCEPTION

WORSHIP

X

YIELDING

ZEAL

PART TWO

ASSURANCE

BELIEF

CONFORMITY

THE DEVIL, DEMONS AND THE DAMNED

EVOLUTION

FASTING

GLORY

HEAVEN

IMITATION

JEWS

KNOWLEDGE

LOVE

MISSIONS

NAMES

OUTSIDE THE CANON

PAIN

QUESTION

REST

SPIRITUALITY

TITHE

UNIQUENESS

VALUE

WILL

XENOPHOBIA

YOUTH

ZENITH

APPENDIX

APPENDIX-PART ONE

APPENDIX-PART TWO

APPENDIX-PART THREE

GLORY BE TO GOD

Glory be to God for dappled things,

pretty things like angels’ wings.

Glory be to God for the loveliest of trees,

the wind and the roaring breeze;

And all praise to Him for He created the dew.

The twinkle in an old’s man’s eye-

He put that there too.

And He expressed His love – when He created the earth

He breathed down and gave nature its birth.

But most of all He gave us the pattern of life;

He created man and presented him a wife.

Glory be to God for life’s emotions,

happy commotions and thoughtful notions.

Glory be to God for He put within us

wondrous sensations and creative imaginations.

He manifested His love – when He did create;

When all these things He did originate.

God’s Servant

PREFACE

W RITTEN FOR THE serious student as well as the shepherd, each of the fifty-two constituents in the book, Journey to Jesus is presented in a condensed, fresh, straight-forward format to impart powerful substance with simplicity. This collection of timeless yet urgent topics is a presentment for the purpose of imparting instructional strength in the Word of God. Journey to Jesus is offered to the seeker of solid biblical foundation who needs theological complex issues made easily accessible in a clear manner.

Proffered from a conservative stance to awaken an awareness in the cause of Christ, Part One of Journey to Jesus is a useful reference to enlighten, to reflect upon, and to help spread the good news of the gospel. Grounded with biblical Scriptures, Part One of Journey to Jesus functions as a practical study guide to communicate a convenient system of measurement in support of legitimate Christianity.

Part Two of Journey to Jesus enables the supporters of Christ in Christianity to answer questioners with biblically firm, undeniable replies. Part Two of Journey to Jesus serves in answer to controversial concerns that relate to Christianity as it puts to rest those issues that have provoked debate.

God’s Servant

INTRODUCTION

T HE ANSWER TO the how and why of man’s existence lies in the realization of who God is. Before he can hope to understand himself, man must be aware of the triune God. Man finds his source in the uncreated Supreme Being. The uniqueness of man’ s purpose and placement is made known through God’s sovereignty in His authority, position, and power. As Almighty performs His promises to man from beginning to end, man’s eyes are opened to the existence of God in heaven and on earth. The position of man is made clear through Jesus Christ, the manifestation of God in time and space. The distinction of man to God is revealed in the understanding of the identity of the Holy Spirit. The answers that concern all lives are found in God.

Man finds the answers to all that he wants to know from God’s counsel. Understanding of the Scriptures depicts how all existence fits together perfectly as pieces of one puzzle. The active character of God and the mystery of godliness revealed to man in the Scriptures serve to draw man closer to God. Through Scriptures God gives understanding of His perfect plan, which is universal in scope and design. As the Scriptures are revealed to man, he begins to better understand his position in God. The Holy Spirit of the Scriptures has the power to release and transform the mind. The Scriptures enable man to understand himself in the context that God designed him.

As man gains reliable reference for truth which emanates from God, his adherence to that truth allows him application of beliefs discerned from error. A solid foundation anchored in truth encourages Christian growth, enforces ability to resist the Devil, and supports commitment to Christ.

Service to others for glorification of the Father helps identify disciples of Christ. Since Jesus’ premier teaching is that love fulfills the sum and substance of the Law, the acquisition of Christ’s attitude of love acts to prepare man for discipleship. The uniqueness and value of self before God as an imitator of Jesus provides man with his usefulness for God’s purpose. The realization of limitation in self-sufficiency brings man to the knowledge that all is worthless in comparison with knowing Jesus.

Attunement with God by following His design results in man’s nearness to God and offers man the experience of a more meaningful relationship with Him. The fact that Jesus is God evidenced and displayed to remove any doubt of it gives man the abundant supply of life’s power through revealed spirituality. Life lived from the soul level is life lived on the highest plane with its fullest human spirituality realized.

Used as an accompaniment with the Scriptures, Part One of Journey to Jesus acts as a guide to such specifics as true conversion, assurance of salvation, real repentance, freedom from distraction in worship, and complete surrender. Revealed is the understanding of God’s favor that secures man’s destiny, His fellowship with man, His fulfillment of man’s needs, His provision for holiness, and His expectations of man. Part One of Journey to Jesus gives man a glimpse into the world beyond his own, the end of history that includes the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the last judgement, the eternal kingdom, and the destiny and disposal of Satan’s design.

Used as spiritual guide, Part Two of Journey to Jesus reveals the true purpose of life, the foundation for discrimination of beliefs, the way to overcome conflict, and the way to avoid worldly ensnarements as well as the pitfall often connected with Christianity. From the second section of Journey to Jesus, the reader learns how love exceeds knowledge, how to deal with pain, and just how man’s will fits within God’s will. Man comes to understand how to attain spirituality along with how to progress in it. Part Two of Journey to Jesus not only gives view to the understanding of names, books outside the Canon, celebration of the Sabbath on Sunday, and the tithe, but also validates the sage men of God, the way to know God and bestow the glory to which He is entitled, as well as the true picture of heaven. The second part of Journey to Jesus makes known why Jesus was born a Jew with a purposeful life integrated with thoughts and actions in accordance and how He meant for man to carry on His work while it points out the indisputable fact that Jesus is God actualized in humanity.

PART ONE

ABSOLUTE ALMIGHTY

T HE ANSWERS TO the age-old questions of where man comes from, who he is, and where he is going lie in knowing the living, everlasting God. The concept of God is a profound topic, possibly the most erudite concept of all time.

God is Supreme Being who is self-existent of His own right, Creator and Controller of all that exists. By nature of His own choice, God reveals Himself, initiates love and concern and provides His own special care. Through the tri-unity of three persons in one substance, God provides man with some truths of His being. God the Father as the source of all existence, Jesus Christ the Son of God as Mediator of God’s love in creation and redemption, and the Holy Spirit as the bond of union between Father and Son reveal God as a full and complete personality.

Almighty God reveals the many facets of His being to man. As Sovereign Lord He applies His attributes and plans, and chooses how the world and mankind are governed. As Mighty God He loves, guides, and disciplines His people. As King of kings He is merciful and faithful to His word. He tolerates no rival and desires intimacy with His people. As Redeemer He works his ways for man’s benefit. As Shepherd He desires man to know and follow Him. God Almighty is the deity that gives definition to and endorsement of who man is. It is necessary to man’s being that he grasp the knowledge God reveals about Himself.

Absolute Almighty is the fundamental ultimate, independent of measurement, without restriction or restraint, perfect and pure. Before there was an atom or the First Adam, God was,¹ alone and apart in His being,² subsisting in and of Himself.³ How can man hope to know God, who exists by the necessity of His own being,⁴ uncaused and self-sustained,⁵ independent of all things⁶ and of all thoughts?⁷ Moses said that the secret things belonged to God, but he also said that those things revealed belong to man.⁸ What are these things revealed to man by God?

God reveals Himself through creation,⁹ through providence,¹⁰ the conscience,¹¹ and through Scriptures.¹² By His word, out of nothing, He created the universe,¹³ and through His arrangements He revealed His intelligence and His will.¹⁴ From the beginning He revealed the secret of Himself as the one God who operates in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit¹⁵ as He stated, Let Us make man in Our image  . . .¹⁶ Since the dawn of His own creation, God provided for all the needs of every living creature.¹⁷ God also supplied the essence of moral obligation for humanity and made clear to His created being that sin is any lack of obedience to the God who created him;¹⁸ yet God made it possible to receive the unmerited favor of salvation¹⁹ through His sacrificial conduct.²⁰ God provided all things for the human race.

God reveals Himself as a complete personality, a holder of attributes. Knowledge of these attributes or characteristics of God calls forth more reverence for His character, increases intensity of affection for Him, escalates incentive for humility before Him, and confirms confidence in Him. Knowledge of God brings the realization that God is the essence of everything.

Because God is without change²¹ not only in His being²² but also in His perfection, purpose, and plan, His revealed promise also stands without change.²³ God does not increase nor decrease nor improve in His being.²⁴ He maintains His standard perfectly. Though God is unchangeable, His transaction changes in its effect on His creatures according to their changing character and circumstances. For example, Adam was in God’s favor before he sinned; but after he sinned, he was under God’s displeasure. Adam changed, but God did not.

Another important point is that prayer does not change God; rather God bestows blessings in answer to prayer. It is by divine appointment that these settled blessings are bestowed. It is necessary for man to realize that his prayers are indispensable to him in that they are the agents that have effect with God according to His immutable purpose. Immutable God is the stable unchanging God in whom the Christian can place his confidence and trust.

The perpetuity of God excludes succession of time. He has no past and no future but is everlasting.²⁵ God is elevated above all succession of moments and has no beginning and no end. He exists in eternity and possesses the whole of His existence in one indivisible present. God fills time and is in every part of it.²⁶ Time dwells in God, but God does not dwell in time as man knows it. . . . One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.²⁷ God’s life is indivisible, perpetually now, perfect for His eternal purposes. The Christian can be assured there was not, is not, nor will be a time that God is not.

Just as God is above the limit of time, He transcends all spatial limitation as well. Whereas every material thing in the universe is somewhere, God is everywhere. He is present in every point of space and fills it with His whole being.²⁸ God is wholly present in the universe²⁹ at the same moment with every one of his creatures. At the same moment that He is everywhere in heaven, He is everywhere on earth.³⁰ God’s essence is without division. To the Christian, God’s omnipresence means that He is with him in every place, in every circumstance, and in every trial. God is never far from each person.³¹ He is not limited by time, space or the boundary of the created universe; these feats mean that God’s potentiality is without bounds.³²

Almighty God knows everything actual and possible.³³ He uniquely knows Himself and all things.³⁴ God possesses an all-comprehensive knowledge called omniscience and His understanding is boundless.³⁵ Almighty God has no need to learn because there is no knowledge that He does not already possess. God’s knowledge is innate, immediate, simultaneous, and complete.³⁶ God knows all creatures: angels, humans, animals, sea life, birds, insects.³⁷ God knows the thoughts of the mind,³⁸ the secrets of the heart,³⁹ the needs of all living things,⁴⁰ and the nature of the universe.⁴¹ Almighty God alone has the knowledge to change the order of the things He has established.⁴² To man, God’s knowledge is mysterious;⁴³ but the Christian can commit gladly to an omniscient God. God never seeks or discovers. God never wonders and is never amazed because He knows all.

Because God knows all, He can do whatever He pleases.⁴⁴ Everything in the universe is under His control. Since He is the Creator who knows how His creation functions, He can change or reorder His creation at will.⁴⁵ God flooded the earth,⁴⁶ plagued Egypt,⁴⁷ opened the sea,⁴⁸ held the sun still and stopped the moon,⁴⁹ sent the sun’s shadow back ten steps,⁵⁰ caused a donkey to speak,⁵¹ rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah,⁵² turned Lot’s wife to salt,⁵³ cured leprosy,⁵⁴ reordered natural law,⁵⁵ protected Israel against war,⁵⁶ brought forth the dead,⁵⁷ and more. God’s power is mighty and He does not need anything except His will to accomplish His purpose.

Because God is consistent with His perfection, He is not contradictory in His nature; for example, He would not make a triangle at the same time be a circle. God never lies⁵⁸ because He is right in all His actions⁵⁹ and a lie would be inconsistent with his character. For the same reason, God treats all His creations correctly,⁶⁰ shows compassion for the miserable,⁶¹ and bears with disobedient men.⁶² When man can contemplate God in His manifestations of power, wisdom, and goodness, he is better able to enjoy Him.

God allows sin to exist when He could have barred it from His dominions. God in His humble human form known to us as Jesus⁶³ conquered Satan and sin with crucifixion on the cross.⁶⁴ Christ on the cross exhibits God’s brightest display of omnipotence.⁶⁵ God predetermined that Christ would suffer on the cross for the sin of many.⁶⁶

God’s sovereign will causes all things to exist: creation,⁶⁷ preservation,⁶⁸ destruction,⁶⁹ reconstruction,⁷⁰ salvation,⁷¹ rejection,⁷² man’s life and destiny⁷³ even to the smallest things of life.⁷⁴ Almighty God acts for His own sake for His own glory.⁷⁵

God does all and everything as an incorporeal, intellectual substance. He has no properties of matter, yet He thinks and wills freely without imperfection. Man ascribes Him bodily parts such as a face, eyes, hands, and feet in accommodation of His divine expressions. All manifestations of His deity were made in the person of the Son.⁷⁶ The recorded Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament is the same Jesus Christ known in the New Testament.⁷⁷ Because God is Spirit, He exercises control over the universe at every given moment and the human mind can commune with Him moment by moment in spirit.⁷⁸ Almighty God, an infinite Spirit, made man in His own image⁷⁹ for His own glory⁸⁰ and bids man to glorify Him.⁸¹ The God of power, wisdom, and holiness calls upon man to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving⁸² and promises blessings to those who listen to Him.⁸³

Man can glorify God with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs⁸⁴ with behavior that is excellent before his neighbors.⁸⁵ Man can glorify God in serving one another,⁸⁶ in speaking to one another,⁸⁷ and in doing everything to God’s glory.⁸⁸ The God of justice, truth, and love will reward those who glorify Him.⁸⁹

God provides everything necessary for man’s welfare. The Scriptures say that God will supply all needs,⁹⁰ give rescue in the time of trouble,⁹¹ and supply sufficiency in everything.⁹² The God of faithfulness proves to man that man does not need to be persuaded by philosophy,⁹³ pastored by psychology,⁹⁴ enlisted by evolution,⁹⁵ seduced by science,⁹⁶ hypnotized by humanism, nor be a savior of himself. Almighty God is the Savior of men⁹⁷ and He offers the reward of the inheritance⁹⁸ to those who work heartily for Him and believe in Him with faith.⁹⁹

The well-being of the believer of Christianity depends willfully, restfully, and faithfully on God. God alone is perfect and complete in Himself to fulfill all needs,¹⁰⁰ to answer all questions,¹⁰¹ and to give eternal life.¹⁰² God reveals Himself through His creation and His word.

While the concept of the transcendent entity of God brings with it puzzling implications, God gives man the answer to all that He wishes him to know through His Holy Scriptures. The Holy Scriptures remain God’s revelation to mankind.

*         *         *

THE BIBLE

T HROUGH GOD’S PRESERVING power the Holy Scriptures have survived history to transmit God’s dynamic message to mankind. All that God wants man to know is revealed to man through God’ s Old and New Testaments. God put His Testaments into man’s language in the form of the Holy Scriptures better known today as the Bible.

The Bible – also known as the Law, the Scripture or the Scriptures and the Book – is actually a library that includes historical accounts, essays, laws, poetry, and stories. This library of books records the agreement between God and His people. The Book of books is a testimony of tremendous influence exerted on the human race. The Testaments of the Bible yield truths, treasures, and the teachings of God woven into the tradition of God’s people. Biblical testaments are witnesses to creation. Scriptural covenants document the careers of the patriarchs, the fathers of the Hebrew nation. Biblical records entail civil and criminal laws, health and medical counsel, a collection of acts and words of Jesus. The Bible models continuous ideals of Christian life and reveals the idea of the future of souls and of nations of the earth. The Bible functions as the continuous speaking word of God in man’s language.

The sacred writings that record the history of God’s people from approximately 4,000 B.C. to A.D. 96 were written by approximately forty different authors, on three different continents, in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek. Yet these writings comprise a unique book that is unified, is without contradictions, and has one central focus. The Old Testament and New Testament are inseparable in that each book was written for the specific purpose that it is connected to the central figure of the Book, who is Christ.¹ The Bible stands as the final authority for all matters of faith and practice.² The Holy Spirit inspired both the men who wrote it and the Scriptures themselves and this inspiration extends to every word of the Bible.³

Though the authors of the Bible span a wide range from religious teachers, government officials, military officers, fishermen, peasants, and even a physician, the Bible does accomplish God’s purpose. The Bible is inerrant in God’s testimony to His people. Because God doesn’t lie⁴ and His word is truth,⁵ the Bible is a recording of truth. The Scriptures alone have proven their accuracy by a pattern of prediction and fulfillment possible only for God. God conveys His message through the Bible. Since the Bible is infallible, it speaks with authority.

Jesus believed in the accuracy of the Old Testament and He often quoted it.⁶ Jesus authenticated the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.⁷ He believed in David⁸ and Isaiah.⁹ Jesus referred to Moses,¹⁰ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.¹¹ Jesus said that He was the Messiah called Christ spoken of in the Old Testament.¹² After His death, the resurrected Jesus appeared to Peter, the rest of the apostles, more than five hundred brethren at once, and to James and Paul.¹³

The New Testament records Jesus’ claim as Messiah, and it tells of His ascension into the clouds as men of Galilee watched.¹⁴ From beginning to end, the Bible’s central theme of salvation in and through Jesus Christ is amazingly unified.

The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years and was penned by authors from different cultural backgrounds, including ten contemporaries of Jesus. Yet the Bible yields one unfolding story – salvation through Jesus. It is possible, however, to have a lifetime of Bible study that is fruitless and vain. Jesus, Himself, said, You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life.¹⁵

Of the many translations of the Bible available to us today, a question posed by many is, Which is the translation best suited for man’s need to understand and know God as his Savior? When man realizes that all translations may be sorted into three basic categories, the task becomes easier.

The traditional approach to biblical translating has been called formal correspondence, in which the text is rendered in a literal fashion as closely as possible to the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek text from which it is taken. Examples of a formal correspondence type of Bible are the King James Version, English Revised Version, American Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, and New American Standard Bible. The formal correspondence Bible rendered with a minimum of interpretation is well-suited for careful study and close reading.

The paraphrase Bible incorporates a high degree of interpretation into the text and usually resembles a commentary on the text. The paraphrase Bible is characterized by various degrees of liberties with the text in that it may introduce, delete, or modify the text. Examples of a paraphrase type Bible are Letters of Street Christians, Cotton Patch Version, and Living Bible. The paraphrase Bible is suited for rapid reading of the Scriptures.

The dynamic equivalence Bible seeks to express a meaning which is readable and which helps to solve many problems of interpretation. The dynamic equivalence Bible seeks to express meaning that is equal in power to the original message. Examples of dynamic equivalence Bibles are Good News for Modern Man, New English Bible, and New International Version.

Some more popular Bible translations today are the King James Version, the New American Standard Bible, the Living Bible, the New International Version, and the New King James Version.

The King James Version, first published in 1611 and still the best-selling version, was made by forty-seven scholars under the authorization of King James 1 of England. This version was dependent upon earlier versions: Wycliffe, Tyndale, Coverdale, Geneva Bible, Bishops’ Bible, and other preceding versions. Since the English language has changed considerably in the past three hundred and fifty years, many expressions used in this Bible are now obsolete. Verbal endings of -eth and -est on words, such as doeth and goest, present some difficulty in communication. On the other hand, the translators of the King James Version had an instinctive feeling for style, and from its inception, this Bible has been well suited for public reading.

The New American Standard Bible published in 1971 represents a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901. Translated to produce a Bible true to the Hebrew and Greek texts yet grammatically correct, this Bible is considered the most literal word-for-word translation on the market today. Some may feel that this literal approach is stilted but none deny that this Bible is highly suitable for serious biblical Study.

The Living Bible is a paraphrase and not strictly a translation. Written in 1971 by Kenneth Taylor to communicate the Scriptures to his children, the Living Bible is based on the English American Standard Version of 1901. The Living Bible renders complicated passages of the Bible into contemporary English, but in many places, Taylor’s paraphrase contains debatable interpretations. The Living Bible has succeeded in its original purpose, but the reader cannot be certain that he is not being somewhat misled unless he maintains a comparison with a formal correspondence Bible.

The New International Version, produced in 1978 and useful for private study and public worship, has gained acceptance among conservative readers. The New International Version is not a word for word translation but a dynamic equivalence thought for thought translation. There is a greater element of interpretation in the New International Version than in the King James Version or the New American Standard Bible though not nearly as much as in the Living Bible. The New International Version is translated from the Masoretic Text in the Old Testament and from an eclectic Greek text in the New Testament. In terms of style and readability, the New International Version is an excellent Bible for children; therefore, it is helpful in the teaching of passages in the formal correspondence Bible that are difficult to understand.

The New King James Version, published in 1982, was produced to update the language of the King James Version, and follows closely the King James Version. Thee and thou are replaced by you but the new version retains the style and readability of the original King James Version.

No matter what category of Bible a person prefers, the important point is to make the selection that allows God’s message to take hold of the heart. Concern for the sacred writings has kept reading and writing alive and has been the impetus for design of written language previously only spoken. Monks preserved sacred writings, and others, including Jerome, Erasmus, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Miles Cloverdale, John Rogers, Martin Luther, William Carey, worked to translate the Scriptures for the sake of the laity. Because people of God wanted to preserve His word as spoken, the Scriptures have helped to create a foundation for written language and for reading in general as God’s thoughts were passed on from generation to generation. The Bible is the written word of God,¹⁶ divinely inspired,¹⁷ mighty in its influence,¹⁸ absolutely trustworthy,¹⁹