Several years ago, Jamie and I were watching a television show based around the White House. One of the characters was running for President. He was getting hammered in the media because he wouldn’t commit to attending a church service.
He sat down to talk with the current President, and he told him he couldn’t go to church because he had given up on God. He read some stuff he didn’t like in the Bible, and he walked away from God altogether.
Being a devout Catholic, the current President tried to defend religion and the Bible by saying, “Ah, you can’t take the Bible literally.”
Uh, Wrong!!
As followers of Christ, we are absolutely supposed to take the Bible literally. The Bible is the literal Word of God. It never changes. The Bible is still active and relevant today.
The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God—meant to be read literally and literally obeyed.
When we abandon this foundational truth, we leave the message of the Gospel. When we diminish the authority, validity, or literalness of the Bible as God's Word, we water down the truth that saves our souls and determines where we will spend eternity.
The fact is that ALL of the Bible is true. It isn't figurative. It all really happened.
Even the part about Jonah and the whale?
Yep.
What about Noah and the ark?
Yep. Actually happened.
David and Goliath?
True story.
The fact is that the whole Bible—all of it—is true. The men and women were actual people who lived very real lives. Each story, conversation, and event is fact, not fiction. (Unless it explicitly says someone was telling a story.)
Here's the best part: we don't have to accept this premise on faith blindly. Biblical history is corroborated by the secular histories of the nations involved with Israel, and archaeological discoveries continue to support and help interpret the Biblical text. In his book "Evidence that Demands a Verdict," author Josh McDowell said, "In all my archaeological investigation, I have never found one artifact of antiquity that contradicts any statement in the Word of God."
Isn't that amazing? The more we study history and archaeology, the more the Bible proves to be true. All of it. Every word. Even the parts that seem impossible because, with God, all things are possible.
The more that is revealed through history and archaeology, the more we learn that the Word of God is trustworthy, reliable, and completely reliable—no matter what people say.
These facts are essential beyond the fact that all the characters in the Bible were real and all the stories were historically accurate. It's critical because it reminds us that all of the teachings in the Bible are also meant to be taken literally. It is God's words to His people about how to receive salvation, have a personal relationship with Him, and how to live our lives as His people.
The entire Bible is inspired, inerrant, infallible, and timeless from beginning to end.
It's all true. It's all relevant. And it's meant to be read and obeyed. This is how a legendary woman of God approaches God's Word.
Adessa Holden is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God specializing in Women's Ministry. Together with her brother, Jamie, they manage 4One Ministries and travel the East Coast speaking, holding conferences, and producing Men's and Women's resources that provide practical Biblical teaching for everyday life.
When asked about herself, she'll tell you "I'm a women's minister, a sister, and a daughter. I love to laugh and spend time with people. My favorite things are chocolate, the ocean, sandals and white capris, anything purple, summertime and riding in the car listening to music. It is my absolute honor and privilege to serve Jesus and women through this ministry."
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