I had a friend suggest to me the other day that I must trust in the King James Bible “as though it had fallen like a meteorite from Heaven.”

He intimated that I was not a critical thinker because I let men (including those who wrote the Bible) convince me the Bible is God’s Word, with a capital “w.”

“There is no Eleventh Commandment saying, ‘Thou shalt not think,’ ” my friend advised me. “God gave us faith and wonder, all right, but he gave us brains and eyes, too—they weren’t slipped in later by the Devil. We’re supposed to use them.”

Among the questions he said any knowledgeable, well-read individual should ask themselves were: What is this Book? Where did it come from? Why is it like it is? What’s it actually saying? What does it mean?

My question to him is, “Just what does he THINK I’ve asked myself?”

Instead of telling us to park our brains outside Genesis 1:1, the Bible itself encourages us in thousands of different ways to search the scriptures to determine whether God’s Word holds up.

In Acts 17:11, we’re told that when the Bereans received information regarding Jesus Christ as the Son of God foretold in the Old Testament, “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

During his earthly ministry, Jesus Christ himself exhorted people, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 35:9)
As someone who studied and practiced professional journalism, I am trained to seek out truth and be objective, always being mindful of possible contradictions and “holes.” Certainly this conviction carries over to the Bible.

It’s true that I was taught from the youngest age to believe in the Bible as God’s Book and one I could put my full trust in as fully representing God. The first song I remember singing in Sunday school went, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

Just because I have never once renounced the validity of the Book, though, doesn’t mean I haven’t repeatedly put it to the test.

The whole point of God giving us a book, as opposed to some other means of communication, is so that people everywhere could have permanent written words on pages to study and find out exactly what God’s about and what He’s doing.

As a writer, I know words lend explicit, definitive meaning where other forms of expression are left to interpretation. Our vast, rich vocabulary gives us the ability to be extremely specific, portraying nuances, tone, physiology, etc.

For my money, the King James Bible is the most intricate, knitly-woven written work there is, showing me in the most general sense that it had to have been Divinely inspired.

It is beautifully written and leaves nothing wanting--inspiration, guidance, wisdom, practical advice, history, science, entertainment, on and on.

There is a romantic love dialogue in the Song of Solomon. The Book of Job offers a poignant dramatic play with actual lines. Proverbs presents a series of common-sense sayings. Psalms is a veritable hymnal of praise songs.

The Bible has never been proven wrong in any of its espousals or predictions and it never contradicts itself.

Those who are adamant that it does are ones who have not studied it to know of “dispensational” divisions resulting from God’s changes in the way He has dealt with men through the ages.

As Paul even persuades believers on this matter, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Tim. 2:15).

Dividing implies divisions and divisions mark out dispensations. Dispensation is defined in the dictionary as “a specific arrangement or system by which something is dispensed or administered.”

The first dispensation occurred when Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit and ended their innocence before their Father. As a result, God changed the way He dealt with them, informing Adam, “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.” (Gen. 3:17)
Noah and his family, by heeding God’s instructions regarding an upcoming Flood and then being given the commission to re-populate the earth, represent another dispensation.

“And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, ‘And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you.’ ” (Gen. 9:8-9)

The dispensational change we are currently living through results from Israel’s refusal to accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

God responded to Israel’s continued disobedience and unbelief--even after Christ’s physical resurrection from the dead--by removing the nation’s privileged status and going to the Gentiles with a new message of grace through faith, plus nothing.

Under today’s dispensation, God deals with Jews and Gentiles on an equal basis, requiring faith in His Son and what He accomplished by living a sinless life and then dying on the cross as payment for our sins.

Paul, who was designated by God to be the Apostle for the Gentiles, even uses the word “dispensation” when he informs the Colossians, “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God.” (Col. 1:25)

As my pastor always says, “The Bible is not hard to understand, it’s hard to believe.” It is only through belief in the Word as truly coming from God that we can begin to gain God’s wisdom about His Book and actually have communion with Him by reading and studying His Word. Literally, the Bible’s verses are stored up in our soul as Believers. They provide nourishment to our soul.

These very truths are pointed out to us in the Bible. Giving just one reference, II Timothy 3:15-17 says, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
“That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”