Bible-Believing Christians

What Does It Mean to be a Bible-Believing Christian?

What does it mean to be a Bible-believing Christian? I have claimed to be a Bible-believing, Bible-proclaiming Christian minister. I am a Bible Preacher and Bible Teacher. My Master of Arts degree is in Biblical Studies. You can see on this website phrases such as, "Biblical Studies from the Ministry of Wesley McCarter," and, "Devoted to the Detailed Study of Scripture." There are thousands of Evangelical Christians, especially in the American South, that have long claimed to be people of the Bible. We even have many “Bible Churches” and “Bible Colleges” all over the country and globe. So, what does all of this "Bible-believing" stuff really mean?

Let us first and foremost state emphatically that we do not worship a book, but we have put our full trust in Jesus of Nazareth as Christ, Son of God, crucified Savior, and risen Lord. Our faith is not in a leather-bound, gold-trimmed book but in the person and accomplishments of Jesus Christ. We do not live as if owning a Bible is our “ticket to heaven.” We believe that the righteousness of Christ, which we have received by faith, is our only hope of salvation.

Having said that ultimately our faith is in the person of Christ, let us now turn our attention to the importance of the Book. Evangelical Christians believe that the Bible is the “Word of God” and “God-breathed” in the sense that God has revealed Himself through the spoken and then written word of the prophets and apostles of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that the Holy Spirit divinely guided these men over a long period of history to record for us what He would want us to know about Himself, how He interacts with creation, and what He is doing to redeem us. While this is a historic faith, rooted in past events, we believe this on theological grounds. His Spirit tells our spirits that we are His children, and His Spirit tells our spirits that this is true revelation of the divine. As Jesus said, “I am the Great Shepherd,” and, “The sheep hear my voice,” we are confident that we hear our Lord’s voice through the written documents of the 66 scriptural books. Through the message of the Bible, we have been changed, and we continue to grow in our knowledge of life and faith.

While there are secular sources which support the historicity of Christianity’s claims about Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, we know very little about the details of those claims apart from the Bible. All of the theological understanding we have about those historical realities comes from the Christian Scriptures. We have come to know full-well the person and work of Jesus Christ from the Gospel narratives. We know the history of the beginnings of humanity; God’s dealings with the Hebrew people; the life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ; and the church’s proclamation of the blessings of Christ all from the Bible. We believe that there is nowhere else to turn because the Bible offers the words of true atonement and eternal life.

Therefore, we are Bible-believing Christians because, among other things, (1) the Bible informs us about the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and because (2) we believe that the Bible is completely trustworthy as a guide for all things concerning life, faith, and salvation.