Did God really say that marriage is between one man and
one woman? Did God really say that He created males
and females different? Did God really say that He created
the world in six days? Did God really say that we are born
sinful? Did God really say that Jesus rose from the dead?
The most important aspect of biblical worldview forma-
tion is what you believe about the Bible and how the Bible
shapes your living. It is the foundation for all biblical world-
view development. That means it is not enough to know
what is in the Bible; we need to develop robust confidence
about the Bible. What we believe about the Bible determines
how we interpret what is in the Bible. We must have an exalt-
ed view of God’s Word.
Ultimately, we must decide if we believe the claims and
content of the Bible or if we believe it is inaccurate or in
error in any way. We can have unwavering confidence that
the Bible is true, trustworthy, and without error. It is not
blind faith. Trust is based on robust evidence such as the
transformation of lives, the unity of message throughout the
entire Bible, the Bible’s indestructibility throughout history,
archaeology that authenticates its accuracy, fulfilled proph-
ecy, and thousands of ancient manuscripts that prove the
Bible is accurate and unchanged.
Resolve to believe whatever you find in the Bible, whether
you like it or not. Beware of the danger of receiving some
of what the Bible teaches and rejecting parts. Settle in your
mind that you will receive all, believe all, and what you
cannot understand you will take on trust.
2. WILL I FOLLOW?
We have a generation who wants to be in authority but
does not want to come under authority. Our culture views
submission as a dirty word, while personal autonomy and
radical individualism are highly valued. We have scores of
people who have not been taught to come under the author-
ity of another person (parent, employer), and as a result,
they have not learned to come under the authority of God
and His Word.
Learning to follow God’s commands is at the heart of
Christianity. Jesus defined discipleship in two words when
He said, “Follow me.” Jesus clarified that followership
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includes learning to obey all that He has commanded. If the
Bible is our authority, then we seek to follow its teachings
and obey God’s laws. If there is habitual, unrepentant sin in
our life, then we know that we have an authority problem.
There are two applications to consider. First, we must
encourage and admonish children to follow God’s
commands in the Bible. In Psalm 78:5-8, God commands
parents and grandparents to teach the next generation to
obey His law: “He commanded our fathers to teach to their
children, that the next generation might know them, the
children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their chil-
dren, so that they should set their hope in God and not
forget the works of God, but keep his commandments, and
that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and
rebellious generation.”
Second, do you obey God’s commands in the Bible? God
calls us to complete surrender and obedience to Him. Are
you serious about holiness? Or do you justify some sins
as okay? Will you follow God’s commands in all areas of
life? This applies to moral areas as well as God’s design
for marriage, manhood, womanhood, and other critical
social topics.
3. DOES IT APPLY?
Far too many Christians believe the Bible is applicable for
salvation and devotional life but not for the rest of life. In
theological studies, this is known as the doctrine of the
sufficiency of Scripture and centers on how we apply the
Bible to life.
Many Christians operate as if something more than the
Bible is needed to navigate life or make decisions in today’s
world. Christians often affirm the authority of the Bible yet
repudiate it when they look to other sources for guidance.
In a study of 2,000 parents, LifeWay found that only 14%
of Christian parents are familiar with what the Bible says
about parenting and believe it is useful as a tool. 1 Accord-
ing to the study, Christians look to the following sources for
parenting advice: their own experience (91%), their parents
(65%), their friends (62%), their spouse (58%), the Bible
(46%), and the church (43%). The church and the Bible rank
lowest on the list. Parents largely depend on their experience
or the experience of others for parenting advice.
2 TIMOTHY 3:15-17
One of the most helpful passages on the sufficiency of Scrip-
ture from the New Testament is 2 Timothy 3:15-17. Paul
reminds Timothy that Scripture is able to lead a person to
salvation in Christ, grow them into Christ-like maturity,
guard against false teaching, and provide direction for life
decisions. Paul states, “All Scripture is breathed out by God
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and
for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be
competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17).