As we approach Thanksgiving Day, it is a time to pause and reflect upon our blessings. Like most Christians, the blessing I am most thankful for is my salvation through the redemptive blood of Jesus. But beyond my salvation, what is it for which I am most thankful? For me, it is the Bible and its preservation by the hand of the Lord down through the ages. Just as Jesus came to earth to be the living revelation of God, I believe the Bible serves as God’s written revelation of Himself.

I do not worship the Bible. Jesus the Christ, and He alone, is the only One worthy of my worship; but I revere God’s Word. When you consider the many heresies which exist today, just think about what kind of religion Christianity would be without the Bible. The many factions which now exist even though we have the written Word would pale in comparison with the number we would have without it–and many of these factions would probably be extreme.

The Bible has been under attack since the early centuries of the church. Yet, under God’s providence, it has been protected and still stands. Perhaps A. Z. Conrad in a piece entitled, “There It Stands,” best sums up the survival of the Bible:

Century follows century—There it stands.
Empires rise and fall and are forgotten—There it stands.
Dynasty succeeds dynasty—There it stands.
Kings are crowned and uncrowned—There it stands.
Despised and torn to pieces—There it stands.
Storms of hate swirl about it—There it stands.
Agnostics smile cynically—There it stands.
Profane, prayerless punsters caricature it—There it stands.
Unbelief abandons it—There it stands.
Thunderbolts of wrath smite it—There it stands.
The flames are kindled about it—There it stands.
The arrows of hate are discharged against it—There it stands.
Radicalism rants and raves against it—There it stands.
Fogs of sophistry conceal it temporarily—There it stands.
The tooth of time gnaws, but makes no dent—There it stands.
Modernism tries to explain it away—There it stands.
An anvil that has broken a million hammers—There it stands.

I praise God frequently for the preservation of His Word throughout the ages. I hope you do as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!