The Bible is an ancient book. The first five books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were written by Moses some 3000 years ago and is known as the Pentateuch. The entire Bible contains 66 books and was written by about 40 authors. The King James Version was assembled in 1611 and has been with us for over 400 years. There are, I don’t know how many, other translations. Some are good. Others, not so much.

There is a lot of history in the Bible. Naysayers will point to people, places, and events and cry out that there is no other evidence for those things portrayed in the Bible. But things are uncovered on a regular basis that support Biblical truths. I frequently hear that someone has dug up or found something in Israel and called the authorities, who move in and conduct a careful excavation. Most recently, the seal of King Hezekiah was found. You can read about it here.

Flavius Josephus was born only a few years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and was a contemporary of the apostles. He was a secular historian and is often quoted, and is certainly worth reading.

There is no doubting that the Bible is very, very old and is full of truths. Our current system of law is founded on these Biblical principles.

But is it still valid today?

Absolutely!

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I change not;
therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

What we have done is decide that God’s laws and rules are not applicable today. They are old and outdate and don’t take into account man’s more enlightened state. What they really mean is that God has become inconvenient. Nobody wants to be told that what they are doing is wrong. Nobody wants to be  made to feel bad or guilty and become instantly offended to take the focus off of himself and concentrate on the accuser. God is an ancient concept that is only suitable for a primitive society. We have reached a point where the individual is god and reigns supreme over his own life, and he doesn’t want any outside influence trying to change him.

But that philosophy does not negate the existence of God, nor does it invalidate His laws.

There will come a day when everyone is going to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ.

Philippians 2:10-11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”

Once that happens, the immutability, the constant, changeless nature of His law is undeniable.

Fortunately, we have God’s forgiveness when we violate those laws.

That’s what the Christmas season is all about. The Son of God, the Word, became a flesh and blood man. We celebrate His birth on December 25th. I’ve heard some well meaning Christians talk about Christmas being a pagan holiday. I know that Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th. But I’m okay with that. I get that it’s the last day of Saturnalia and some of what that entails. Would I have picked that day? Probably not. But I am not celebrating that particularly brutal holiday. On that day, as on many, many other days throughout the year, I am acknowledging what my Savior has done for me.

I am sorry that Christmas has turned into such a stressful, commercialized event. There is so much familial and personal negativity and angst experienced during this holiday season. I’m all for doing away with it, but I’m realistic enough to know that it’s not going to happen.

So what I am going to do instead is encourage you to take some time when the family is gathered together and talk about the sacrifice that the Word endured in reducing Himself to a mere man, Jesus. Discuss what that means to you on a personal level. Think about what you can do over the course of the next year to honor that sacrifice.

Merry Christmas