IT IS LIKE NO OTHER BOOK!

The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years, by 40+ authors, in 3 different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek), on 3 different continents, addressing hundreds of subjects; yet with complete unity! Imagine any 10 authors from a 10-year span, writing today on just one subject: do you think it likely that they would agree?

Another uniqueness is in the fact the Bible says that every man has broken the moral standard of God, and is a sinner before Him. If the Bible was merely written by men, why would they write such a story about their fallen condition? Books written today praise man’s potential, claim he has a “divine spark” within him, has unlimited potential, etc., etc. That’s how man writes about himself, but the Bible does not.

The reason: the apostle Paul gives the answer in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God…” The word “inspired” means “breathed out”, pointing us to the fact every word comes from the very “mouth” of God.

IT IS PROFITABLE FOR LIVING LIFE!

The apostle Paul adds that the Scripture is profitable and sufficient for all we need to live life to  his glory, and our good! The writer to the Hebrews adds that the Word of God is “living and active”, that it “pierces” the soul, and is able to “discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

At Maple Street Community Church, the Word of God is central to all we do. We preach it and teach it, we are committed to obeying it, and to applying its every principle and precept in its context.

Not Taught by Human Wisdom

As believing Christians, those of us who gather at Maple Street Community Church know that we will never be accepted or understood by people of the world, people who have not been taught by the Holy Spirit. The learning of the world applies only to the world and cannot tell us anything about spiritual things.

In 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, we find these words: “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”

The phrasing of this passage makes it very clear that it is not possible to interpret spiritual truths to those who are not spiritual: they will never understand, and that’s why the truths of Scripture will always seem strange to the worldly.

“For They Are Folly to Him”

1 Corinthians 2:14 goes on to say, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

The “natural person” is simply a normal human being, a human being as nature made him. Without being open to the Holy Spirit, a natural person will never be able to understand the words of Scripture, because those words can only make sense in the light of spiritual discernment. That spiritual discernment doesn’t come from nature; it isn’t simply available to every person. It comes from the Holy Spirit and is only available to those who are open to receive the Holy Spirit.

At Maple Street Community Church, we know why the worldly person can never accept the words of Scripture: without the Spirit, those words can only ever appear as “folly” to him.