Above All Thy Name

Can you say with confidence that your faith is based on the infallible Word of God? Were the Scriptures compiled by a messy group of councils and revised by a multitude of scribes? Is it true that there are errors and contradictions in the Bible and its manuscripts? Are there any corrupted copies of Scripture? Do you know for certain that the version of Scripture you read is a copy of God's preserved Word? The facts and history of the preservation of Scripture are the foundation of our faith upon which depends our eternal destiny. Without His Word, the human race would have no knowledge God. We must have full assurance that we are indeed reading the true and pure Word of God. The Bible's power, feared by its enemies, precious to those who love its precepts, is the power to transform those who submit to its claims. The written words of Scripture have had a greater influence on this world than any other literary work the planet has ever seen. They have changed the course of nations, and altered history in ways that will only be comprehended in eternity. The Bible is the revelation of God's love for the human race. It contains the treasures of eternal riches. "In His Word, God has committed to men the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience." Though every power of hell and demons has been arrayed against this book, "in a most wonderful manner it was preserved uncorrupted through all the ages of darkness. It [bears] not the stamp of man, but the impress of God." "The Bible, and the Bible alone, is to be our creed... all who bow to this Holy Word will be in harmony. Our own views and ideas must not control our efforts. Man is fallible, but God's Word is infallible. Instead of wrangling with one another, let men exalt the Lord. Let us meet all opposition as did our Master, saying, 'It is written.' Let us lift up the banner on which is inscribed, The Bible our rule of faith and discipline." With demonstrable and rather serious differences in so many current versions of the Bible, how can we be certain what is God's true and preserved Word? The volume you hold in your hand - through Scripture and history - answers this question. The name of Jesus is the most exalted name in the Universe: "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... "And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord..." Philippians 2:9-11 Yet, in all the Universe, there is one thing that is exalted above the name of Jesus: "for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." Psalm 138:2. How much reverence should we have for a Word that is exalted above the name of God? The very truthfulness of God himself is staked on the truthfulness of his Word. Compare: KJV Job 19:26 "yet in my flesh shall I see God: " ASV Job 19:26 "then without my flesh shall I see God;" Simple logic demands that two opposite statements cannot both be true. Therefore one must be false. The one that is false cannot be God's pure, true, unperverted Word. Though God promised to preserve his word, the stern facts of history and the unyielding testimony of Scripture prove that attempts have been made to pervert God's Word: "ye have perverted the words of the living God." Jeremiah 23:36 Thus, to fulfill the promise of preservation, the Scripture must contain a way to distinguish between the genuine from the counterfeit: "ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32