Many years ago, I heard a statement that has stayed with me ever since: “Man’s basic spiritual problem is the integrity of the Word of God.” From the opening chapters of Scripture, humanity’s trouble did not begin with violence, injustice, or immorality–it began with a question: “…Did God actually say…?” (Genesis 3:1). Eve inaccurately handled God’s word, which led to her believing the serpent’s lie in verse 4. The consequences were catastrophic. That pattern has never changed. When God’s words are doubted, altered, or subordinated to human opinion…unbelief, confusion, and division follow. When God’s words are believed, treasured, and obeyed…life and blessings follow.

Anyone who has played competitive sports understands the necessity of a rule book. The rules are not optional. Nor are they open to personal interpretation. Ignoring or redefining them leads to disqualification. I am thankful that God has given us a “rule book” for life (the Bible) and one man, who always played by the rules, to follow.

In an intense moment of temptation to provide for himself rather than trust God, Jesus declared: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 ESV

Job knew how essential it was to live by those words when he said: “I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.” Job 23:12 ESV

God’s word is not to be treated as mere suggestion or emotional inspiration, but as sustenance — necessary for life itself.

God’s will is stated in 1 Timothy 2:4: “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” And if you’re wondering where we get a knowledge of the Truth, Jesus, in a prayer to God, gave the crystal clear answer: “….Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Tradition, personal preference, or majority opinion cannot be our source of Truth. God’s Word of Truth should be our sole source.

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:2-3 ESV

So what is our responsibility as Christians concerning this Word of Truth? Acts 17:11 reveals a fabulous example to follow. When the Jews in Berea heard the apostle Paul teach: “…they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Acts 17:11 ESV They didn’t just blindly trust Paul because of his sincerity or ability to speak dynamically. They searched the Scriptures daily to make sure they were believing the Truth.

Paul’s exhortation to Timothy should speak loudly to all of us: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

Who among us would ever want to be ashamed before God for inaccurately handling His Word of Truth?

This series, Bible Truth or Tradition, is written with a goal in mind: not to promote an opinion, a denomination, or man-made tradition, but to encourage and enable anyone to search the Scriptures for themselves and accurately handle the Word of Truth. Next time, we’ll take a close look at a critical verse on how to ensure accuracy when searching God’s wonderful Word, our “Rule Book” for life.

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Mark Rohde can be reached at

marklrohde@icloud.com.