A Note from Michael Gossett
Trust The Word
It is very clear that we live in an age marked by both information overload and overwhelming confusion. There has never been a time in history when people have had more access to data, yet never have we been more skeptical about what can actually be trusted. News headlines are filled with contradictions. Words are often weaponized. People often cling to perceived truth by hearing ten-second clips on social media. Even technology, like deepfakes, continue to blur the lines between what is real and what is fake.
At the same time, the cultural winds have shifted so that even basic moralities, once assumed to be obvious, are now openly debated. What is marriage? What is gender? What is justice? Questions that should be answered clearly are left to human opinion polls, which move by the year and sometimes by the month.
In this swirl of uncertainty, the Christian must ask: Is there a word that is steady? Is there a voice that is unshaken by the shifting sands of culture? And the answer from Scripture is a resounding “Yes!” Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
The Bible is not just one voice among many. It is not the record of human guesses about God. It is the very Word of God, breathed out by Him, enduring and trustworthy in every generation. In a world of spin, it is the Word we can trust.
The Struggle of Trust
Before we can strengthen our grip on the Scriptures, we must admit why we so often loosen it. Culturally speaking, it is no secret that there is a growing suspicion toward the Bible. Secular universities often teach it as little more than myth. Popular culture mocks it as primitive or oppressive. Many assume it is hopelessly outdated in an age of supposed enlightenment. Underneath these critiques lies a cultural worldview that prizes self-expression above submission. The greatest authority in the modern imagination is the autonomous self. To claim that there is a book that speaks with authority over every human being is deeply offensive in the world today.
But doubt is not only cultural. It creeps into the church itself. We often live as practical skeptics of God’s Word. We say we believe the Bible, but when chaos enters our lives, we have a tendency to trust other sources first rather than Scripture. We confess its authority on Sunday but sometimes have a hard time Monday through Saturday. In doing so, we show that we have not merely been influenced by a culture that distrusts authority but have absorbed its thinking.
None of this is new. The very first temptation in the garden was framed around a question of God’s Word. The serpent asked Eve, “Did God really say?” (Genesis 3:1). That whisper of doubt continues in every generation. It is the question behind cultural hostility to Scripture, and it is the question behind our own neglect. The danger is not simply that the world doubts the Word, but that the church treats it as optional.
Inspiration and Authority
The Scriptures claim for themselves what no other book can rightly claim, which is divine origin. Paul was clear about the understanding and claim of inspiration by calling all Scripture “God-breathed.” The Greek word theopneustos indicates that the words of Scripture come from the very mouth of God. The Bible is not merely a human record of religious experiences, but a supernatural revelation of the living God.
Peter explains this further in 2 Peter 1:20–21: “Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The human authors were not passive scribes but neither were they independent philosophers. They were “carried along” by the Spirit so that what they wrote was exactly what God intended. This means the Bible is at once fully human and fully divine, with human fingerprints and divine authority.
Because Scripture is inspired, it is authoritative. It speaks with complete authority over belief and practice. When Scripture speaks, God speaks. This is why Jesus Himself could declare in John 10:35, “Scripture cannot be broken.” For Christ, the Word of God was not a collection of helpful sayings but the unshakable truth of the living God. He quoted it in temptation (Matthew 4:1-11), affirmed its permanence (Matthew 5:18), and used it to interpret His own mission (Luke 24:27). If Jesus, the incarnate Word, submitted Himself to the written Word, how much more should we?
This is why Baptists have always insisted on the final authority of Scripture in all matters of faith and practice. The Reformation cry of Sola Scriptura was not a denial of history or tradition but a recognition that Scripture alone is God-breathed, Scripture alone is infallible, and Scripture alone is sufficient to govern the church.
The Sufficiency of Scripture
Authority answers the question, “Why should I obey Scripture?” Sufficiency answers the question, “Is Scripture enough?” The sufficiency of Scripture means that the Bible contains everything necessary for salvation and for faithful living before God. We do not need new revelations, cultural philosophies, or modern wisdom to supplement it. As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3, Scripture makes the man of God “complete.” It equips us not for some good works but for “every good work.”
This truth protects the church from two dangers. The first is subtraction, where we treat the Bible as incomplete and attempt to supplement it with fresh revelations or human traditions. The second is distraction, where we treat the Bible as insufficiently relevant and look instead to culture or politics to supply answers. In both cases, we are saying to God, “Your Word is not enough.”
The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reflects this conviction clearly: “The Holy Bible… is a perfect treasure of divine instruction… and is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.” To confess this is not to claim the Bible answers every question of science or technology. It is to say that the Bible contains all that is necessary to know God, to follow Christ, and to live faithfully in every generation.
So what does this look like in practice? In a world of constant deception, the Word of God provides clarity.
When culture insists that truth is relative, Jesus prays, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). When culture insists that identity is self-defined, Genesis declares, “So God created man in his own image… male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). When culture insists that morality is fluid, Psalm 19 says, “The Lord’s instruction is perfect, renewing one’s life” (v. 7). When culture despairs in the face of suffering, Paul proclaims, “For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
The Word speaks with clarity when the world shouts confusion. Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” (John 18:38), still echoes in our day, and the church’s answer is unchanged: God has spoken, and His Word is truth.
Return to the Word
The greatest need of the church in this age of confusion is not innovation but return. Renewal never comes from moving beyond Scripture. It always comes from rediscovering it.
The early church devoted itself to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42). The Reformers stood on Scripture as their only infallible authority. Great awakenings and revivals in history were always marked by a rediscovery of the Word preached, sung, and lived.
For us, returning to the Word means refusing to treat it as optional. It means submitting ourselves to its authority, not as critics who stand over it but as disciples who sit under it. It means saturating our lives with it, shaping our minds and habits by its truth. And it means proclaiming it without apology, even when the world mocks or resists it.
Isaiah 40:8 reminds us, “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.” Every cultural claim will wither. Every political promise will fade. Every human philosophy will be overturned. But the Word of God endures.
Today, anchor your life in the Word that cannot lie and cannot fail. It is the voice of God. It is the rock beneath your feet. It is the Word we can trust.
Practical Steps for Today
- Begin each day with Scripture rather than with the news. Let God’s Word set the agenda for your heart.
- Memorize and meditate on key passages. Carry truth with you into the day so that when lies come, you are ready.
- Evaluate every voice you hear by the standard of Scripture. Whether it is a politician, a commentator, or even a preacher, measure it against God’s Word.
- Root yourself in the community of the church. God’s Word was given not merely for individuals but for the people of God together.
- Speak Scripture with confidence to your family, your friends, and your neighbors. In a world of uncertainty, nothing is more radical than to say with conviction, “Thus says the Lord.”
This Sunday at Green Acres
Everyone wrestles with doubts. Even the strongest believers have moments when life feels overwhelming and questions rise to the surface. Did you know even John the Baptist, the bold prophet who prepared the way for Jesus, faced a moment of doubt?
This Sunday, we’re looking at Luke 7:18-30 in a message titled “Dealing with Doubts.” We’ll see how Jesus responded to John’s questions and discover how He meets us in our own struggles.
Don’t miss it because this message isn’t just for people “out there.” It’s for all of us. Whether you are weighed down by unanswered prayers, wrestling with disappointment, or simply searching for certainty in a chaotic world, Jesus has a word for you.
Come and bring a friend. God may use this Sunday to turn doubt into deeper faith.
You are loved and prayed for!
Michael Gossett