Glad Tidings Magazine

The last twelve issues of this magazine have featured the way in which the printed English Bible became available to a public who, at the time, were desperate to find out for themselves just what the Bible taught.

500 years ago a religious monopoly existed and ordinary people had to believe what they were told by the clergy. They had no way of knowing whether those things were right or wrong. Religious books were usually in Latin – the language of educated people – and they were very expensive, because they had to be copied by hand.

All that changed when brave people risked their lives to make an English translation of the Bible and when the invention of printing made the copies more affordable. These changes built up a huge public demand. People demanded to be allowed access to God’s Word for themselves and their insistence changed the attitude of the King and his Parliament.

First, the Great Bible appeared in every church in England: it had to be chained to the lectern to ensure that nobody took it home. Then King James allowed an English translation to be made which was published with royal approval in 1611 – just 401 years ago. Those happenings were part of a process known as the Reformation, because long-established attitudes and restrictions were being reformed, to be replaced by a much more free society, at least in some respects.

As people started to read their own Bibles and tried to understand what God was saying directly to them, all sorts of different religious opinions emerged. Now there are said to be some 38,000 different Christian denominations, which would make it bewildering if you decided to investigate all of them! Fortunately you don’t have to, for the easy option is to read the Bible for yourself and thus understand God’s gracious purpose.

For the Bible is a book that God has designed to be read and you don’t need a theological degree or years of training to understand it. You just need the right attitude of mind and heart. Long ago God sent this message through the prophet Isaiah:

"On this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2).

Paradox

Here’s a curious thing. Now that people have easy access to God’s Word and there is no fear of being imprisoned for possessing, reading or expounding the Bible, many people have no interest at all in what it teaches.

Perhaps it is because there is so much else to do today. Maybe they think religion is just for the afterlife and are so busy living for the present that they never think seriously about the future and just hope that it will take care of itself. It is no coincidence that a loss of interest in Bible teaching has coincided with the breakdown of society in so many areas of human activity. That comes as no surprise to Bible readers, for nearly 2000 years ago the apostle Paul predicted that this would happen:

"In the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without selfcontrol, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! … men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all" (2 Timothy 3:1–9).

Glad Tidings

As people get more successful and self-reliant their interest in God and His Son diminishes. People like that must look at the world situation – the dire financial position of the world economy; the instability of nations, especially in the Middle East; the breakdown of the family unit in much of the developed world; the hopelessness that many people feel – and just shrug it off. Perhaps they just hope that “things will sort themselves out”. Or perhaps they dare not think about what might happen, for the future is just too scary and nothing meaningful can be done to put things right.

Regular readers of this magazine will know that there is a better way of coping with the present and preparing for the future. The centre pages of this issue contain a set of Bible reading tables which can help you read through the whole Bible in a year: the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice, for good measure. Bible reading following that plan will only take a few minutes every day and will be extremely worthwhile. Choose any version you like and just let God’s message instruct you.

“Glad Tidings” can guide you to some extent. We have articles about different books of the Bible, about different Bible teachings, and about the appropriate lifestyle for someone who wants to turn their life around, to follow the Lord Jesus. But Christadelphians have always insisted that the most important thing anyone can do if they want to find out God’s truth is to read the Bible for themselves. It’s not what people tell you that’s of primary importance, although you can get a lot of help along the way. It’s what you find out for yourself that really makes a difference to the way you understand, believe and behave.

Key Idea

God has a purpose with the earth He created, centred in the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son. Jesus died to save mankind from sin, which will otherwise destroy us, and by our belief in him and by baptism into his saving name, we can become members of God’s family. Jesus will soon return as King, to rule the world from Jerusalem. He will then put everything right and will work with all those people who have found the time to prepare for the great work that awaits them.

If we learn to live with Jesus now we will find a way of coping with all the difficulties of life. And in the life to come – when Jesus returns to earth – he will invite us to live with him forever. That’s one of the key themes of the Bible. Read it every day and find out just what you can do to get ready for the coming transformation.

Read all about it!

In this month's issue