There are various ways to fight sin and resist temptation. One effective way is to remember that God is with you, meaning God is imminent. There is no term in the Bible ‘imminent’ or ‘transcendent’, like there is no word ‘Trinity’ Yet we know God is Father, Son, Holy Spirit, three in one. Similarly, we know God is transcendent and immanent. Transcendent means God is beyond time and space. Imminent means God is present and working in all creation. (Jn 1:14; Col 1:17-18, Mt 28:20). God is here, sustaining all things as the Creator and ruling over all things as Lord.
In Luke 3:1 God speaks to John directly for the first time. Over hundreds of years, God had been silent, there had been no prophets. His silence did not necessarily mean that God was not there, but God was preparing for the right time.
As the Lord came to John, we can learn three things about God’s word in this account.
God’s word is genuine
Whenever the Bible says, it is accurate. This is the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy. The Chicago Statement, “We affirm that Scripture in its entirety is inerrant, being free from all falsehood, fraud or deceit.” God is the Creator and from the beginning, since Adam and Even God has been involved in history. Even secular history agrees with the Bible’s account of the history of nations, such as the reign of King Belshazzar (Dan 5:25-28,30-31), which involved God’s miracle and prophecy. Though written by human authors, the Bible is inspired by God, and completely accurate. The accuracy of the Bible is under attack, calling Adam and Eve a story and a myth, knowing that if the Bible is inaccurate in any way, then they can ultimately deny Jesus as the true Savior.
Luke, an exemplary scholar and physician, researched carefully to record the ‘exact truth’ of Jesus Christ. So the Bible can be trusted in the recording of history, but there’s more to it. Actually, Christianity and history cannot be separated. It is through God’s word that history even began (John 1:1-2). So when the word of God comes, history is being made. The Word of God came to John, not to record history, but to make history.
Another evidence for the accuracy of God’s word is the truth and wisdom in life. Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto with the intention of bringing happiness to people. Other’s believe wealth or fame can make them happy. It is abundantly clear that both communism and wealth fail and the Christian can easily attest that true joy is only found in Jesus Christ through the Bible.
God’s word reveals human nature
The word of God reveals the depressing facts about the human condition. The primary purpose of Scripture is to reveal Jesus Christ and His purpose of salvation through his death and resurrection to those who believe. Under this primary purpose, we also realize the fallen condition of man. Sin is the real pandemic. In Luke 3:1-2 we see powerful men, the elite of society. Emperor Tiberius ruled over a vast empire and was worshipped by his citizens. Yet their earthly status doesn’t change the fact that they are sinners. Every one of them died in there sins (Romans 6:23, Hebrews 9:27).
These rulers were also involved, directly and indirectly, in the crucifixion of Jesus. If we think about it, we are also involved in Jesus’ death because of our sin. In a way, these rulers reveal and represent us, saying we are sinners responsible for Jesus’ death.
Therefore, no other man can save us, because all are sinners. Only Jesus can save us (John 14:6). Why is Jesus the only way? Because Jesus is God and man. He is holy God unable to sin, incarnated as man to save us.
God’s word is living
The Word of God came to John the Baptist. God spoke to John, not to the other impressive people. In the past, the God would speak audible to the prophets but we believe that is no longer the case. Why? Because God speaks to us through the Word of God. The written Word is complete and living. The Bible is sufficient. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) The sufficiency of the Scriptures is proven by Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Jesus was not weak, he could have called armies of angels, yet He said two swords were enough. (Luke 22:38) This is to fulfill the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) Jesus did all things, as it is written, according to the Scriptures. To Jesus, the Bible is enough for every situation.
How can we hear the Word of God? How can we see God as alive in the Bible? When the word of God came, John the Baptist was in the wilderness. The wilderness is not a pleasant place but a harsh environment, where the Israelites in Exodus complained constantly. John was in the wilderness when the word of God came. John was devoted to God above all else (Matthew 10:37), dependent on God alone, and deserted his love of the world (1 John 2:15-16). Remember these three attitudes to hear God speak as you read the Bible every day.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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