1 Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis is the tallest mountain in Great Britain. It is often referred to as the gateway to the Scottish Highlands. In Gaelic, the name probably means venomous, which word would well describe its rough terrain, twisting trails and sheer cliffs. The mountains rugged beauty draws hikers to it like iron to a magnet.

Recently, a British magazine entitled Hiking featured an article about Ben Nevis in which they gave specific directions on how to descend from its summit. As the directions were originally written they were capable of guiding hikers safely down the mount. They would have been particularly invaluable to someone struggling in foul weather.

However to make room in the magazine for advertising, critical parts of the directions were edited out to save space. The directions as printed were deadly in error. Instead of leading unsuspecting hikers to safety, anyone following them would be guided to step off a cliff and fall thousands of feet to certain death.

Mountains because of their great height demand our respect. If you are going hiking in the mountains you want directions that are dependable because being in error can cost your life.

The Bible is Gods great text of directions for mankind. In its inspired pages we can find all we need to set us on the path that will lead to eternal life. We can safely depend on all of it, Every word of God is pure, He is a shield to those who put their trust in him. (Prov.30.5)

Ben Nevis 2

However, a very real danger is that men in the pride of their hearts set themselves up to be judges of what really belongs in Gods Word. Instead of submitting to it the way God wants them to, they often decide what parts of it are worthwhile, often ignoring the rest.

Miracles, the deity of Christ, and redemption through blood are all parts of it that many people have, as it were, deleted from the Bible. But each of these truths are so critically important that the way of salvation is utterly lost without them.

Lets look at each of these three truths for a moment and consider why they are so important to get right.

Miracles are supernatural occurrences that do not follow the normal course of events. The existence of miracles proves the existence of God who cares for mankind and is ready to act in this world. The grand miracle of the Bible is the resurrection of Christ. In the normal course of events when a man died he stayed that way. However when the Lord Jesus died he remained dead in the grave for three days before by the power of God he rose again. His resurrection means everything to the believer because as it says of the Lord Jesus in Romans, Who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification. (Rom 4.25)

In his death he bare the punishment for the sins of those who would trust in him. To show that those sins which God placed on the Lord Jesus are gone forever, God raised him from the dead. What is the living proof that believers are justified and cleared from all their guilt? It is the Lord Jesus Christ risen from the dead. God now sees every believer in him, and in some future moment all those who died in faith will rise out of their graves in like manner to meet their Savior.

The salvation of every soul depends on their acceptance of this, the greatest miracle of all, the resurrection of Christ, If thou shalt confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved. (Rom 10.9) If you have not yet believed on the Lord Jesus and his resurrection from the dead wont you do so today. Dont let anyone or anything talk you out of giving this precious truth the importance it deserves.