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APPLICATION TO LIFE TODAY The extent of agreement across Christian traditions is a testimony to God's trustworthiness (Ps. 19:7) and reliability in guiding His followers into all truth (John 16:13). But what of Scripture's relevancy? Does it still have something to say to humanity in the age of social media and the 24- hour news cycle? If the Bible is indeed God's word, then it continues speaking to His people in all eras. As part of His redemptive plan, God chose to reveal Himself to specific people, in specific places, at specific times. God did not provide us with a disembodied list of propositions or statements about what to believe and how to respond in obedience to Him. God revealed Himself through His mighty acts in history. By gathering these inspired books into what we call the Old and New Testament canon, the early church indicated that they had enduring value. Today we must do the hard work of interpreting these documents in their original historical, cultural, linguistic contexts (as best we can) to determine what God was saying to His people when they were written. 3 Only then can we ask how their messages apply to God's people today. But what of Scripture's relevancy? Does it still have something to say to humanity in the age of social media and the 24-hour news cycle? If the Bible is indeed God's word, then it continues speaking to His people in all eras. The Bible is not just a historical artifact that we preserve in a glass case to treasure from afar. If the Bible is indeed God's word, His revelation of Himself to us, then we stand under its authority. Scripture confronts us with the living God and His Son, Jesus Christ. It divulges God's will and purposes for His people and affirms its claims over us (2 Tim. 3:17). Our entire lives must come under its authority. In a culture challenging traditional views of just about everything, we must constantly reaffirm our commitment to live under the authority of Scripture. That commitment demands careful study and responsible interpretation of the Bible. At the end of the day, our concerns should not be limited to our positions on issues such as inspiration, inerrancy, and the infallibility of Scripture. Ultimately we must ask ourselves, Do we trust the Bible as nothing less than God's word? Do we conform our lives to it and follow Jesus in unqualified obedience? Or do we reveal our mistrust of Scripture by confessing its absolute authority and then refusing to obey it? God's word is living and active (Heb. 4:12)—are we being transformed by its life-giving power? David Mathewson, PhD ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF NEW TESTAMENT Dr. Mathewson has taught at Denver Seminary since 2011. His main areas of academic interest are the book of Revelation, Greek and linguistics, and biblical theology. He and his wife, Joyce, are members of Aspen Ridge Church in Evergreen, Colorado, where he frequently teaches and preaches. He has written two books and several chapters in books and articles for academic journals, and is contributing the volume on Revelation to Baylor's Handbook on the Greek Text. 14 FALL 2014 3 Andreas Kostenberger and Richard D. Patterson, Invitation to Biblical Interpretation: Exploring the Hermeneutical Triad of History, Literary, and Theology (Kregel Academics, 2011). Janka Dharmasena/iStock