Is the Bible outdated and irrelevant?
This question raises another, more important question, "is God relevant today?" Why, you may ask why would I say that? Well, since the bible is the revelation of God to His creation, humankind, then it is a reality to ask the question.
What the answer rest upon is the question each of us has to answer in our own lives, "do I believe the Bible?" If what the Bible has to say about the world, our salvation, our actions and the consequences of those actions, means nothing to us, then the Bible has no relevance today. However, the opposite is also true, if what the Bible says about all these things means something to you then the Bible is relevant today. The Bible speaks to us about sin and the consequences of the sin nature, about the world and our response to it, and about the how the world system will end, therefore for the Christian the bible is not just relevant today but a source of nourishment for our soul.
Therefore, the first step in seeking an answer is to find out what God says about His word, the Bible. This is Gods word to His creation, explaining why He created us, how we fell from His fellowship, and the plan He had in place for our salvation. If the Bible is outdated then how does the message about salvation go forth unto a lost and dying world?
To begin we can go to the book of Genesis chapter one, "In the beginning God," we find the beginning of all things, the Creator. If we have a Creator then we as the created have to answer to Him. God created us for fellowship with Him, and we broke that fellowship through sin, yet God had already set forth a plan for our salvation. Move to the last book of the Bible, "Revelation." Here we find the end of time, as we know it. Jesus says He is the Alfa and Omega the beginning and the end. This book reveals the last seven years of this time, going into the thousand-year reign of Jesus.
This is the revelation of our beginning and if we are washed in the blood shed at Calvary, where we are destined. However, to under-stand why this book is still valid for today we need to study the books between the beginning and the end. Here one can find the way to salvation, the way to God, the only way to God as stated by Jesus in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life and no man comes to the Father but by me." If the Bible where not valid today then how could the lost hear and turn to Jesus for salvation?
Another factor to be considered are the thousands of prophecies about Jesus, which have happened exactly as, prophesied. There are those about Israel being scattered throughout the world and being brought back to there land in Israel which occurred precisely as stated. Then you have all the ones about the end times, which are happening today. If one will take the time and effort to study the Bible one can see the world with Israel and her enemies bringing the world to the brink of war, exactly as stated in the Old Testament books of Isaiah, Ezekiel and the book of Revelation.
Therefore, I ask how can a book, which has so much history, prophecy that has been fulfilled, along with the fulfilling of prophecy today, the path of salvation, which is the blood of Christ covering a multitude of sins, not be relevant today. The only way to dismiss this book, which covers all of the above is to have a spirit which says, "I will live my life my way and refuse to answer to God." They may not believe in God, but God still loves them and is calling to them to come to the cross and receive the salvation that was purchased by Jesus. Now it is up to the person to choose life or death.