The Word That Would Not Bend

In 1881, B.B. Warfield arrived at Princeton Seminary carrying a conviction that would define his life's work: every syllable of Scripture is God-breathed, wholly without error, and entirely sufficient. Critics called this position naive. The academy pressured him to concede. Warfield did not flinch. He understood something his opponents missed — that the authority of God's Word is not a doctrine we defend out of stubbornness but the very ground on which every other truth stands.

Joshua faced a similar moment. Moses was dead. The wilderness generation had perished. An entire nation looked to him for direction, and ahead lay fortified cities filled with warriors. God did not offer Joshua a strategy session or a motivational speech. He issued a command grounded in propositional truth: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9, ESV).

Notice the structure of this text. God does not say, "Try to feel brave." He declares an objective reality — His commanding presence — and then draws the imperative from that indicative. Courage in Scripture is never subjective sentiment. It is the rational response to an inerrant promise from an omnipotent God.

When the ground shakes beneath your feet, you do not need a feeling. You need a Word that cannot fail. The same God who spoke Joshua across the Jordan has spoken to you in sixty-six books of flawless revelation. Stand on what He has said. It will hold.