How do we know the Bible is reliable?
Last week I offered a few suggestions as to how we can know that God really exists. When it comes down to it, we can only really know that He exists if He talks to us. Because God is infinite and we are finite, without Him revealing something of Himself we would be in the dark forever.
Fortunately God has spoken. He didn’t just create us and then leave us in the dark about who He is and what He is like. God has revealed Himself through different men, at different times, in different ways throughout the course of human history. These self-revelations of God were first passed down through detailed oral tradition, and ultimately written down in the Bible that we have today.
The Bible is a compilation of 66 separate writings. It’s split into two general sections. The Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament chronicles the entire course of human history from the creation all the way to about 400 b.c.. In the Old Testament we see the fall of man, God establishing the law and the sacrificial system to deal with sin, and God promising to send someone to deal with the curse of sin once and for all.
In the New Testament we see the fulfillment of that promise. We read about the birth of Jesus Christ, who was the son of God. Jesus Christ came and offered Himself as the final and fullest sacrifice. Because He was fully God and fully man Jesus was uniquely qualified to pay the penalty of sin that humanity had incurred. The New Testament describes the birth and growth of Christianity.
How do we know that it is reliable? How do we know that these stories are true? How do we know that the Bible isn’t just a man-made creation? There have been a number of great books written on this subject. Due to the limited space here, I’m simply going to summarize four of the most common arguments.
#1- The Bible is trustworthy because of the thousands of accurate prophecies it contains.
The Bible is a book of prophecy. It is a book where God speaks to man and tells him what will happen. In the Bible God proves that He truly is God by His ability to know the future. Many details concerning the Jewish people were told by God hundreds of years before they happened, the coming of Jesus was told in advance, the details of His life were prophesied, and there is even a glimpse into the future return of Jesus.
No other religious book makes the same claims that the Bible makes, and no other book is as consistently accurate as the Bible.
#2- The Bible’s reliability is seen in its remarkable consistent.
For a book that was written by over 40 people, over the course of 2000years, the Bible is internally coherent. The message, meaning, and purpose of the Bible do not change from book to book, or from section to section. The Bible is able to achieve a level of internal consistency unlike any other religious writing. The Old Testament jives with the New Testament. The story remains the same.
#3- The accuracy of the Bible is supported by significant historical evidence.
This is an important one. The Bible is not just a religious book, it is also a history book. It chronicles the history of the Jewish people as they came into contact with Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, and many other cultures. So we not only have the account of the Jewish people from the Bible, but we also have written records and accounts from these others civilizations.
So far historical research and archeology have served to confirm the accuracy of the Bible. The Bible’s accuracy as a history book helps us see that the claims that it makes about itself can be trusted. The Bible wasn’t just written by some dude in his garage in the middle ages.
#4- The Bible is self-authenticating.
The Bible is true, and accurate, and really from God, because it says it is. I know, this is circular reasoning, but it is very important that the Bible make the same kind of claims about itself that Christians do. If Christians think the Bible is the Word of God, but the Bible doesn’t have anything to say on that subject, that would put us in a tough spot. Often myths or traditions will form around a religious writing that extends far beyond the intent of the writing.
This is not the case with the Bible. Christians believe it is the word of God because it says it is the word of God, not because of some evolved tradition. Here are just few of the biblical passages that confirm its divine origin:
2 Peter 1:20 - 2:1 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
We can know God because God has made Himself know through the Bible. The truth and the power of the Bible are ultimately found when you read it for yourself. Don’t take my word for it. If you would like a free copy of the Bible so you can check it out for yourself, just send me an E-mail and I’ll get you a copy.
Next week- What’s the difference between a Catholic, a Christian, and a Mormon?
Last week I offered a few suggestions as to how we can know that God really exists. When it comes down to it, we can only really know that He exists if He talks to us. Because God is infinite and we are finite, without Him revealing something of Himself we would be in the dark forever.
Fortunately God has spoken. He didn’t just create us and then leave us in the dark about who He is and what He is like. God has revealed Himself through different men, at different times, in different ways throughout the course of human history. These self-revelations of God were first passed down through detailed oral tradition, and ultimately written down in the Bible that we have today.
The Bible is a compilation of 66 separate writings. It’s split into two general sections. The Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament chronicles the entire course of human history from the creation all the way to about 400 b.c.. In the Old Testament we see the fall of man, God establishing the law and the sacrificial system to deal with sin, and God promising to send someone to deal with the curse of sin once and for all.
In the New Testament we see the fulfillment of that promise. We read about the birth of Jesus Christ, who was the son of God. Jesus Christ came and offered Himself as the final and fullest sacrifice. Because He was fully God and fully man Jesus was uniquely qualified to pay the penalty of sin that humanity had incurred. The New Testament describes the birth and growth of Christianity.
How do we know that it is reliable? How do we know that these stories are true? How do we know that the Bible isn’t just a man-made creation? There have been a number of great books written on this subject. Due to the limited space here, I’m simply going to summarize four of the most common arguments.
#1- The Bible is trustworthy because of the thousands of accurate prophecies it contains.
The Bible is a book of prophecy. It is a book where God speaks to man and tells him what will happen. In the Bible God proves that He truly is God by His ability to know the future. Many details concerning the Jewish people were told by God hundreds of years before they happened, the coming of Jesus was told in advance, the details of His life were prophesied, and there is even a glimpse into the future return of Jesus.
No other religious book makes the same claims that the Bible makes, and no other book is as consistently accurate as the Bible.
#2- The Bible’s reliability is seen in its remarkable consistent.
For a book that was written by over 40 people, over the course of 2000years, the Bible is internally coherent. The message, meaning, and purpose of the Bible do not change from book to book, or from section to section. The Bible is able to achieve a level of internal consistency unlike any other religious writing. The Old Testament jives with the New Testament. The story remains the same.
#3- The accuracy of the Bible is supported by significant historical evidence.
This is an important one. The Bible is not just a religious book, it is also a history book. It chronicles the history of the Jewish people as they came into contact with Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, and many other cultures. So we not only have the account of the Jewish people from the Bible, but we also have written records and accounts from these others civilizations.
So far historical research and archeology have served to confirm the accuracy of the Bible. The Bible’s accuracy as a history book helps us see that the claims that it makes about itself can be trusted. The Bible wasn’t just written by some dude in his garage in the middle ages.
#4- The Bible is self-authenticating.
The Bible is true, and accurate, and really from God, because it says it is. I know, this is circular reasoning, but it is very important that the Bible make the same kind of claims about itself that Christians do. If Christians think the Bible is the Word of God, but the Bible doesn’t have anything to say on that subject, that would put us in a tough spot. Often myths or traditions will form around a religious writing that extends far beyond the intent of the writing.
This is not the case with the Bible. Christians believe it is the word of God because it says it is the word of God, not because of some evolved tradition. Here are just few of the biblical passages that confirm its divine origin:
2 Peter 1:20 - 2:1 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
We can know God because God has made Himself know through the Bible. The truth and the power of the Bible are ultimately found when you read it for yourself. Don’t take my word for it. If you would like a free copy of the Bible so you can check it out for yourself, just send me an E-mail and I’ll get you a copy.
Next week- What’s the difference between a Catholic, a Christian, and a Mormon?
2 comments:
I kinda have been expecting this in a way...
But I reali dun think da world is going to end...start a new era maybe but the world is not ending.
That's not gonna happen till a thousand years later! Ok, I'm not sure bout that either but that's not the point! The world's not gonna end! Full stop!
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Damn I was going to buy a new Hummer in late 2012 and drive around the country for a vacation, Now I am going to have to shave my head and join the Hari.s, Muslims, Jews, Jehovah s, Mormons, Christians, and a few other wing nut groups just to cover all my bases.
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