The Bible: Is it Really Accurate and Reliable?
Is the Bible historically accurate? For a skeptic like me, this question demanded an answer. After all, I was being asked to base my entire life on a book written over 2,000 years ago. It is not like I could find eye witnesses to Jesus’ death and resurrection and ask them to give me an account of what they saw and heard and then compare notes. Somehow, I needed to determine whether the Bible was historically accurate and not just made-up stories. The only thing I had to rely on was what was written in the Bible, and I was not yet convinced that the Bible was a reliable source of truth. I needed to understand why so many people were convinced that the Bible was historically accurate and reliable. So I began searching and here is what I found: THE BIBLE, AN ANCIENT TEXT The Bible is an ancient, historical collection of books. The first book was written around 3,400 years ago and the last book around 1,900 years ago. Historians who study ancient texts like those written by Homer, Plato and Aristotle use certain criteria to determine their reliability. This same criteria can also be (and has been) applied to the Bible. There are three tests that historians commonly use to test the reliability and accuracy of ancient documents: 1. The bibliographical test2. The internal evidence test 3. The external evidence test When these tests are applied to the Bible, there is no doubt that the Bible is an accurate and historical document. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL TEST HAS THE BIBLE BEEN TRANSMITTED ACCURATELY? The bibliographical test helps one determine whether the Bible has been transmitted accurately. This test compares the date the original text was written to the date of the earliest copies found of that same text. The closer these two dates, the more reliable the copies. The New Testament was written between A.D. 50 and A.D. 100. So far, the earliest copy of the New Testament found is dated A.D 130. This means that there is less than 100 years between the original manuscript and the first copy that was found! Compare this to Plato, where the time span between the original and the first copy was 1,200 years and to Homer (Iliad) where there is a 500 year difference. Historians consider Plato and Homer to have been transmitted accurately. Using this same test, the accuracy of the Bible far exceeds the accuracy of these other ancient texts, a fact historians cannot deny. Dead Sea Scroll Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest copy of the Old Testament was dated around 90 A.D., which means there was a time gap of around 1,300 years between the first book written and the earliest copy discovered. This is about the same as Plato, who is considered reliable by an overwhelming majority of historians. In addition to the length of time between the original text and the earliest copy, Historians relied on how the Old Testament was transmitted to bolster its accuracy. The Old Testament was transcribed by Hebrew scribes who were bound to strict laws on how they transcribed the text, meaning mistakes in transmission were very unlikely. But until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, no one knew exactly how accurate these transcriptions were. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 in a cave in Qumran. The scrolls contained fragments of every book of the Bible except Esther and were dated anywhere between 250 B.C. and 50 A.D. The entire book of Isaiah, dated 75 B.C., was part of the Dead Sea discovery. This discovery closed the gap between the original text of Isaiah and the earliest copy found. In addition, when scholars compared the previous oldest copy of the book of Isaiah to the Dead Sea Isaiah, they found 95% consistency. Of the 5% variation, most variations involved omitted letters and misspellings. Scholars can confidently assert that the scribal process resulted in a very accurate transmission of the Old Testament. Another facet of the test involves the number of copies found. The more copies found, the more accurate the text is. Seven copies of Plato and 1,757 of Homer (the Iliad) have been found, whereas over 5,500 copies of the New Testament written in Greek have been found. When you add versions written in other languages to those written in Greek, there are over 24,000 copies of the New Testament. Even more impressive is that after comparing these copies, the New Testament was found to be 99.5% accurate! Only 40 lines of the New Testament are in doubt. Historians consider Plato and Homer reliable texts. The bibliographical test shows the Bible to be much more reliable than both Homer and Plato. If Homer and Plato’s authenticity has not been questioned, then why should we question the historical authenticity of the Bible? Internal Evidence Test ARE THE BIBLICAL AUTHORS CREDIBLE? The internal evidence test helps us determine whether the authors of the Bible are credible. An author’s credibility is directly related to their proximity to the reported events and the time between the event and their report. In the case of the New Testament, the authors were either eyewitnesses to the event or relaying the testimony of an eyewitness to the event. John, a disciple of Jesus, was an eyewitness to all he wrote in the Gospel of John. He said in John 21:24, “This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.” Other authors of the New Testament wrote based on eyewitness accounts. John Mark, the author of Mark, was Peter’s translator. Mark’s gospel records the teachings of Peter, who, as Jesus’s disciple, had first-hand knowledge of Jesus, his teachings, and his life. Another way to determine an author’s credibility is to examine whether he had any motivation to lie. Early Christians were persecuted and killed for proclaiming Jesus. Their enemies were numerous. Why would the New Testament authors risk their lives
What Is Biblical Faith? | Faith in the Unseen God
Biblical faith is more than intellectual belief. Discover how faith in the unseen God transforms the heart and leads us to trust His promises.
The Bible: Is It the Inspired Word of God?
No Ordinary Book The Bible is not just any ordinary book. Its message has caused people from all generations, all walks of life, and all nationalities to change the direction of their lives radically. Written words on their own do not have this kind of power. However, if the Bible is the inspired word of God, then its words have the weight and power to affect such profound change. In The Bible: Is It Really Accurate and Reliable?, we concluded that the Bible is truth and not fiction – that it is historically reliable and its authors are credible. For those reasons, we can look to the Bible to answer the question: Is the Bible the inspired Word of God? God Breathed The Bible was written by ordinary men with no extraordinary power or authority. The authors did not claim the words they wrote as their own, but rather attributed them to God. Paul, in 2nd Timothy 3:16 says that “All scripture is inspired by God.” Inspired comes from the Greek word theopneustos, which means God-breathed. Over and over again, both the Old and the New Testaments refer to Scripture as the Word of God. Prophecy In the Old Testament, God spoke through prophets like Moses and Jeremiah. God chose these prophets to communicate His message to the world. Jeremiah provides a great example of how prophets were chosen and used by God. Jeremiah 1:5-10 says: “The Lord said to me, ‘Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you…I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.’ I answered, ‘Oh, Lord God, I really do not know how to speak well enough for that’…The Lord said to me…’But go to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you…’ Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘I will most assuredly give you the words you are to speak for me. Know for certain that I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted.” The Old Testament is filled with prophecies relating to the rise and fall of nations and kingdoms. Prophecies in the Old Testament were written hundreds, if not thousands, of years before they came to pass. An example of an Old Testament prophecy relating to the fall of a nation is recorded in Ezekiel. Between 587 and 586 B.C. Ezekiel predicted that many nations would come against the city of Tyre and that eventually Nebuchadnezzar would destroy it. In Ezekiel 26:12, Ezekiel predicted that the stone, timber, and rubble of the ancient City of Tyre would be thrown into the sea. “They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea.” This prophecy came to pass when Alexander the Great attacked Tyre in 333-332 B.C. His armies threw the stones, timber and rubble of the City into the sea to make a land bridge. This bridge is still there. There are hundreds more prophecies recorded in the Old Testament that later came to pass. The accuracy of these prophecies is uncanny and the likelihood of them coming to pass is low, unless of course, they were given by God to the prophets supernaturally. In addition to prophets predicting the rise and fall of people and nations, the prophets predicted the coming of Jesus Christ. There are over 300 prophecies concerning Jesus. Some prophecies tell when he would be born, “A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes…” Daniel 9:24-25 his lineage, “When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” 2nd Samuel 12-16 that he would die and rise again. “I keep my eyes always on the Lord.With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;my body also will rest secure,because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life;you will fill me with joy in your presence,with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:8-11 Can One Man Fulfill All These Prophecies? What are the chances that one man would fulfill these prophecies? College students decided to conduct a scientific study to help answer this question. They used only 8 of the prophecies concerning Jesus. Upon completion of the study, they determined that the chance that one man would fulfill just 8 of these prophecies was 1 in 1017. I have trouble imagining that number, so I’m going to use the visualization that Peter Stoner, in his book Science Speaks, used:Imagine that we took 1017 silver dollars and laid them across the entire state of Texas. By the time we got done, they covered all of Texas
Rain
“Rain, rain go away come again another day”. I’d say most of us have heard or even sang those lyrics at some point in our lives. During a recent rain shower, that was pretty much my attitude, “rain go away!” I started to complain, “ugh rain!” or something to that effect and while I was in the middle of complaining, I had a nudge from the Holy Spirit, reminding me of the adage “April showers bring May flowers” and to be thankful for the rain. Would you laugh if I told you I’ve recently asked for rain? My husband and I put out two hundred pounds of grass seed and fertilizer. Not to mention planted a variety of flowers. All of which need rain. I enjoy flowers immensely. The different colors, shapes, smells, each bloom being beautiful and unique. I look at them as little treasures. And yet will still complain sometimes when I need to water them throughout the season, wishing ironically, it would rain. Let’s think about what rain does. It cleanses. It nourishes. It helps flowers bloom. It helps crops grow. It relieves drought. And much more… The Bible speaks of rain in various scriptures to help remind us, to not only be thankful for rain but to show us tangible ways rain is needed. Hebrews 6:7 “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God.” Isaiah 55:10 “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,” Zechariah 10:1 “Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.” Psalm 147:8 “Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.” Did certain words jump off the page for you like they did me? “Who provides?” “Bud, flourish?” What about Zechariah 10:1 when it says to ask the Lord for rain? Remember the adage mentioned, ‘April showers bring May flowers?’ The rain helps nourish the soil so the flowers bloom. The same way a rainy season may cleanse our hearts and help us let go of unforgiveness or when we sit silently for a moment, listening to the rainfall and hear the voice of God, or when the rainy season starts to clear and we see the same situation with a fresh perspective. When we find ourselves in a season of rain, let’s be encouraged that those seasons help us grow. Now, there’s the crux in the rainy season. It’s up to us what our attitude is while we’re waiting for the beauty of the bloom. We can complain about the rain or make the decision to keep an attitude of praise, knowing that God is intentional with every raindrop and that our bloom won’t happen without it. No rain, no flowers. Lord, I praise You for the rain and thank you for all it provides. When I find myself in a rainy season may I trust that there is a purpose. You alone create the beauty of the bloom within our hearts and lives, and it is worth it. Hallelujah grace like rain! May this be a constant praise of my mouth and heart. In Jesus’ Name. Amen This week’s playlist: Grace Like Rain Todd Agnew Fresh Chance River Valley Worship Clean Natalie Grant
Faith: What Is It, Really?
Faith. That word is tossed around a lot. We are told to “have faith,” “take a leap of faith,” and that “faith is blind.” Some people think that faith is simply believing in someone or something. That is true, but faith is so much more than that. So what is faith, really? Faith is difficult to fully capture in human language. Faith is supernatural. Only faith can explain faith. When you have faith, you know that you know that you know. Clear as mud, right? The writer of Hebrews, moved by the Holy Spirit, described faith like this: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 ESV To better understand this verse, let’s break it down by looking at the words in their original language, Greek. Faith Faith is the Greek word “pistis” and means confident trust. The root word of faith is peithô, which means to persuade, to be persuaded, to come to trust. Assurance Assurance is the Greek word “hupostasis” and can mean a foundation on which you can be assured of something, a guarantee of a promise. Hope Hope is the Greek word “elpis” and means actively waiting for the fulfillment of a promise or expectation. Conviction Conviction is the Greek word “elegchos” and means proof that persuades and brings confidence that you will receive the things you hope for. From these root meanings, we can conclude two things about faith: Faith gives confidence in God’s promises; and Faith persuades us and gives us confidence, allowing us to live with confidence in realities we cannot yet see. I like how the International Standard Version puts it: “Now faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about and the certainty that what we cannot see exists.” ISV Faith is Not Blind Believing without seeing is challenging, especially in a culture where people are conditioned to believe that if you can’t see it, touch it, taste it, or hear it, you can’t be sure it exists. They think faith is foolish and leads people to believe in things that are unreasonable or don’t exist. They say faith is blind. But that’s not the case. Recently, I heard an analogy that helped explain what faith is and is not: Imagine the following: A stranger, or at least someone you have no reason to trust, takes you to a swimming pool blindfolded. This person leads you into the pool area to the high dive ladder and tells you to climb up. You climb up. Then they ask you to “have faith” and take a leap off the high dive. If you jump, that is not faith; that is downright foolishness. Why? Because you have no idea what you are leaping into – maybe there is, maybe there isn’t water in the pool, you just don’t know. You have no foundation for trusting that there is water in the pool. BUT, if someone you trust, someone you know and can rely on, tells you there is water in the pool, leads you to the high dive ladder, tells you to climb up and jump, and you do, that is faith. Although you can’t see the water, you don’t have to wonder whether there is water; you are certain of it. You have a foundation for trusting that there is water in the pool. You have the word of the person you trust, know, and rely on. You jumped because you knew there was water in the pool. This is faith. Faith is not irrational; it is grounded in the character and promises of God. It is not blind or just a shot in the dark. Faith is not trusting in something uncertain or unreliable simply because it cannot be seen. Faith Comes from Hearing Ok, we have established that faith is based on knowledge, but where do we get this knowledge that helps us have faith? The Apostle Paul in Romans 10:17 tells us that “…faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Faith comes through God’s Word! Faith has a foundation, and that is the WORD OF GOD. The more we hear or read His Word, the more we have faith in the author, God HIMSELF! God’s Word is filled with His promises, including the promises God made to Abraham, whom we call the “Father of Faith.” ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD Faith is not just believing in God but believing God. Abraham believed God. Believing means trusting in, relying on, and having faith in someone or something. Oh, how Abraham trusted in, relied on, and had faith in God. He was one of the heroes of faith that “won God’s approval” through his faith. Hebrews 11:2 HCSB Most of us have heard the story about Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22). This story is difficult, no doubt. But as you read it, remember that before God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Abraham had walked with God for a long time. Through smaller tests, God had stretched and grown Abraham’s faith. Sometimes Abraham’s faith failed, and he made a mess of things. He was human just like you and me. The writer of Hebrews describes Abraham’s act of faith like this: “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac even though God had told him ‘Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Hebrews 11:17-18 Abraham offered up his son as a sacrifice. Many people think Abraham acted foolishly, that his faith was blind, causing him to believe something he couldn’t be sure of. They think Abraham blindly leaped off that high dive without having any way of knowing there was water. They are wrong. Hebrews 11:19 says this about Abraham’s decision to offer Isaac as a sacrifice: “Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life
Promises: God the Ultimate Promise Maker & Keeper
When my kids were little, I used to say “pinky promise” to them as a way of noting I was sincere and serious in making the promise. I spoke to my now-adult son and asked him if he remembered this gesture and what it meant to him when I did it. He said, “I knew you were serious and would keep your promise.” Have you ever found yourself wanting a “pinky promise” from God? That little extra assurance that He means his promises and will keep them. Sometimes we desire this despite his perfect record of promise-keeping. Let’s look at just a few examples in God’s track record, starting with the Old Testament. God promised to bless Abraham and, through his descendants, the whole world (Genesis 12:2–3). This promise, called the Abrahamic Covenant, pointed to the coming Messiah for whom Abraham looked (John 8:56). God promised that if we search for Him we will find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). God promised that His love will never fail (1 Chronicles 16:34). He is faithful in every way. The New Testament continues to highlight God’s perfect record in promise-keeping. God promised to finish the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6). God does nothing in half measures. He started the work in us, and He will be sure to complete it. God promised new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) God promised peace when we pray (Philippians 4:6–7) These are just a small measure of the hundreds of promises God makes and keeps. I’m thankful for how my son remembers the pinky promise gesture and what it meant to him at the time. I wish I could say with absolute certainty that I had a perfect promise-keeping track record with him and his sister, but truthfully, that’s not the case. That’s the beauty and comfort of God being the ultimate Promise Keeper because it’s in part how we know He is faithful and trustworthy and has no need to “pinky promise” because he has a flawless record, we know God is sincere and serious with all his promises. Lord, thank you for being the ultimate promise maker and keeper. May the words of my mouth and beat of my heart be to praise You for every promise you have given and kept. Help me be a promise keeper like you. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen. This week’s playlist- Kim Walker-Smith – Hurry (Official Live Video) – YouTube Reason To Praise (Lyric Video) – Cory Asbury feat. Naomi Raine – YouTube Your Love Never Fails – Chris Quilala / Jesus Culture – Jesus Culture Music – YouTube