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[ Is the Bible Really God's Word? | Is
God Really Good? | What
is Worship? - The Juggler | Is
Jesus really God? ] Is the Bible Really God's Word? Throughout history people have wondered at the expanse of the skies, and universe in which we live. We have been astounded at the incredible number of stars that are visible on a clear, dark night. Are there hundreds or thousands? We know today that there are billions of stars in billions of galaxies! That knowledge alone could make us feel lonely. Our cure for the loneliness we feel rests in relationships. When first born, it is the family that brings warmth, security and love. Later in life we strike friendships. These can be fragile, and their demise brings hurt and a certain amount of anxiety. We sometimes try to fill the void of broken relationships with things. Veggie-tales, a wonderful & whimsical series of video productions, pictures various walking and talking vegetables finding fulfillment at the local "Stuffmart." We, too, look to things- cars, houses, stereos, etc. to replace the personal relationships that have crashed. Most of the time these things don't provide lasting bandages, and our restless search continues. Pascal, a great mathematician and hydrologist of the past, said that we humans have a vacuum in our hearts that can only be filled by a relationship with Jesus Christ. The Bible also declares that we are made for this relationship. Furthermore, the Bible claims to tell us how this relationship can come about. So, it is critical to explore why many think the Bible is really God's Word. The Bible was written over 1500 years by 40 different authors. The writers lived in many different locations such as Rome, Corinth, Egypt and Babylon. They wrote when they were filled with joy, or even deep in depression which reflected times of sorrow and frustration, challenge and victory. Even though written over so many years by so many different authors, it pursues a constant and unrelenting theme. God wants a relationship with humans that he has created. The thread of this purpose has been woven into the great stories which many have heard since childhood. Its metaphors and allegories contain illustrations of God's efforts to secure our attention. For these reasons, the Bible has been hailed variously as great literature and providing moral and ethical guidance. It has survived countless orders by several nations to be destroyed, yet today is the most published book in the world. All of this establishes the Bible as unique, but does not really answer the question, "Is it true?" The Bible is indeed a great portrayal of lives under pressure and as some have said, reflects the "wisdom of the ages." Tributes to the Bible are good but could be meaningless unless it's content can truly change people's lives. Carl F. H. Henryis a long regarded authority on the Bible. He has written 36 books, and numerous articles for many magazines. He holds both a Ph. D. & Th. D. and served as founding editor of "Christianity Today." He writes in the 1993 February Decision Magazine:
There are millions of Christians that would agree with Henry's statement, and it is true that the Bible itself speaks of it's divine origin. But many would also ask whether there is some objective information which we can see, in addition to other people's experience. Jesus himself spoke of the Old Testament as authoritative, even in the tiniest details (Do you have a Bible at your home? Read for instance, Matthew 5:17-18, John 14:26). Can we establish that the Bible faithfully recorded Jesus' life, miracles and words? If that is possible, then, we are faced with authoritative statements that detail God's efforts on our behalf. We may also have definite opinion on it's source. We believe that this is possible. Let's look first at some details that spell out the Bible as incredibly unique, i.e. different from all others, yet applicable to our life situations. There are 66 books in the Bible. Our claim is that all were written by human authors guided by God. The term used is: "God-breathed" or inspired. (Each author has a personality that comes through in their writing.) If the writers were inspired by God, we could assume that they would give good advice, even in scientific arenas or statements of geographic concern. For instance, a person with a medical background, training in chemistry and biology and terms reflective of the sciences in general can spot many places of accurate knowledge in Scripture centuries before it became apparent to more modern scientists not acquainted with the Bible. The Hebrew people were instructed to wash after handling the dead, a practice not encouraged until Doctors like Lister came along in the 19th century and struck out against diseases such as childbed fever (the cause of death in hundreds of women brought to hospitals for delivery of their children.) They were taught not to touch people with various skin diseases, and when they did they went through a process of cleansing. There were some foods that were to be avoided which today we understand carry parasite larvae that can only be destroyed with proper cooking techniques. We know some of these diseases as communicable today. There are other examples of the Bible's instruction before our scientists figured out the rational behind the procedures. Many are listed in the Older Testament book of Leviticus. In a few weeks, return to this site, as we will add some of these for your reading. Archaeology also attests to the historic reliability of the Bible. Where the Bible indicates a city or town, archaeologists have often found the remnants. The Bible insisted that people had complicated language, writing skills, and rules of law long before many thought possible. Subsequent discoveries in the secular arena of the Code of Hammurabi (written between 2000-1700B.C.) and the Ras Shamra Tablets (about 1400 B.C.) establish that the Bible was accurate in these statements. Some portions of the Bible have been discovered that are much older than other finds. They read substantially the same as today's accounts. The content has not changed substantially since the originals were written. Some of these accounts (such as the prophecies of Daniel) recorded prophecies that were so accurate that critics thought they had been written "after-the-fact", that is, after the event actually took place. Because of the discovery of the older portions (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls recovered at Qumran), and modern linguistic comparisons with other books such as the Septuagint, we now know that they were written (sometimes 100's of years) before the events happened. The Bible agrees with itself, presenting a coherent, non-contradictory view of life that reasonable women and men have applied for thousands of years. Apparent contradictions fall by the way as they are studied within the context of language and with appropriate tools of evaluation. The Bible has one master plot which is woven through page after page. It is the story of God's intense interest in us. Christ (Greek for Messiah) is the central focus of this story. The Older Testament lists hundreds of prophecies about the coming of Jesus Christ as the one who can bring us into this relationship It pictures him as Savior of all mankind. The propecies of the Old Testament find their fulfillment on page after page within the New Testament. The specifics of these prophecies are astounding, and with typical Hebrew style are fulfilled to the letter. (Hebrew prophets were killed if they forecast in error!). If you wish, you can purchase a copy of Josh McDowell's book, "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" or "A Ready Defense" (both from Here's Life Publishers) and review much of this information in detail for yourself. Look to this site for more on this subject in later weeks. Clark Pinnock, Professor of Interpretations at McMasters University in Toronto has said, "There exists no document from the ancient world witnessed by so excellent a set of textual and historical testimonies, and offering so superb array of historical data on which the intelligent decision may be made. An honest (person) cannot dismiss a source of this kind. Skepticism regarding the historical credentials of Christianity is based upon an irrational bias." What will you do with the Bible? If true, can you afford to lay it aside without evaluation?
[ Is the Bible Really God's Word? | Is
God Really Good? | What
is Worship? - The Juggler | Is
Jesus really God? ]
mm@mountainministries.org
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