The Bible
Is it trustworthy?
This week's sermon at Church was about the trustworthiness of the Bible. I have been thinking about this quite a lot lately because I've been reading The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.
The more I think, read, hear and discuss the more I am convinced of what I already know: The Bible is a trustworthy document and it is inspired by God.
Why am I convinced?
Well, first, because Historical evidence can find nothing that disproves any of what is written in the Bible, in fact quite the contrary, archeological findings and other historical documents from around the time the New Testament was written support the Bible as fact, and in many cases down to the minute details.
Secondly, the Bible itself, though its primary aim was not to be a history book, shows itself to be more reliable than any other historical manuscript which we accept as historically accurate.
Take Plato for instance. Most people have heard of Plato even if they have not read his writings. He lived and wrote around 400 B.C. The oldest copy of his work dates from 900 A.D. which is a 1300 year gap after the original. Secondly only about 7 copies exist from this early period. The Annals of Tacitus were written between 55-120 A.D. and the earliest copy in existence was copied around 1100 A.D. which yeilds a gap of 1000 years. There are, more or less, 20 ancient copies of his work.
Most ancient writings have similar figures—anywhere from a 750-1500 year gap between the life of the author and the nearest copy and usually only 5-20 copies of the oldest manuscripts.
Now let's compare these to the Bible. The New Testament which records the life of Christ, was written between 50 and 90 A.D. Fragments of the New Testament writings exist from as early as 114 A.D., entire books from 200 A.D., near complete New Testaments from 250 A.D., and copies of the entire New Testament from 350 A.D. This gap of time is only from 30 to 225 years. But the remarkable thing is that we have over 5,300 copies of these ancient manuscripts. Comparing these ancient manuscripts with our translations today we discover that the Bible is 99.9% accurate. The .1% discrepancies are variations in spelling, grammar, or word order.
Thirdly, I know that the Bible was written by over 40 different people from vastly different backgrounds, in 3 different continents, 3 different languages, 13 different countries and across a timespan of many centuries. What would you get if you joined 66 books written by different people from different places, cultures, backgroudns, times? Chaos that's what. And yet the Bible has the same recurring message throughout, the whole thing points to it: God created man, man sinned, God wanted to offer him the chance to be forgiven. Yes even Song of Songs is about this!! Song of Songs is about the perfect marriage - a picture of the risen Christ and his Church. It is also a celebration of a very human activity, created by God, holy and pure sexuality and love.
Fourthly, I know that God cannot lie and I know that God inspired the Bible. Go figure. How do I know He cannot lie? Well because although I don't know him inside out by any means, I know enough about Him to know that He is perfect, and I know that lying is a sin, and therefore God cannot do it. Reading the Bible teaches me of the nature of God, and through this I can see that He never lies, and He never breaks His promises.
Then there's the amazing accuracy of the prophecies about the Messiah, and how Jesus fulfills them to the letter. Yes, true, the "sky going dark" at the time of the crucifiction could well have been an eclipse, but really, could Jesus have made that happen at just the right moment in order to fullfill the scriptures? Could Jesus have ensured that the Romans put on him a crown of thorns, or that they cast lots for His clothes? I love this page on Bible Prophecies and I suggest you have a read of it if you are interested.
A final thing (though there is more) that sways me and makes me believe so firmly that the foundation of my faith (the Word of God) is not only trustworthy, but LIVING and ACTIVE, is that it speaks to me today. It speaks to me in ways that a little voice in my head cannot, and there I find not only a guide for living, but words tha speak into specific situations in my life. No, I'm not saying it has all the answers, but it always points to THE ANSWER, God himself.
There is a quote I love in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, which is all about Christmas, but I am convinced, is equally applicable to the Bible, and so here it is (with appropriate alterations) as my closing statement to this entry...
But I am sure I have always thought of the Bible, -- apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that -- as a good thing; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant thing: the only book I know of, of all the books in the world, that inspires men and women by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!
Starberri.