"A copy of the Bible translated from Greek to German by religious reformer Martin Luther in 1521 lies open to the New Testament in a dimly lit room in Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Germany. Luther lived incognito at the castle for nearly a year after he was declared an outlaw by the Roman emperor for refusing to recant his Reformation writings." Picture Credit. “Over 2,000 times in the Old Testament alone, the Bible asserts that God spoke what is written within its pages. From the beginning (Gen. 1:3) to the end (Mal. 4:3) and continually throughout, this is what Scripture claims[i].” Psalms 12:6-7 says, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” Thus, God’s Word is inerrant—“inerrable: not liable to error[ii].”
Although we cannot expect the world to rightly judge spiritual matters or the Bible (I Corinthians 2:14-16), an equitable analysis and reconciliation of Scripture will fail at finding doctrinal error. When a bishop studied 581 Hebrew Old Testament manuscripts containing 280,000,000 letters, he found 900,000 differences, or 1/3 of one percent. “Of those 900,000 variants, 750,000 pertain to spelling…this has to do with vowel points for the purpose of pronunciation which were supposedly added c. AD 600 by…scribes….Thus we are left with only 150,000 variants in 280,000,000 letters or only one variant in 1580 letters, a degree of accuracy of .0006…Most of those variants are found in only a few manuscripts; in fact, most are from just one corrupted copy[iii].”
Thousands of verses invoke the name of God as the source and author for Scripture. “Psalms 19 and 119, plus Proverbs 30:5-6, make powerful statements about God’s Word which set it apart from any other religious instruction ever known in the history of mankind. These passages make the case for the Bible being called “sacred” (2 Tim. 3:15) and “holy” (Rom. 1:2)[iv].” The fact is that God’s name is irrevocably linked to the Bible, as John 1:1 states it unequivocally: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Additionally, God gives His Character to back the authorship of Scripture. “The sacred book which we read, study, obey, and preach deserves to unreservedly be called The Bible or ‘The Book without peer,’ since its author is God and it bears the qualities of total truth and complete trustworthiness as also characterizes its divine source[v].” Because God is perfect, holy, righteous, just, truthful, trustworthy, and omniscient, His Word will be the same. Thus, since He has put His name on Scripture, one can expect it to meet all the criteria of His character. It only makes sense to question a written document “if you don’t have corroboration or there is internal inconsistency[vi].” However, the Bible is well-corroborated, with over forty authors contributing to its pages over a span of 1600 years, across three continents, and in three different languages. Only God Himself and His dependable Character could keep such a diverse collection consistent, and He does!
God also authenticates the authorship of Scripture through His sovereignty. “The Scripture has authority because God has all authority…. God is the basis for the Bible’s authority[vii].” Psalms 22 is only one example of the sovereignty of God in fulfilling Scripture. Written a millennium before the events it describes, about something the author knew nothing about because crucifixion had not yet been invented, this chapter still manages to be an exact description of the events surrounding Christ’s death. Scripture’s track record is excellent, with 2000 prophecies of the 2500 given already fulfilled, and the remaining 500 pertaining to the end times. In fact, “the odds for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than one in 102000 (that is 1 with 2000 zeros written after it)[viii]!
When it comes right down to it, “the Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report to us supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin[ix].” A person who rejects the Bible as God’s Word should understand the claims of Scripture, the character of Scripture as it parallels the character of God, and the authority and fulfillment of Scripture.
When weak minds succumb to the preying philosophies of the world which challenge the accuracy of the Scripture, they have lost the entire foundation upon which their faith is based. They have denied the words of Scripture which clearly states, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever (Isaiah 40:8).” By rejecting a part of Scripture—no matter how insignificant or innocent—they have denied God’s Word; they have denied God’s character, defaming Him as an incapable liar; and they have lost the relevancy of God’s Word to life. “The Scriptures are the infallible deposit of the Creator’s revelation breathed manward and every verse germane to the question should be honored (in context), none being altered or swept away as being an ‘unfortunate scribal error.’[x]” When one realizes this, one can finally use God’s Word for its intended purpose: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (II Timothy 3:16).” If one still chooses to deny the sacredness of this text, then he has rejected God Himself. The struggle is no longer over the validity of a book, but over the eternal resting place of a soul: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God (I Corinthians 1:18).”
Although we cannot expect the world to rightly judge spiritual matters or the Bible (I Corinthians 2:14-16), an equitable analysis and reconciliation of Scripture will fail at finding doctrinal error. When a bishop studied 581 Hebrew Old Testament manuscripts containing 280,000,000 letters, he found 900,000 differences, or 1/3 of one percent. “Of those 900,000 variants, 750,000 pertain to spelling…this has to do with vowel points for the purpose of pronunciation which were supposedly added c. AD 600 by…scribes….Thus we are left with only 150,000 variants in 280,000,000 letters or only one variant in 1580 letters, a degree of accuracy of .0006…Most of those variants are found in only a few manuscripts; in fact, most are from just one corrupted copy[iii].”
Thousands of verses invoke the name of God as the source and author for Scripture. “Psalms 19 and 119, plus Proverbs 30:5-6, make powerful statements about God’s Word which set it apart from any other religious instruction ever known in the history of mankind. These passages make the case for the Bible being called “sacred” (2 Tim. 3:15) and “holy” (Rom. 1:2)[iv].” The fact is that God’s name is irrevocably linked to the Bible, as John 1:1 states it unequivocally: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Additionally, God gives His Character to back the authorship of Scripture. “The sacred book which we read, study, obey, and preach deserves to unreservedly be called The Bible or ‘The Book without peer,’ since its author is God and it bears the qualities of total truth and complete trustworthiness as also characterizes its divine source[v].” Because God is perfect, holy, righteous, just, truthful, trustworthy, and omniscient, His Word will be the same. Thus, since He has put His name on Scripture, one can expect it to meet all the criteria of His character. It only makes sense to question a written document “if you don’t have corroboration or there is internal inconsistency[vi].” However, the Bible is well-corroborated, with over forty authors contributing to its pages over a span of 1600 years, across three continents, and in three different languages. Only God Himself and His dependable Character could keep such a diverse collection consistent, and He does!
God also authenticates the authorship of Scripture through His sovereignty. “The Scripture has authority because God has all authority…. God is the basis for the Bible’s authority[vii].” Psalms 22 is only one example of the sovereignty of God in fulfilling Scripture. Written a millennium before the events it describes, about something the author knew nothing about because crucifixion had not yet been invented, this chapter still manages to be an exact description of the events surrounding Christ’s death. Scripture’s track record is excellent, with 2000 prophecies of the 2500 given already fulfilled, and the remaining 500 pertaining to the end times. In fact, “the odds for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than one in 102000 (that is 1 with 2000 zeros written after it)[viii]!
When it comes right down to it, “the Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report to us supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin[ix].” A person who rejects the Bible as God’s Word should understand the claims of Scripture, the character of Scripture as it parallels the character of God, and the authority and fulfillment of Scripture.
When weak minds succumb to the preying philosophies of the world which challenge the accuracy of the Scripture, they have lost the entire foundation upon which their faith is based. They have denied the words of Scripture which clearly states, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever (Isaiah 40:8).” By rejecting a part of Scripture—no matter how insignificant or innocent—they have denied God’s Word; they have denied God’s character, defaming Him as an incapable liar; and they have lost the relevancy of God’s Word to life. “The Scriptures are the infallible deposit of the Creator’s revelation breathed manward and every verse germane to the question should be honored (in context), none being altered or swept away as being an ‘unfortunate scribal error.’[x]” When one realizes this, one can finally use God’s Word for its intended purpose: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (II Timothy 3:16).” If one still chooses to deny the sacredness of this text, then he has rejected God Himself. The struggle is no longer over the validity of a book, but over the eternal resting place of a soul: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God (I Corinthians 1:18).”
[i] MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible: New King James Version. Word Publishing, USA, 1997.
[ii] Miller, George A. "WordNet - About Us." WordNet. Princeton University. 2009. http://wordnet.princeton.edu
[iii] Jones, Dr. Floyd. The Chronology of the Old Testament. Floyd Jones Ministries, Green Forest. 2005.
[iv] MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible: New King James Version. Word Publishing, USA, 1997.
[v] MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible: New King James Version. Word Publishing, USA, 1997.
[vi] Baucham, Voddie. Why I Choose to Believe the Bible. Grace Family Baptist Church, June 30, 2005. http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=530914253
[vii] Landis, Don. And God Said. October 30, 2007. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n4/biblical-authority-god-said
[viii] Ross, Dr. Hugh. Fulfilled Prophecy: Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible. Reasons to Believe, August 22, 2003. http://www.reasons.org/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-reliability-bible
[ix] Baucham, Voddie. Why I Choose to Believe the Bible. Grace Family Baptist Church, June 30, 2005. http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=530914253
[x] Jones, Dr. Floyd. The Chronology of the Old Testament. Floyd Jones Ministries, Green Forest. 2005.
Its great to see that people are sharing quite profitable information with each other and now we can move our selves to a new era.
ReplyDeleteHi--
ReplyDeleteI am just curious...I have heard you say you are doing an online AA program in music ministry. Where are you taking that? I would be very interested in your answer, since I am a senior and doing all the college research myself. =)
Thank you!
I really enjoy your blog by the way! =)
~L
Kid Rock--the internet is indeed a wonderful medium for education and information, though it takes discernment to sift through the bad stuff to get to the good stuff! I'm hopeful that, instead of attempting to move ourselves into a better era, we will humble ourselves before God and allow Him to move us into a better era. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteL--can you leave another comment with your email address? I won't publish the comment, and I can email you privately with all the information. ;-)
Hi--
ReplyDeleteActually, I don't have an email address! Shocking, I know. =) But I completely understand not wanting to share publicly, so no worries.
Thanks and have a great day!
~L
L--Wow! That is shocking. ;-) Let me know if you ever get one, and I'd be happy to help. I do most of my classes distance via the internet, so you would need email for that anyways. ;-) You can sign up for free email at gmail, hotmail, or yahoo (now I sound like a commercial, and you probably knew all that anyways!).
ReplyDelete