One-To-One Week 14.Why Haveconfidence in the Bible?

One-to-one Week 14.Why haveConfidence in the Bible?

Key Question: How do you know that the Bible is God’s word?

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Many people have different views on the Bible, people around the world read other religious books, so I think it is most vital to be sure why we read the Bible. It IS the Word of God. In particular it is God’s Word to YOU. I think it is important to be confident, convinced, that is why I am including

10 reasons I believe the Bible…

Faith. I believe it is true. I didn’t want to hide this down the list as if I am ashamed. I am fully convinced because of who I am. I have made a decision that I will trust the Bible and I am fully convinced of the truth it describes. As I have trusted it, the Bible has proved trustworthy and more and more I will stake all I have on what it describes.
Sin. There is no other world view that adequately explains the filth and hatred that occurs in the world. The anger and evil we feel and act out is not explained away. You cannot tell me sin does not exist. I see it in action and I know it in my heart. Evolution has no answer, there is just progress (I see regress!) Other religions make excuses for it, maybe if you are more good than bad… for example, karma, even Islam suggests that if you do enough good things God will reward you, thereby ignoring the bad. I know sin is real and I need released from it. Only the Bible adequately describes sin and its solution (and most cults that say they are Christian, including Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses fudge round this as well, that is one of their major inadequacies in reading the Bible).
Love. I am not talking about attraction or lust but about selfless suffering. Some Christians and particularly Jesus himself suffered without just cause for people who showed no appreciation. Other world views do not explain adequately love for an enemy, nor sacrifice for the sake of unrepentant and undeserving sinners and yet that is a reality I have seen in action.
Consistency. The Bible does not change the way it views things. The God of the Bible is consistent throughout (though some may suggest the Old and New testaments differ – see section on objections) and the people of the Bible are all in the same situation. Sin is the same throughout and the solution is the same throughout. Those consistencies do not happen when 30 different people give accounts of events unless they are all guided by the same voice.
The God it Describes. The Bible is consistent about the God it describes (see objections below) and His character makes sense. He never lets His standards fall and that must be true of an Almighty Creator. At the same time He is capable of making a way of providing for corrupt human beings. That God is one that I both respect and cling to.
The Heroes it Describes. Everyone who is a major figure in the Bible doe some really dodgy things except Jesus. They all have character flaws that have massive impact on their lives. In fact sometimes God seems to choose the dodgy, cheating, cunning, dirty people over the nice people on purpose (see Jacob and Esau, or making David king rather than Saul). I know from experience that even the best people are very, very bad and it fits with my experience. In addition, would you write a book about how much of a scumbag you really were? Would you expect people to follow you if they knew the truth? I don’t think someone would make this up and describe themselves that way.
The Resurrection. Over 500 people saw Jesus alive. He predicted it Himself. No other explanation makes sense. There were guards at the door and they “fell asleep.” Guards who fell asleep would have been killed. That could not have happened. Jesus definitely died. Crucifixion killed people and even if they were brought down after 5 minutes they would die from their wounds. The disciples had given up and left. They went fishing. They didn’t have a clue. Nobody had a good idea “what if we stole the body and pretended He rose from the dead…” Anyone who confirmed it was in jeopardy. 1 Corinthians 15 tells us if the resurrection is not true then we have no hope but I can’t see a way to explain the recorded events if Jesus was not raised.
Historical Accuracy. Of all events in human history predating the Middle Ages, the events of the Bible, especially the life and death of Jesus, have more historical foundation than any other event. There are more manuscripts and artifacts supporting Scripture than any other document. Even when there are doubts, (for example there were doubts over a King of Babylon that the Bible mentions but their records do not,) the historical evidence still finds a way of proving it to be accurate (in this case in the 1990s pottery was found that confirmed his identity, as a son of the King who reigned while His Father was at war). Evidence found in the 20th Century such as the Dead Sea Scrolls only supports the Biblical records. They include Kings of many nations, genealogies, laws and events that have been very carefully recorded and preserved and are widely supported by history.
Prophecies Fulfilled. Some of the prophecies of the Old Testament are absolutely amazing, going right back to Genesis 3:15. Genesis 49:10 predicts that Judah will rule Israel (didn’t happen until the time of David) until the Messiah came. There are predictions in 3 different places saying that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, come out of Egypt and be called a Nazarene. Matthew records all these predictions coming true. The one that amazes me the most is Daniel 9, where the prophet predicts that the Messiah will be cut off (which the Jews would have been horrified by) and that it would happen 69 weeks of years (483 years) after the return from the exile (which happened around 445-450BC). The fact that 15 different authors predicted over 300 statements about the Messiah and Jesus fulfilled them all is nothing short of astounding.
I Want it to Be True. The Bible says we have a value, that there is hope for people who get things wrong, make mistakes and can’t get free from their own miserable lives. I want that to be true because that is me. That is what I need. Other world views suggest I am valueless or that I need to control my behaviour. Christianity is the only faith that suggests our value and relevance are out of our hands. I need that to be true because I make a mess of everything.
Logic. The Bible is very logical as we saw in the Overview (week 2). It begins with a reasonable assumption that there is a God and goes on to logically explain what would happen if such a God created a being like us. It makes sense, is consistent, laid out in a sensible order and meticulous about detail (almost too ridiculous when you’re reading about some of the stuff). The only bold claims it makes are based in the assumption of an Almighty God and it weaves into a known history a plan that shows evidence for Him.
Jesus. The bold claims made about Jesus and the actions that He did are written down in 4 logical histories. Other histories exist that support these claims (the writings of Josephus and the Gospels of Judith and Thomas). Never, at any stage, are there writings that refute these claims by either first-hand or second-hand accounts. If anyone at the time of Jesus knew that what was said about Him was not true there would be thousands of counter documents. No-one challenged these truths for many centuries and the bold claims don’t make sense unless all of it is true. Jesus was famous throughout the Middle East. These actions were public and recorded and how they fit into the prophecies and the plan of God is truly amazing.
Experience. I have built on the foundation of belief and faith and on every occasion that I put weight on the Bible I have found it to be a sure foundation. God has spoken through it to me to reveal important things in my life. I have experienced the truths about sin, love, grace, hope and faith. I have never observed evidence that did not concur with the statements made by the Bible and have thousands of evidences that support it.
The Suffering of the Disciples. If the Bible weren’t true then someone made it up. The fact is that anyone who has served to advance the spread of the Bible has been persecuted and usually killed. If I had made something up I’d want to prosper from it and I wouldn’t die for the lies.
Creation.Romans 1 says that creation leaves us without excuse. I can’t imagine all this happened by accident. It’s not explained by a God that isn’t unique and meticulous. The world is elaborate and the complexities of each individual creation are outstanding and we recognise the skill in what is made so we cannot claim to be uncreated. The Bible explains the control the Father has displayed in creation and we need to accept His view of what it is created for. We can see what it says in Colossians 1, that it is created by Him and for Him.

Objections

I don’t want to leave this out as if there is any reason to hide. The Bible does not need protected (Hebrews 4 v 12). Some people do have objections and I think there are 2 genuine causes of objections for consideration. Sometimes people have heard other sources of material and not examined the Bible properly. They make judgements based on a limited supply of knowledge, generally from skewed sources (although often they do not realise it). The second group of people actually have enough knowledge about the Bible to know it is true, but have some resentment against it (because it denies them the lifestyle they want) or against the church (because someone sometime in the past challenged them). They reject it as an excuse. I think in both cases, reading it and being confronted by it and presenting it are good opportunities to show that it is the answer to the questions they have. In the majority of cases the objections are confined to some part of this list:

Science -Science is the study of the nature and behaviour of natural things. Everyone who has ever observed anything about anything has done science. I myself have a University education in 6 scientific subjects, does that make me an expert on the age of the earth?

I do understand that science begins with assumptions. Certain branches of science people quote as being contradictory to the Biblical account, particularly of creation. I don’t think many of these people have any in-depth knowledge of these sciences nor do I claim to. However, as an example, carbon dating is used to suggest the world is billions of years old yet what are the assumptions associated? Radiation levels are influenced by environmental factors such as atmospheric conditions and pressure (all of which would be dramatically changed by Biblically-described events) and based on assumptions of a starting point (what was the original radioactive level?). Usually this starting point is based on the assumption of a big bang giving a certain level of radiation and the age of the earth being extensively long to break it down.

My solution to this objection is not to poke holes in the scientific arguments people make. I know I do not have the knowledge to answer every controversy. Others do this better such as Prof. John Lennox (who can be accessed online, for example on Youtube or through Glenabbey’s website) who argues regularly with evolutionists such as Richard Dawkins. I prefer rather to emphasise that the Bible is scientifically valid, based on the assumptions it makes. The Bible assumes the presence of a supernatural God with the power to create mature things (such as a full-grown man). Good science, and I believe the Bible falls in this category, goes on to validate that the assumptions it initially made were correct. If there is such a God then the experience of creation and history makes sense and points to His existence. A different set of assumptions gives a different scientific answer.

The Crusades – It might not specifically be the Crusades but people point at the failings of Christians in order to invalidate the Bible. The argument is that people who believe it do horrible things so how can it be true? However, unlike every other world view, the Bible states that those who believe it will continue to have sin in their lives (Romans 7v 15-25). It almost confirms the Bible as the only possible answer because sin is so evident. Not that I am suggesting we sin more so that the grace of the Bible is more obvious as the solution. That is the very argument that Paul has in Romans that sin proves the law and the law proves the Gospel as the only solution but it’s still better not to sin.

Inconsistent view of God – many people hold a contrary view to that which I expressed earlier, that the view of God is consistent through the Bible. I think the Bible presents a view of God that is consistent, but that is revealed gradually. For example He is always considered holy and always considered loving but first He evidences holiness in declaring that sin is wrong and then He proves Himself loving by providing a solution.

The most common point that is seen to evidence His inconsistencies is in the anger of the law of the Old Testament and the loving grace of the New Testament. But this apparent discrepancy again is down to His continuing revelation. God first of all sets a standard (perfection) and the penalty for failing to meet this standard (death). He therefore defines justice accordingly, that those who sin deserve to die. This is not changed in the New Testament, the standard is the same and the penalty is the same (Romans 3v23, Romans 6v23) but God continues to reveal Himself. His nature goes beyond what is just (what we deserve) to grace (receiving the good we don’t deserve). He reveals then in Jesus how He is going to overcome our just punishment. It becomes obvious only after Jesus dies and rises again that people can be forgiven. The disciples even misunderstood His Kingdom before this. God reveals that not only is there a standard, a penalty and justice but also a forgiveness that goes beyond it. It is wonderfully consistent and in fact there are so many evidences of forgiveness in the Old Testament (such as the sacrifices and offerings) that point to His grace that it seems so obvious when you have read it with grace in mind.

Dinosaurs – This is an oddity that I am often presented with. The fact is the first book of the Bible that was written was Job, who lived before the account of the flood. In Job 40 and 41 two large dinosaur-like creatures are presented – the behemoth and the leviathan. This suggests that not only did dinosaurs exist but also that they existed at the time of man. The dinosaurs would have been unable to survive the atmospheric changes at the time of the flood, so even had they been in the ark their extinction is as natural as the Dodo’s. I still don’t know if having an answer to this question actually has any impact on other people. Often this is a simple excuse, as if saying “what about dinosaurs…” blows every belief I have out of the water. It does not.

Spectacular Events – The Bible does describe some events that are almost unbelievable. However, their existence is one of my reasons for confidence. If I were to invent a god I would go for a Buddhist kind of approach where god is in every little thing and therefore is very hard to disprove. The spectacular events, such as the flood, the parting of the Red Sea, the miracles of Jesus and the resurrection are designed to be out of the ordinary because they are events that prove God. Only God could do these things. These spectacular events fit the scientific assumption that there is an all-powerful God and do not fit a world view that He is not in. Therefore the very evidence that proves that there is a supernatural power must be unbelievable in a world view that only accepts natural things. Always ask the question “if there is a God could He do it and would He do it?” I think the evidence is then clear for an existent God.

The Council at Nicaea- Although most people have never even heard of it, the general thought is that a few people got together at some stage and picked some books that they liked to make the Bible. This event however was much more than that as you can read on Wikipedia. The church has always been challenged with controversies. Jesus, Peter, John and Paul all predicted that it would be and encouraged people to be prepared. Paul was extremely careful to ensure that what was passed on to the next generation (Timothy and Titus) was accurate and trustworthy.