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What God’s Word says about

The Bible

Making More and Better Disciples of Jesus Christ

Is the Bible unique–or just another book? THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING NO! HERE IS A BOOK:

• Writtenovera1,500yearspan.• Writtenover40generations.• Madeupof66differentbooks.• Writtenbymorethan40authorsfrom

everywalkoflifeincludingkings,peasants,philosophers,fisherman,poets,statesman,scholars,etc.

• Writtenindifferentplacessuchasthewilderness,anisland,adungeon,ahillside,apalace,aprison,whiletraveling,othersinthemilitary.

• Writtenonthreedifferentcontinents,inthreelanguages(Hebrew,Aramaic,Greek).

• Readbymorepeopleandpublishedinmorelanguagesthananyotherbookinhistory.

• Morecopiesofitsentiretyhavebeenproducedthananyotherbook.

• AccordingtoTheCambridgeHistoryoftheBible,nootherbookhasknownanythingapproachingthisconstantcirculation.

• Itssubjectmatterincludeshundredsofcontroversialtopics,yetthebiblicalauthorsspokewithharmonyandcontinuityfromGenesistoRevelation.

• ThethemethroughouttheBibleisGod’sloveforman,man’srebellionagainstGod,andGod’sredemptionofmanbacktoHimselfthroughfaithinHisSonJesusChrist.

• Ithaswithstoodviciousattacksfromitsenemiesasnootherbookhas.Manyhavetriedtoburnit,banit,andoutlawit—alltonoavail!

THEBIBLEISUNIQUEinfacingitscritics.Thereisnootherbookinallofliteraturelikeit.Again,apersonlookingfortruthwouldcertainlyconsiderabookthathastheabovequalifications.

Can We Count On The Reliability Of The Bible?

“AllScriptureisGod-breathedandisusefulfor

teaching,rebuking,correctingandtraininginrighteousness.”—2Timothy3:16

“Theintervalthenbetweenthedatesoforiginalcomposition(oftheBible)andtheearliestevidencebecomessosmallastobeinfactnegligible.ThelastfoundationforanydoubtthattheScriptureshavecomedowntoussubstantiallyastheywerewrittenhasnowbeenremoved.BoththeauthenticityandthegeneralintegrityofthebooksoftheNewTestamentmayberegardedasfinallyestablished.”—SirFrederickG.Kenyon,PrincipalLibrarianoftheBritishMuseum

“Thereexistsnootherdocumentfromtheancientworldwitnessedbysoexcellentasetoftextualandhistoricaltestimoniesandofferingsosuperbanarrayofhistoricaldataofwhichanintelligentdecisionmaybemade.”—Dr.ClarkH.Pinnock

Is the Bible reliable?ThehistoricalreliabilityoftheScripturesshouldbetestedbythesamecriteriaasthatusedonallotherhistoricaldocuments.Thiscriteriaincludes3tests:

TEST #1: THE DOCUMENTS TEST

ThistesthelpstodeterminethattheBiblewenowhaveisessentiallywhatwasoriginallywritten.TheDeadSeaScrollsdiscoveredintheQumranValleyin1947revealedover40,000inscribedfragmentsoftheBible.AmongthesefragmentswasfoundtheentirebookofIsaiah.ThecurrentbookofIsaiahwasproventobe99.9percentaccuratewiththeQumranScrollsTherearemorethan24,000manuscriptcopiesor

portionsoftheNewTestamentinexistence.Nootherancientdocumentevenbeginstoapproachsuchnumbersandproofs.Incomparison,TheIliadbyHomerissecondwithonly643manuscriptsthatstillsurvive.Mostothermanuscriptsonlynumberbetween2and200.Therearebiblicalmanuscriptsthatdatefrom250-300yearsaftertheiroriginalwriting.Almostallcopiesofotherancientliteraturethatwepossessarebetween800-1500yearsolderthantheiroriginaldateofwriting.

TEST #2: THE INTERNAL EVIDENCE TEST

Thistesthelpstodeterminewhetherthewrittenrecordiscredibleandtowhatextent.

TheBibleclaimstobewrittenbythosewhowereactuallyeyewitnessesthemselvesorwhorelatedtheaccountsofeyewitnessesoftheactualeventsorteachingsofJesus(Luke1:1-3;2Peter3:16;1John1:3).

Thedisciplescouldnotaffordtoriskinaccuraciesormanipulatethefacts.Theywouldhavebeenatonceexposedbythosewhowouldbeonlytoogladtodoso.Oneofthestrongpointsintheoriginalapostolicpreachingwastheconfidentappealstotheknowledgeofthehearers;theynotonlysaid,“Wearewitnessesofthesethings,”butalso,“Asyouyourselvesknow”(Acts2:22).

Hadtherebeenanytendencytodepartfromthefactsinrespecttotheirmessage,thepossiblepresenceofhostilewitnessesintheaudiencewouldhaveseverelydamagedthecredibilityof

theirmessage.Almosteveryapostlewasmartyredforhisdeepconvictionofthetruthofwhichhepreached.Wouldtheyhavegiventheirlivesforalieorscam?

Thatafewsimplemencouldinonegenerationhave“invented”sopowerfulandappealingapersonalityasJesus,soloftyanethic,andsoinspiringamissionofhumanbrotherhood,wouldbeamiraclefarmoreincrediblethananyrecordedintheBible.

TEST #3: THE EXTERNAL EVIDENCE TEST

ThistestusesothersourcesofliteraturethatareindependentfromtheBibletosubstantiateitsaccuracy,reliability,andauthenticity.Thisisthemostdecisivetestofevidence.WehavewritingsfromEusebius,theancienthistorian;Papias,theBishopofHierapolis(A.D.130);Iraneus,BishopofLyons(A.D.180);andPolycarp,BishopofSmyrna(discipleofJohntheApostle).AllconfirmthemessageoftheBible.

ArcheologyprovidesextremelypowerfulexternalevidenceandtherehasneverbeenanarchaeologicaldiscoverythathasdisprovedordiscreditedtheBible.[Forexample:WhenthewallsofJerichowereexcavated,evidenceshowedthatthewallsfelloutward,notinward.ThisprovedthatGodintervenedinthewallscomingdown.IfanenemyarmyhadattackedJericho,thewallswouldhavebeenbattereddowncausingthemtofallinward.]ArchaeologistJosephFreewrites,“Archeologyhas

confirmedcountlesspassagesoftheBiblewhichinthepasthavebeenrejectedbycriticsasunhistoricalorcontradictorytoknownfact.”InnootherreligiousliteratureexcepttheBibledowefindtheaccuracyoffulfilledprophecy.