ETERNAL FOUNDATIONS FOR MANKIND - Part 1

“Can We Trust the Bible?” - August 11, 2002
Tracy L. Moore
Riverwood Church of Christ

The Bible has been read by more people and published in more languages than any other book in history. It has been translated, retranslated, and paraphrased more than any other book in existence. However, I realize this doesn’t prove the Bible is the Word of God! It only shows that it is unique. There was a time when most people, in and out of the church, considered the Bible to be the Word of God. Everyone who testified in courts would “swear on the Bible.” But this is no longer the case. Even in many churches there is not agreement on the reliability of the Bible. One author wrote: “The biggest division between Christians is no longer between one denomination and another, but between those who accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God and those who do not.”

There are those who believe in God, but do not believe in the God of the Bible. They claim to believe in Christ, but not the Christ of the Bible. There are some who deny that there is anything special about the Bible. To these, the Bible is just another book – a good book, perhaps – but a book of human origin. Some will even goes as far as saying they believe some of the Scriptures are inspired, but there are real problems with this line of thinking.

So the question still stands in the minds of many, including Christians, “can we trust the Bible?”

I affirm to you that we can, and not just on the basis of faith although that is the foundation of God’s message. The Bible is from God, and there are ways of proving this line of thinking.

II TIMOTHY 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (NKJV) Paul, was, of course, referring to the Old Testament Scriptures in this text, since the New Testament had not yet been completed. But it would also apply to the New Testament based on other writings of Scripture. There are over 300 direct quotations in the New Testament declaring its inspiration. Many New Testament writers directly testified that they knew they were writing God’s Word. (I Cor. 2:13; Jude 17-18; Rev. 1:1-2, etc.) Paul said that all Scripture is inspired by God. The English word inspiration comes from two Latin words, “in” and “spiro.” Which means to “blow or breathe in or into.” The Hebrew word is rendered “breath.” (Job 32:8) The idea is that God has “breathed out” the sacred writings. The Bible is God’s breath, metaphorically speaking.

II PETER 1:21, “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (NKJV) This shows how the Bible was inspired, through the working of the Holy Spirit. Scripture is more than an eyewitness account or a private interpretation. Men were moved, which means impelled, by the Holy Spirit to speak the Word from God. In other words, while man was involved in the production of Scripture, God was still very much in control of the final product.

J.W. McGarvey, a famous Restoration preacher of a century ago, compared inspiration to driving a well-trained horse. You pull the rope to the left or right as you see the horse needs guidance; you slow him down when he goes too fast; you speed him up when he goes too slow, but most of the time you just let him go on his way. Your hand is always on the rope and the pressure of your hand is always felt by the horse.

The Holy Spirit in producing the Bible guided along the authors of Scriptures. These passages teach that God, not man, is ultimately responsible for Scripture. That is what is mean when we say the Bible is the Word of God! It is important to note here that inspiration is not translation. The translators or copies of Scripture are not inspired – the original writings were! This explains many so-called “errors” in the Bible.

About this time someone will say, “Aha! We use a translation therefore it cannot be trustworthy.” But that simply is not the case. Look to our next point.

Many books and letters circulated among the Christians before the Holy Book we sit in our lap was completed. Therefore the church leaders had to determine which books were valid and which were not.

Beginning with the Reign of Nero in 60 AD until the conversion of Emperor Constantine in 312 AD, the church underwent intense persecution. Under the reign of Domitian, anyone caught with Christian Scripture in their possession was put to death. So you see, it became very important to determine which portions of the Christian writings were inspired and worthy of risking death.

Their response was to develop the “Canon.” This is a word that comes from the root word reed or cane that was used as a measuring stick and eventually meant standard. Canon s applies to the Scriptures that would be officially accepted as God’s Word.

In Washington D.C., there is a building called the “National Institute of Standards and Technology.” This facility is responsible for storing perfect samples of weights and measurements. They have what are called “prototypes” of pound weights and kilograms, measuring rods for feet, yards and metric measurements like meters. For example, they have a “Meter Standard” a reinforced bar of platinum alloyed with exactly 10% iridium. When they want to know the exact measurement of a “meter” they cool this bar down to 0 degrees Celsius at a sea level of 45 degrees latitude then they know they will have the exact tip to tip measurement of a meter. That bar is known as “prototype #27, because the original is kept in a suburb of Paris at the international Bureau of Weights and Measures.”

The “Canon” was to be the prototype or measuring rod for the Scriptures. But the early church leaders still had an interesting problem, how would they determine which books are inspired of God and which books are the writings of men? Let’s notice the careful way they determined this process.

This is the textual examination of how each document reached us. In other words, since we do not have the original documents, how reliable are the copes we have in regard to the number of manuscripts and the time between the original and existing copies?

There are now more than 5,300 known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, over 10,000 Latin Vulgate, and at least 9,300 other early versions, and we have more than 24,000 manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament in existence. The significance? No other ancient documents even begin to approach such numbers and evidence. In comparison, the Iliad by Homer is second with 643 manuscripts that still survive. The first complete preserved text of Homer dates from the 13th century. This cannot compare with the 24,000 preserved in the New Testament. Not as many manuscripts are found for the Old Testament, but the discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls further proved its reliability. The Dead Sea Scrolls are made up of some 40,000 inscribed fragments. Form these fragments more than 500 books have been reconstructed.

Yet, the greatest testimony of the reliability of the Old Testament, is what the New Testament says about it, primarily Christ (Matt. 5:17). The New Testament contains 300 direct quotations and at least 1,000 indirect references from the Old Testament, almost all of them implying that they were God’s own Word. Compared to other works in history the transmission of the Old Testament is very unique based on the time spent cataloguing Hebrew law. Their system was very detailed and precise.

Here were some of the rules of interpretation:

“A synagogue roll must be written on the skins of clean animals, prepared for particular use of the synagogue by a Jew. These must be fastened together with strings taken from clean animals. Every skin must contain a certain number of columns, equal throughout the entire codex. The length of each column must not extend over less than 48 or more than 60 lines; and the breadth must consist of thirty letters. The whole copy must be first lined; and if three words were written without a line, it is worthless. The ink should be black, neither red, green, nor any other color, and be prepared according to a definite recipe. An authentic copy must be the example, from which the transcriber ought not in the lease deviate. No word or letter, not even a yod, must be written from memory, the scribe not having looked at the codex before him…Besides this, the copyist must sit in full Jewish dress; wash his whole body, not begin to write the name of God with a pen newly dipped in ink, and should a king address him while writing that name, he must take no notice of him.”

Even though the two copies of Isaiah discovered near the Dead Sea in 1947 were a thousand years earlier than the oldest dated manuscripts previously known, they proved to be word for word identical with the standard Hebrew Bible in more than 95% of the text. The 5% of variation consisted chiefly of obvious slips of the pen and variations in spelling.

Even the Dead Sea fragments of Deuteronomy and Samuel, which point to a different manuscript family, did not indicate any differences in doctrine or teaching. They do not affect the message of revelation in the slightest.

The Bibliographical test had determined only that the text we have now is essentially what was originally recorded. But one still has to determine whether that written record is credible and to what extent. As one author put it, “One must listen to the claims of the document under analysis, and not assume fraud or error unless the author disqualified himself by contradictions or known factual inaccuracies.”

The Bible is historically, archeologically and geographically accurate when it records sites and locations. When the Scriptures say one went down from Egypt to Jericho (Josh. 7:2), it is geographically correct. Or when it speaks of Jerusalem to Gaza as south (Acts 8:26), it again is proven correct. Unless the Bible was inspired by God, how could the Biblical writers have done what learned and careful men of their own ages have failed to do? The Bible has been used as an archeological map in digs and findings.

This is why the Book of Mormon is false and not added to the Scriptures we hold in our hands. The sites and locations recorded in the Book of Mormon do not exist. I’ve been told you can write the Department of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, and they will send you a three page statement on why the Book of Mormon is a historical, archeological, and geographical fraud.

Not so with the Word of God.

While the Bible is not a textbook on any of the sciences, it contains many scientific facts that were not known until modern times. For example, how could Moses have known that all the oceans of the earth are gathered together into a common bed? How could he know that the continents were connected in a common land mass in the midst of the waters? (Gen. 1:9,10).

In the 10th century BC, Solomon wrote that God inscribed a circle on the face of the deep – that the face of the oceans is rounded, not flat (Prov. 8:27). In the 8th century BC, Isaiah wrote that God is seated above the circle of the earth – that from space you see a rounded earth. (Isa. 40:22) Job, the oldest book in the Bible, written about 2000 BC, stated that God hung the earth on nothing (Job 26:7). All of these things have been proven true, long before man explored space. These are just a few of the scientific facts that have been found in the Bible. Most importantly, not one single absurd myth or legend or fable is found within its pages.

Hindus taught that the earth was supported on the back of a giant elephant that stood on the back of a giant turtle and when the elephant wiggled, it caused an earthquake. Greek Mythology taught that the earth was supported on the shoulders of Atlas. This is why these religions are considered false and follow a false authority.

The prophecies of this book are further proof it is the very breath of God. Hundreds of Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled accurately. Jesus, alone, fulfilled 300 of the Old Testament prophecies for the Messiah. This many fulfilled prophecies about Jesus couldn’t just happen by chance, such as being born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matt.2:1), coming from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10, Matt. 2:5-6), betrayed by a friend (Ps. 41:9, Mk. 3:14,19), sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12, Matt. 26:14,15), the money to be thrown into God’s House (Zech. 11:13, Matt. 27:5-10), the price given for the potter’s field (Zech. 11:13, Matt. 27:5-10), darkness over the land (Amos 8:9, Mk. 15:33), etc. An Egyptian recorded the actual fulfillment of the prophecy of the darkness over the land in secular history.

The mathematical probability of 48 prophecies being fulfilled by one man naturally 1 in 1 with 157 zeros behind it.

Ezekiel 26:3-6, predicted the prophecy of the destruction of Tyre which was written about 800 BC – 400 years before the actual occurrence. Until the 4th century BC Tyre was almost unstoppable against its enemies, but Alexander the Great reduced Tyre in 332 BC by building a causeway that joined the island to the mainland. The city was never rebuilt as the great trading port it once was but remains the place where fishermen spread their nets, as God’s word prophesied.

In contrast, the Koran contains no prophecies of the coming Mohammed uttered hundreds of years before his birth. Neither can the founders of any cult in this country rightly identify any ancient text specifically foretelling their appearance. Therefore they are not a part of the Canon.

Historically, the Bible has proven itself many times over. Even though men have tried to discredit its facts over the years. For years, so-called scholars pointed to the first five books of the Bible as one proof that the Bible was full of errors. Their reason? Moses is identified as the writer and, they argued that writing had not been invented yet. Now we know that the scholars were wrong, and the Bible was accurate. Archaeological finds have proven that man had been writing for over 4 centuries before Moses. Hammurabi’s Code is one of the most important archaeological discoveries made in this area. Hammurabi, king of Babylon lived about 2,000 BC. He had the laws of his kingdom engraved on stones to be set up in the principal cities. One of these was found in the ruins of Susa by a French expedition. It is now in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Such proves that as early as Abraham’s time literary skill had reached its advanced stages.

For years, critics denied that the Hittites existed because the only evidence was 46 or so mentions in Scripture. Yet, in 1906, Hugo Winckler began digging in Central Turkey and discovered the capital city of the Hittite Empire!

The point is this, when the facts about a Bible difficulty are known, the “contradiction” disappears.

Furman Kearley tells of reading about a university football game in the morning and afternoon papers of his hometown. The morning paper reported 51,730 people had attended; the afternoon paper said 53,255. Which was correct? Both were! The small figure was the actual ticket sales. The higher figure was the final count, which included many people who got in with free passes.

Mark 15:25 says that Jesus was crucified the third hour; John 19:14 says Jesus’ trial was still going on during the sixth hour! How could that be? Both were correct. Mark is on “Jewish Standard Time” which means third hour since sunrise – 9:00 AM. John is using the Roman time line, which means the trial was going on at the sixth hour from midnight – 6:00 AM!

This is very similar to the discrepancies of George Washington’s birthday. Few people realize that he was really born on February 11, 1732, instead of February 22. During his lifetime an adjustment of 11 days was made to bring the calendar into agreement with the sun. Most books report his birth as February 22 – some report it as February 11th. Both are correct.

The books found in the Canon are there because they have proven the internal evidences to be true and trustworthy.

This test is based on external evidences in history, which confirm or deny testimony of the documents. There are many writers who confirm the accounts and characters of the Bible, such as Eusebius, who confirmed the writings of the Gospel of Matthew and Mark. Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons (AD 180) speaks of “these Gospels.” Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John, witnessed the authenticity of the Scriptures and makes numerous quotes from the New Testament. Of course, Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian working for Romans, wrote about John the Baptist and Christ. These are just a few examples of the external evidences.

Many wonder why the Apocrypha, a Greek word meaning “hidden or concealed, didn’t make it into the Canon. These are books that were added to the Old Testament by the Roman Catholic church but never allowed in the official standard of God’s Word. Why not? According to Unger’s Bible Dictionary, “it contains many historical and geographical inaccuracies. They teach doctrines, which are false, and foster practices, which are at variance with inspired Scripture. They resort to literary types and display an artificiality of subject matter and styling out of keeping with inspired Scripture. They lack the distinctive elements which give genuine Scripture their divine character, such as prophetic power and poetic and religious feelings.”

Others point out that Philo and Josephus never quote or recognize these extra books. Jesus never quoted from these books, even through He and other New Testament writers quote hundreds of Old Testament passages. Only Jude 9 and 14 give any credence to these books. One coming from the The Assumption of Moses and the other from 1 Enoch. One commentator stated, “Jude uses an extrabiblical source to illustrate the arrogance of the false teachers…does not mean the source from which Jude quotes was inspired.” He went on to point out that Paul used pagan authors in some of his quotes (Acts 17:28; I Cor. 15:33; Tit. 1:12). The point being, two verses are not enough to past the test needed to be mentioned in the Canon.

Many of the early church fathers spoke out against the Apocrypha, such as Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Athanasius. Jerome, the great scholar and translator of the Vulgate, rejected the Apocrypha as part of the Canon. He, at first, refused even to translate the apocryphal books into Latin, but later he made a hurried translation of a few of them.

Even though the Roman Catholic church brought these books into use, many of their scholars rejected it through the Reformation period. Luther and the Reformers did the same. It was not until AD 1546 that the Apocryphal books were received as canonical status by the Roman Catholic church.

So what are some of the problems of this book? This is the only place found to support the Catholic doctrine of “Purgatory.” Also, one of the books tells a story about Jesus’ childhood where he supposedly struck a playmate dead just because He made fun of Him. Another story tells of Jesus playing as a child. He made doves out of clay and changed them to life. Yet, John 2:11 says that Jesus turning the water to wine was His first miracle.

The early church leaders felt that if Christian writings did not agree with the words of the Apostles during their lifetime, they could not be included in the Canon. They practiced the “When in doubt, throw it out” principle! I believe this was a wise decision.

Due to the strict process of the early church leaders in handing down the inspired writings of God, you can trust it! This Canon or letter that you hold in your hand was completed about 367 AD. About 150 AD, 50 years after the death of John, the last Apostle, a debate started over the inspiration of Scripture. By 200 AD, 20 of the 27 books of the New Testament were officially recognized. The books not yet recognized were James, Hebrews, 2 and 3 John, Jude, II Peter, and Revelation. These were included in the Canon in 367 AD. I see the working of the Holy Spirit throughout the entire process.

The result: changed lives. No other book has been able to do so much with so many people. As one person observed, “the student doesn’t so much study the Bible, as the Bible itself studies him or her. The Bible is living, serving as a tool for the Holy Spirit.”

A dignitary visiting Africa made an appearance before a large gathering of natives. He launched into a long rambling story that went on for the better part of a half-hour. The natives were respectfully silent. When the dignitary concluded, his interpreter rose and said four words. Everyone then laughed uncontrollably. The dignitary was stunned. “How could you tell my story so quickly?” The interpreter said, “Story too long. So I say – ‘He tell joke. Laugh’”

Sometimes we look at the Bible and say, “Bible too long” and to our great loss, we settle for the self-help books, the popular philosophies from television, the workplace or our cultural upbringing. To live life guided by any other authority than Biblical authority is to throw out God’s owner’s manual for life.

God’s word is an inspired, breathed out, message for mankind. It is trustworthy and all true.