The
Bible is unique…
· 40+ different authors from ALL walks
of life, with nothing in common but their faith
·
Written in 3 different languages, over a
span of >1,500 years, in very different styles
·
A very, very diverse book that tells one
single story
·
Makes prophecies that have come true
The
Bible is well-supported
·
More manuscript evidence than any other TEN pieces of classical literature
If
Jesus were a lie…
·
The disciples had way too much influence
for a bunch of Jewish peasants under Roman rule, including a tax collector—they
were able to convince thousands of people to lie for them and claim to be
eyewitnesses.
·
The disciples wouldn’t have included so
many embarrassing details about themselves.
·
Peter would have edited the gospels, a
lot!
·
ANYONE but Mary Magdalene would have
been chosen to be the first witness of the resurrection.
·
The guards would have been the first
people to agree with the disciples’ account
·
The disciples definitely wouldn’t have
been willing to undergo torture and death for a lie.
o
All the disciples except for John were
eventually martyred for their faith.
Nonchristian
and Antichristian sources talk about Jesus, and they say…
·
Jesus lived when N.T. says he did
·
Jesus had a brother named James, who was
a church father and was martyred
·
Jesus claimed to be the Messiah,
lived a virtuous life, and was a wonder-worker
·
He was crucified under Pontius Pilate on
the eve of the Jewish Passover
·
Darkness and an earthquake occurred
when He died.
·
Jesus’ disciples
o
Claimed that He rose from the dead
o
Were willing to die for their beliefs
o
Denied Roman gods and worshiped Jesus as
God
·
Christianity spread quickly and far
(Side
note: Jesus is mentioned by 4.3 times as many sources as Tiberius Caesar, the
Roman emperor at the time, whose existence NO ONE denies.)
The
differing accounts of the four gospels
Q: Where else do you
find four different stories about the same event, telling about the event from
four different angles, with some slightly different details but with all the
major points correct?
A: In the courtroom, listening to honest witnesses!
Books
for further study:
·
New
Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Part 1 by Josh McDowell (www.josh.org)
·
I
Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (ch 8-14) by
Norm Geisler & Frank Turek
·
Cold
Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace*
·
Stealing
from God by Frank Turek*
*I haven’t read the starred books yet; I ran out of
time before this lesson. They’ve been recommended to me by people I trust, and
I’m planning to read them, but since I haven’t read them yet, I can’t recommend them—just say that I’ve heard
they’re good, and they should be relevant if you’re seeking to learn more.
What
do we do with the Bible?
·
Many non-Christians
say that the Bible is so unique and important that every educated person should
read it. So why don’t Christians!?
·
Christians were willing to be tortured
to death just for writing it, reading it, translating it, preaching it,
smuggling it into new countries…and we say we don’t have time for it.
·
We need to read it, treasure it, and
learn from it.
·
The more you read it with a heart open
to God, the closer you will get to Him.
·
It’s the Word of God—He wants to speak
to us. Will we listen?
Ideas for Bible Reading Plans
1. Just
read it straight through, one chapter a day…
2. Read
1 NT chapter & 1 OT chapter each day. You’ll go through the NT a couple
times this way.
3. Ask
your parents or pastor for a Bible-in-a-year plan.
4. If
you have a phone or tablet, download the Bible
Gateway app or the Blue Letter Bible
app or one of many other apps with Bible reading plans…or just go to biblegateway.com and use one of the 7
different reading plans there. (The chronological one is pretty cool!)
5. Ask
Sylvia or Jael for more suggestions—we’d be happy to help you come up with a
personalized Bible reading plan that’s perfect for what you can handle right
now, whether that be a certain number of minutes per day, a chapter at a
certain time during the day, a schedule that rotates OT with NT so you don’t
get bogged down with the more difficult passages, etc.
Whichever you choose,
and even if you’re just starting with one chapter or five minutes a day, make
it a priority to be in God’s word on a regular basis. And find someone to
keep you accountable! J
