Reliability of Scripture

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