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In 1978, British interviewer, David Frost, invited Charles
Colson to a debate with the famous atheist, Madelyn Murray
O'Hair. As Colson recounts the episode in his book, Loving
God, he tells of how O'Hair mocked the Bible, misquoted a
number of passages and generally twisted the Scriptures to her
own advantage. At one point she shouted, "The Bible teaches
you to kill!" That was the opening for which her opponent
had been waiting. Colson, who had secretly brought his Bible
with him, picked it up and, reaching across Mr. Frost, tried to
hand it to Mrs. O'Hair. He said, "You know this book, Mrs.
O'Hair. Find where it says that. Read it to me." Writing five
years after the event, Colson said he was struck by her
complete refusal to take the book. It was as if she were afraid
even to touch it!
The Bible has often inspired such fear. In the fourth century,
the Roman Emperor Diocletian issued an edict ordering that
all Christian Scriptures be burned. To this day, there are
countries where the Bible is considered contraband and a
threat to the government. There have been national borders
where travelers were confronted with signs that said, "No
Guns! No Bibles!"
Yet, in spite of persistent opposition brought on by fear of
this book, the Bible continues to be the single most popular,
most translated, most read and most loved book in the world.
A perennial best seller, the entire Bible has now been
translated into 392 languages, while the New Testament has
been translated into 1,012. Presently, at least some portion of
the Bible has been translated into 2,287 languages (United
Bible Society, 2002).
The status of the Bible at the beginning of the 21st century
reminds us of something written more than 2,700 years ago:
All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of
the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the
breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are
grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of
our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:6-8).
So, what are we to do with this remarkable book? Is it,
indeed, the word of God? Does it deserve our respect and
attention? I believe so, and the focus of this study will be the
question, "Why should I trust the Bible?"
Obviously, a book is not true simply because that book
makes the claim to be true. However, the Bible's own claims
about itself need to be heard as we begin this examination.
Just a few of the important passages on the nature of the
Bible are listed here:
Hear the word of the Lord (Amos 7:16).
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit
who is from God, that we may understand what God has
freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us
by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit,
expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words (1 Corinthians
2:12-13).
The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and
spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes
of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
...No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own
interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will
of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along
by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:20-21).
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that
the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work (2 Timothy 3:16).
In short, Scripture does not view itself as the creation of
human beings. It claims much more than simply being the
writings of great poets, historians and philosophers; it claims
to be "God-breathed." While many critics may view it as
humanity's word about God, the Bible clearly views itself as
God's word to the human race.
While such claims do not, in themselves, prove that the
Bible is what it says it is or that it can be trusted, these
statements provide us with a starting point. Next, we have to
ask if the evidence supports such big and bold claims. These
are the matters to which we now turn our attention.
If you open a Bible to its table of contents, you will find
that there are 66 "books" that make up this one book. They
were written by about 40 people over a period of nearly 1,500
years. Yet, remarkably, they form one book and tell one
story.
"The greatest story ever told," as the Bible has been called,
begins with the creation of the universe and the start of the
human race. It describes the way marriage, work and sin
entered the world and the plan God set in motion to restore
mankind's relationship with Him. In the unfolding of
salvation's saga, God promised Abraham to make His
descendants a chosen race, used Isaac and Jacob to build such
a people and sent Moses to Egypt to deliver these people,
now known as Israelites, from slavery.
In time, Saul, David and Solomon served the nation of
Israel as kings. After Solomon's death, Israel divided, and
both kingdoms steadily drifted deeper and deeper into
rebellion against God. Prophets were sent to call the people
back to obedience and to warn of coming punishment. These
same prophets also foretold a coming day when God would
send a Messiah to deliver His people from their sins.
At the close of the Old Testament, there was a 400-year
period of silence. However, when the New Testament opens,
it seems to pick up the story in mid-sentence. The birth,
ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus are described by four
different writers. These Gospels are followed by an account
of what became of the followers of Jesus after his ascension
to heaven. Then there are letters that were sent to first century
churches to help them with the challenges they faced. At the
end of the Bible is the Book of Revelation, which assures
persecuted Christians that God is still in control and that
heaven awaits those who remain faithful.
When viewed all at one time, the 66 books of the Bible
exhibit a remarkable unity. Kings and farmers, poets and law-
givers, doctors and fishermen, people living centuries apart all
contributed their little stories to the one big story of the Bible.
How is such unity explained? Did it just happen, or is the
Bible in fact exactly what it claims to be: the word of God?
The amazing unity of the Bible points to a single author,
and that author is God. Using three languages, 40 writers and
1,500 years, He composed "the greatest story ever told."
No book has ever spent more time under the microscope of
criticism than has the Bible. Its history, biography, geography
and theology have all been accused of contradictions and
inaccuracies. Many critics continue to hold that if the Bible
says anything that is not confirmed by another source outside
of the Bible, then the Bible must be wrong. Such an approach
has led to a number of embarrassments for the critics of the
Bible who proudly asserted that the Bible was unreliable. The
following are two of the most famous cases of this:
• The Writings of Moses – Years ago, a number of
scholars doubted that Moses could have written the Books
of the Law because there was no known written language
dating back to the time of Moses. They contended that
this proved the Bible was a human fabrication of a later
era. However, in more recent times, archeologists have
discovered samples of writing that predate Moses by more
than 500 years! This alone doesn't prove that the Bible is
the word of God, but it does destroy an argument once
confidently made by the Bible's critics.
• The Existence of the Hittites – Until the beginning of
the 20th century, there was no known reference to the
Hittites outside of the Bible. This ancient nation is
claimed by Scripture to have been displaced by the
Israelites when Joshua led them into the promised land
(Joshua 1:4; 24:11). For years, skeptics pointed to the
Hittites as an example of a groundless myth created by the
writers of the Bible. However, in 1906, archeologists
uncovered the capital city of an ancient Hittite empire and
discovered an impressive library detailing Hittite history
and culture. Again, such a discovery does not prove that
the Bible is the word of God, but it does (or should!)
warn anyone that assuming the Bible is false until proven
otherwise is a very foolish thing to do.
The Bible has also been called untrustworthy because of its
mention of King Sargon of Assyria, the great wealth of
Solomon, and the existence of King Belshazzar of Babylon.
Yet, in each case, recent archeological findings have proven
the Bible to be true and the critics to have been wrong.
Though subjected to fierce, hostile and relentless criticism for
almost 2,000 years, the Bible has repeatedly been proven
amazingly reliable.
What could possibly explain the persistent popularity of
the Bible? Why would millions of people be so devoted to
such an ancient book at the beginning of the 21st century?
One sure reason is that the Bible continues to prove itself
relevant to our greatest needs and deepest questions. It
explains our sin and guilt, our hopes and fears, our joys and
sorrows. It gives dependable counsel on how to live life well
and how to truly love other people. It is honest in its
description of our struggles, our weakness and our failures.
Almost 3,000 years ago, King David marveled at the
relevance of the word of God:
The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether
righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much
pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the
comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there
is great reward (Psalm 19:11).
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path
(Psalm 119:105).
If you still do not believe that the Bible is the word of God or that it is worthy of your trust, I have a challenge for you – read it! Don't disregard the Bible until you have read it. The Bible welcomes your examination and your scrutiny of it. I close with this challenge because I believe that many skeptics have read the Bible, looking for evidence of its failings, only to become convinced of its reliability in the process. Go ahead, give it a chance! You will be so glad that you did!
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