The quote below is one I like & agree with regarding why I choose to believe the Bible:
"I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies, and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin." (Dr. Voddie Baucham)
Here are just a few reasons that support the Bible being the authoritative word of God:
• The Bible has 66 books and is a reliable collection of historical documents, written by over 40 authors from different walks of life on three different continents. It was written in 3 different languages over a period of over 1600 years. The Bible was written by eyewitnesses who were alive during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. The Bible has an internal consistency in revelation from beginning to end.
• Prophecies relating to the birth, death, & resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament were written several hundred years prior to his birth.
• There are over 6,000 complete or partial manuscripts of the New Testament, many written within 100 years of the original documents (over 24,000 including the Old Testament). The original New Testament manuscripts were written in Greek and translated into Syrian, Latin, & Coptic. The differences in the manuscripts amount to less than 5% of the entire New Testament text, and do not effect any essential doctrine. The closest non-biblical ancient text manuscript to the original is Caesar’s Commentaries, of which there are only 9 manuscripts, dated at least 900 years from the original.
• The writings of Early Church Fathers (Justin Martyr, Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, and others) contain all but 11 verses of the New Testament text. This text is consistent with the text of the New Testament manuscripts mentioned above.
• There are over 25,000 archeological discoveries connected to the Old Testament, none of which contradict or disprove the Bible.
Below is why I believe, as the Protestant Reformers did, in “Sola Scriptura” (scripture alone), or the belief that the Holy Scriptures are enough for all matters of belief, faith, and doctrine.
• 2 Timothy 3:14-17: The Apostle Paul tells the young disciple Timothy that believing in the Bible (scripture) is not irrational, that it is consistent with the testimony of the eyewitnesses of Christ, that it is God breathed, profitable for salvation, wisdom, contains spiritual power, and is sufficient to equip the believer for every circumstance.
• Hebrews 4:12: The Bible’s words have spiritual power to judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
• Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing the word of God.
• John 20: 31 states that the words he (the Apostle John) wrote are so that the reader would believe in Jesus Christ and have salvation in His name.
• In Luke 1:1-3, Luke the physician states that he wrote an orderly account of what he had researched so that his student Theophilus could know the certainty of the things he had been taught about Christ.
It is clear that if we neglect the reading of the Bible, we deprive ourselves of the Spiritual Power of God, power to get us through the most difficult times of life. It is also clear that the Bible alone is sufficient for our spiritual growth and transformation, according to the very words of the authors. When we read the Bible, spiritual reformation and transformation takes place. The combination of Martin Luther’s German translation of the Bible and the Gutenberg Printing Press allowed the Bible to be distributed and read by people as never before, a fact which fuelled the Reformation and the Protestant Church.
What about the objection that the Bible was written by man? The Bible tells us that it was written by God and by real men. This is similar to the doctrine and nature of Christ, who was fully God and fully man. Therefore, the concept is consistent with Biblical revelation.
Yes, I believe the Bible is God’s Word and alone is sufficient and all that is necessary for knowing God and obtaining salvation by faith through grace alone. I like what a modern day Christian martyr said about the Bible:
“One cannot simply read the Bible, like other books. One must be prepared really to enquire of it. Only thus will it reveal itself. Only if we expect from it the ultimate answer, shall we receive it.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
Below are links to some helpful Websites that contain Bible text and tools to help you in your study:
Hey, Dave.
ReplyDeleteNice web site! Thanks for posting a link to mine.
Ron
Thanks Ron!
ReplyDelete