External Evidences Of Inspiration

1. Only two choices:

When asked the question, “Who is Jesus?” we often point out to people that one cannot claim that Jesus was a good man, a good religious teacher, but not God-Jesus did not give one that choice. The same is true with the Bible.

Some want to believe that the Bible is a good book, a good guide for life, helpful and practical, but not the Word of God, and certainly not some standard by which we will be judged. BUT THE BIBLE DOESN'T CLAIM TO BE MERELY A GOOD PIECE OF LITERATURE (John 12:48; James 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible is either the Word of God, or it is the worst book ever written. For a book that makes the false claim to be the Word of God, is a book guilty of blasphemy. There is no middle ground.

2. Scientifically Accurate:

It shouldn’t surprise us, that the Bible is scientifically accurate for the Bible claims that the same God Who created the Universe (Genesis 1:1), is the same God Who authored this book (2 Timothy 3:16). Therefore, the Bible was authored by the Creator and therefore, biblical truth and scientific truth should always agree.

Points to Note:

· The Bible doesn’t contain any of the scientific mistakes current and popular at the time it was written. Belief in the spontaneous generation of life was commonly held in the ancient world (as it is today among evolutionary scientists), but the Bible clearly affirms that life comes from life and that after its kind (Genesis 1:11).

· Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the ancient Egyptians, but he taught that God created man in His own image and likeness (Acts 7:22; Genesis 1:26-27). Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, and yet those books contain none of the superstitions and myths, which were believed by the Egyptians.

· The Bible contains many examples of scientific foreknowledge, that is, verses that reveal secrets about the physical world, long before man discovered such truths.

1. Life only comes from existing life (Genesis 1:11). This truth really wasn’t established until the 19^th century A.D.

2. The earth is round (Isaiah 40:22, 740 B.C.). Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) was the first secular thinker to conclude that the earth was round, but unfortunately, other than his personal students, few were convinced by his arguments.

3. The earth is not supported (Job 26:7) (2000 B.C.?). Prior to 1543 A.D., many believed that the earth was rigidly supported and all movement was in the heavens.

4. The Oceans contain deep recesses (Job 38:16) (2000 B.C.). Prior to 1504 A.D., the universal opinion was that the ocean bottoms were flat, sandy beds like our deserts.

5. The Ocean Currents (Psalm 8:8) (1000 B.C.). Secular scientists did not discover these ocean currents or sea-lanes until 1855 A.D.

6. The Water-Vapor Cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7) (1000 B.C.).

7. The First Law of Thermodynamics (Genesis 2:1-2)(1500 B.C.), that is no new matter is being created, did not become a law of physics until after 1841 A.D.

8. The Second Law of Thermodynamics (Hebrews 1:10-12) (63 A.D.), this is the truth that the universe is wearing out and running down. Again, man did not discover this truth until after 1850 A.D.

A host of other examples could be cited. For more information on this topic read, “Has God Spoken” by A.O. Schnabel.

3. The Bible Has Been Attacked, But Always Proven Right:

To this day people say the Bible is in error about such things as the Creation happening in six days, or Noah’s flood being universal, and so on. But the Bible has been attacked for centuries by human thinkers who thought they knew more than God. Time and time again, the Bible has proven the skeptics wrong.

· There are no less than 48 references to the Hittites in the Old Testament, but they were unknown outside the Bible until near the end of the 19^th century. Some critics of the Bible boldly stated that the Bible was wrong. It is now known that the Hittites not only did exist as the Bible says, but they were a great and powerful people during Old Testament times.

· Sargon II, king of Assyria between 721-705 B.C. is mentioned only in Isaiah 20:1. Once again, ancient human writers knew nothing of him and some did not hesitate to deny that he every existed. Sargon's palace was found in 1843.

· The same argument could be made on behalf of the Bible’s scientific Foreknowledge. For centuries, secular thinkers argued that the earth was flat, that life spontaneously arises, and a host of other incorrect theories. One thing we should learn that is that Bible has always been right has always been ahead of secular ideas.

The Bible Is Inerrant

When we say that Bible is inerrant, we mean that it is infallibly correct, and that it is free from error. Such a conclusion must be reached from the following facts: 1. God is all-powerful and has the ability to preserve His Word. 2. God was able to preserve the Old Testament Scriptures (Matthew 5:17-18), how much more the New Testament which contains a better covenant? 3. Jesus promised us that His word would outlast the physical universe (Matthew 24:35). 4. Peter declared that the Word of God is incorruptible (1 Peter 1:23).

Point to Note:

When people argue that the Bible has been corrupted, they are very shortsighted. First, such a claim denies God’s power (Matthew 22:29), and His promises (1 Peter 1:23). Secondly, a corrupted gospel couldn’t save anyone, for we wouldn’t know what is error and what is truth.

Sometimes it is good to force people to see and accept the logical consequences of a false theory they have embraced. Too many just assume that a corrupted Bible lets them off the hook with God. The common reasoning is, 'If the Bible has been corrupted, then God can't condemn us for not following His word.” Many people view a corrupted Bible as a mistrial. First we need to be impressed that we are lost before we ever come into contact with the Bible (Mark 16:15-16).

God has a different view on this matter. Notice how God argues in 1 Corinthians 15:14-19. God says, “And if Christ has not been raised, then...” (15:14). And most people would answer God's question, '”Then we are all off the hook”. I mean, if Jesus wasn't raised, then He isn't the Son of God, and therefore we have nothing to fear in not obeying God. But God doesn't give the above popular conclusion. Rather, God says, “...Then your faith also is vain YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR SINS'”(15:17). The same type of argument or conclusion must follow the contention, “AND IF THE BIBLE HAS BEEN CORRUPTED, IF IT IS UNTRUSTWORTHLY, IF IT IS FILLED WITH ERROR, IF IT IS MISSING VALUABLE AND PRECIOUS TRUTHS, THEN YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR SINS.” For if our only communication with God is unreliable, then how do we know what pleases Him? We can't trust our own judgment (Proverbs 16:25), and the will of God can't be known, unless He reveals it (1 Corinthians 2:9-13). A corrupted Bible would mean that everyone is in the same boat, the lost boat! The ship of fools! A corrupted Bible doesn't give us an "out", rather such a tragedy would mean that we are all hopelessly lost. For if we can't know the truth, then how can we find salvation? (John 8:32) A corrupted Bible would be a blind guide (Matthew 15:14).

Most people who argue or suggest that the Bible we possess isn't trustworthy and has been mistranslated or corrupted in some way, are simply echoing an opinion they have heard. Such is even true of many of the so-called "experts". For example, Thomas Paine (1737-1809) wrote a passionate attack upon the Bible called 'The Age Of Reason'. “His qualification for such a task may be illustrated by the following admission. In discussing a passage in the book of Job, Paine says, "I recollect not enough of the passages of Job to insert them correctly..for I keep no Bible (p. 133). Again: "[When] I began the former part of The Age of Reason, I had, besides, neither Bible nor Testament to refer to, though I was writing against both (p. 71). So much for "scholarship" (Reason & Revelation. 12/94 p. 92). Thus when someone claims that the Bible has been corrupted, inaccurately translated, etc. ask them to: (a) Give you a specific example, a precise passage, and the exact words in that passage that don't belong there-and proof that they don't belong. (b) If you believe it is wrong then what did the passage originally say? (c) A specific example of a Biblical doctrine that has been lost, perverted, added or misrepresented.

The belief that the Bible is inerrant is so fundamental, for once people start believing that the Bible might contain historical or scientific errors; it is very easy to believe that the Bible is also mistaken in terms of various moral and spiritual issues. Today, some who insist that homosexuality is all right simply dismiss passages such as Romans 1:18-32 as being written when people were ignorant about the true cause of such behaviors. Thus, the Bible is no longer the standard, but the latest popular human opinions.

The Bible Needs No Revision

1. When we say, revision, we are not talking about new translations or versions, but of revising the content of the Bible. God says His world abides forever (1 Peter 1:24-25). Remember, the Old Testament was never “revised”, and applied to everyone under that covenant from beginning to end. The same is true in the New Testament. The words that Jesus spoke while on this earth will judge all mankind at the last day (John 12:48).

2. In addition, a tremendous amount of manuscript evidence exists for the Old and especially the New Testament. The conclusion in studying all these ancient copies of the Scriptures is the following:

"Recently the sands of Egypt have yielded even earlier copies of New Testament books from about A.D. 200-250..these copies preserve large portions of the N.T.-Luke, Acts, much of the Pauline Epistles and Revelation..What do these copies look like? They differ from the text of the King James Version only in details. It may be said in general that these earliest manuscripts show a text practically the same as that used in the American Revised Version...Anyone can therefore test for himself approximately how much variation there is among these manuscripts by comparing these two versions. (The KJV and ASV) There is one fragment of John called the Rylands Papyrus dated about A.D. 125. It is extremely early, being written within thirty years of the original copy..A translation of it reads exactly like the American Revised Version. These facts reinforce the famous dictum of Westcott and Hort that not one-tenth of one per cent of the text of the New Testament is in dispute, and none of this concerns any doctrine of faith." ("The Problem of Communication". R. Laird Harris. In: "The Bible The Living Word of Revelation. p. 97). My question would be, if this is the integrity of the text of New Testament books, and such reflects the great care taken in copying those books that were viewed as the word of God, then how can anyone seriously argue that while error didn't creep into the text, whole books were lost? They meticulously copied, preserved, and even died for 27 books, while others, equally inspired were so carelessly handled that they ended up lost?

Many Christians and non-Christians are unaware that various "lists" of inspired books were in existence long before the Church Councils of later centuries. "The earliest list of New Testament books, of which we have definite knowledge, was drawn up at Rome by the heretic Marcion about 140 A.D...Another early list..dated about the end of the second century, is that commonly called the 'Muratorian Fragment'..it evidently mentioned Matthew and Mark, because it refers to Luke as the third Gospel; then it mentions John, Acts, Paul's nine letters to churches and four to individuals..Jude, two Epistles of John, and the Apocalypse of John..it adds that other letters circulating under Paul's name were not accepted by the Church..The Shepherd of Hermas is mentioned as worthy to be read (i.e. in the church) but not to be included in the number of prophetic or apostolic writings...Eusebius (c. 265-340) mentions as generally acknowledged all the books of our New Testament except James, Jude, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, which were disputed by some, but recognized by the majority. Athanasius in 367 lays down the twenty-seven books of our New Testament as alone canonical; shortly afterwards Jerome and Augustine followed his example in the West..The first ecclesiastical councils to classify the canonical books were both held in North Africa--at Hippo Regius in 393 and at Carthage in 397--but what these councils did was not to impose something new upon the Christian communities but to codify what was ALREADY the general practice of those communities" (The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? F.F. Bruce pp. 22-27).

Someone has noted that only God could “revise” the Bible, seeing that it is an inspired document and that no man can inherently tell the difference between truth and error in the spiritual realm (Jeremiah 10:23). But since God has never issued an up-dated Bible, such is proof that the Bible we possess today is the Word of God.

The Bible is The Standard of Judgment at the Last Day

1. We will be judged by the teachings of Jesus (John 12:48).

2. Sins condemned in the First Century will still be wrong at the last day (Galatians 5:21; 1 Cor. 6:9-11).

The Bible is All Sufficient

1. Jesus claimed that “all truth” would be revealed through the apostles (John 16:13).

2. Scriptures make the man of God equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

3. The faith, what Christians must believe, has once for all been delivered to God’s people (Jude 3).

4. The mystery has been revealed (Ephesians 3:3-5).

5. God has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

6. There is no promise of future revelation, another covenant, additional truth, another Messiah, and so on.

7. Compare with the Old Testament. God spoke up to a point and then stopped speaking. Old Testament revelation ended with the book of Malachi.

8. The creeds of men are not needed. If a creed contains more than the New Testament contains it contains too much. If it contains less than the New Testament contains it contains too little. The underlying basis for religious creeds is that the Bible is too complicated and must be explained to the common person, that is, men can say things better than God said them. Rather, God says He has given us everything we need and what we need is revealed in the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In addition, for Scripture to equip us in reference to all good works, it must be understandable to the person who wants to be involved in those good works.