PURPOSE OF THE BIBLE

YOUTH STUDY #5

CSI St JOHNS CHURCH

PONDICHERRY

Why is the bible important?

• It tells me of GOD

• It tells me of CHRIST

• It tells me of Salvation

• IT REAVEALS WHO I AM

• And MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

How is the bible Important?

• THE INSPIERED WORD OF GOD

• Teaches and directs me to GOD

• Gives me purpose in my life

• Inspires me to emulate CHRIST

• Comforts me when I fall

• And strengthens me to rise again

Why should I trust the Bible?

• It’s message is consistent though it was the longest book in making. 1500 yrs.

• It had a large number of authors from different walks of life, nearly 40 from three continents.

• Its message has been and is being fulfilled.• The historical aspect of the bible is proven

beyond doubt.

How can I trust the bible?

• Unchanging author and unchanging message of HIS love.

• What he speaks in my heart today is the same he spoke to the scribes of the bible, and I can hear HIM today.

• His word has the power to redeem me.• BECAUSE I HAVE FAITH THROUGH

CHRIST

Youth Study # 5, May’ 11

Reliability of the Bible

Why the Bible is Reliable

Proof of the reliability of the bible;

I. The Historical Evidence

II. Inerrancy

III. Archaeology

I. Historical Evidence

• The Bible is tested like any historical document.– Internal Evidence Test– External Evidence Test

A). Internal Evidence

Asks, “Does the text agree with itself? Are its claims consistent?”

The Bible claims to:

1. Be “The inspired Word of God”.

2. Have a credible account of the life of Jesus.

3. Have fulfilled Prophecy

1. The Bible claims to be the Inspired Word of God.

• “Inspired”- means “God - breathed”

It refers not to the writers, but to what is written.

• II Timothy 3:16- “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

• II Peter 1:20-21- “But know this first of all , that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

God used each writer, in his own style, to write according to His will.

2).The Bible claims to be the credible account of the life of Jesus.

– II Peter 1:16- “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses to His majesty.”

Historical Evidence

Acts 2:22- “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.”

John 20:31 “…but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”

3). Fulfilled Prophecy

One of the greatest proofs that the Bible is the Inspired Word of God.

The Bible demonstrates knowledge of the future by the foretelling of persons, places and events. The prophesies in the Bible are not vague generalities but rather specific in their detail.

Messianic Prophecy:• Born of a Virgin (Is. 7:14/Mt 1:18-25)• Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2/ Mt. 2:1)• Life, Death, ministry of the Messiah- Current

Rebirth of Israel

(McDowell, New Evidence p.193)

Peter Stoner (statistician) from Science Speaks “We find that the chance that any man

might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.” (pp.100-107).

Historical Evidence

A). Internal Evidence-

1. Inspired Word of God

2. Credible life of Jesus

3. Fulfilled Prophecy

B). External Evidence-

B). The External Evidence

Checks to see if there are other reliable sources that confirm the internal testimony of the documents.

List of authors who writings confirm the reliability of the Bible or mention Jesus or the formation of the early church.

• Eusebuis, Ecclesiastical History III.39,(130 AD)• Iranaeus, Bishop of Lyons, Against heresies (180AD)• Clement of Rome (95AD)• Ignatius (70-110AD)• Polycarp (70-156 AD)• Flavius Josephus (30-100AD)• Tatian (170 AD)• Cornelius Tactius (Annals of Imperial Rome) and the list goes on….(Case for Christ p.104-108)

Craig Bloomberg DCC 2002

Says: “ A dozen non-Christian sources that mention that Jesus of Nazareth did exist. They claim and say- Jesus of Nazareth worked miracles and cast out demons.

-Believed to be the Messiah-Crucified-Raised from the dead- Founder of a religious movement that kept growing. Read book: Robert E. VanVoorst “Jesus outside the

New Testament”.

1st Generation Christian History The local leaders, places,practices that

are mentioned in the book of Acts and in Paul’s letters are all confirmed and documented by non-Christian sources.

3 Main topics of the Bible

I. The Historical Evidence

II. Inerrancy

III. Archaeology

II. The Bible is Inerrant

Inerrancy- refers to the reliability of scripture.

The Bible is unique– Written over 1,600 years ago– More than 40 authors– 31 languages– Amazingly unique, One story,One problem,

One solution.

Josh McDowell said:

“The Bible has 40 authors written over a period of 1,500 years. Not by authors with the same education, culture, and language, but vastly different education, many different cultures and from 3 continents with 3 different languages and about 100 subjects…And yet the Bible is a Unity.”

The Bible is Inerrant

• Over 25,000 manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament.

• Few remaining manuscripts of Hebrew Old Testament.

• Quality of manuscripts- 99.5% accuracy

• Time span within 25 yrs.

(McDowell- Demands a Verdict, p.34)

Dead Sea Scrolls-

-Found in 1948 in caves along Dead Sea.

-These scrolls were manuscripts 1,000 years older than any in previous existence.

- Scrolls written by- Jews who lived at a place called Qumran from 150 B.C to

A. D. 70.

-Scrolls were fragments of almost every

Old Testament book.

Between 30 to 60 years after the life of Christ the Gospels were written.

Meaning that : there were still eyewitnesses alive that could have challenged the claims about the life of Christ….but they didn’t.

Faithful Historian who wrote

Luke 1:1-4 “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”

The Bible is Inerrant

• In comparison:– Homer Iliad is 2nd with only 643

manuscripts that still survive.

(McDowell, Demands a Verdict, p.34)

John Warwick Montgomery says: “to be skeptical of the resultant text of the

New Testament books is to allow all classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested bibliographically as the New Testament.”

(McDowell, Demands a Verdict, p. 35)

The Encyclopedia Britannica says: “When the textual scholar has examined

the manuscripts and the versions, he still has not exhausted the evidence for the New Testament text.

(EB, VOL 3, 579-McDowell- Demands a Verdict, p. 43)

3 Main topics of the Bible

I. The Historical Evidence

II. Inerrancy

III. Archaeology

III. Archaeological Evidence

- 2 Pools in Jerusalem

- Pilate inscription

- Man crucified with ankle nails (1968)

- “Jesus Boat” (1980)

- Temple site in Jerusalem

- Caiaphas’ tomb (1990’s)

William Albright, a world renowned archaeologist and professor at John Hopkins states, “ There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition.” (Archeology and the Religions of Israel, p. 176)

In another place, he adds, “Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history.” (The archaeology of Palestine, p. 127-128).

Right now there is the most evidence that the Bible is reliable -more than there has ever been in time.