What is the Bible?
Bible means “book.” But what kind of book is the Bible?
Some think it is a record of religious striving toward encounters with God an essentially human book. Traditionally, the Christian church has seen the Bible as more than this, the Bible is viewed as the written Word of God.
The first words of the book show that God is the leading character of this divine autobiography: “In the beginning God . . .”
The pages of the Bible show us God taking the initiative, giving us information about himself and revealing His purposes for us His creation. How we view the Bible is crucial because it holds the key to knowing for certain that God exists.
And how can we know-about him if He does exist? Clearly, our finite minds cannot penetrate God’s infinity. Job’s friend asked him,
“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7). The answers come with a resounding “yes” through God’s self-revelation, the Bible.
Psalm 119:89-96
89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.
91 Your laws endure to this day,
for all things serve you.
92 If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have preserved my life.
94 Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought out your precepts.
95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me,
but I will ponder your statutes.
96 To all perfection I see a limit;
but your commands are boundless.
The Bible is book is the bestselling book in all of history and has been translated into more languages than any other book.
In the Bible, His chosen instrument, God unfolds for us His true character. Through everyday human histories He tells us where we came from, what our ultimate destiny is and the purpose, of our lives.
He gives practical instructions, heart-thumping encouragements, warnings and divine wisdom. All from our Creator.
Here God’s unrivalled power and integrity are also unveiled.
The people God used to record His words were themselves uncommonly moved by them. They said the Word of God is
honey in my mouth (Ezekiel 3:3)
spiritual food for the hungry (Job 21:12)
dwelling in me richly (Colossians 3:16)
a lamp for my feet (Psalm 119:105)
a joy and delight to my heart (Jeremiah 15:16)
renewing my mind (Romans 12:12)
a fire that burns in my heart (Jeremiah 20:9)
more precious than gold (Psalm 19:10)
sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)
a great reward (Psalm 19:11)
true and righteous (Psalm 119:160)
penetrating my thoughts and attitudes (Hebrews 4:12)
perfect and trustworthy (Psalm 19:7)
Someone once told me, “When I read the Bible, I fall asleep.” He overlooked the fact that it was the God of the universe who spoke these words. When we catch hold of this truth, the words fly off the pages and are life-changing.
Why do we need the Bible, in today’s society?
Today our need for the Bible, Gods Word, is more important than ever. Our world is full of ideas that are in some cases well intentioned, but challenge the time-honoured concepts of the God of the Bible.
Ideas such as “All religions lead to Heaven” and “There are many ways” come from every side. Relativism has taken over, denying the possibility of one truth source; post modernism has arrived, bringing its classic morality; secularism joins in exalting existential experience.
GOD UNMASKED
By contrast, God the Creator has revealed himself unmasked himself, as we would to a friend, He has done this in several ways.
Nature and the entire cosmos blare the message of a powerful Designer.
Our natural world, from the most minute atom, to the complexities of molecular DNA and RNA, to the innumerable galaxies all shout the Designer’s intelligence.
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20).
“The heavens declare the glory of God. . . . There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1,3).
Through history God has revealed himself, particularly in His dealings with Israel and the nations surrounding it. Such Old Testament expressions as “Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God” (2 Chronicles 13:13) reflect recognition of God because of His activity in the affairs of individuals and nations.
Isaiah 63:8-9 pictures God’s persistent reaching out to Israel: “Surely they are my people, sons who will not be false to me”; and so He became their Saviour. In all their distress He too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
The words of the prophets were also instruments of God’s revelation as they interpreted their circumstances and God’s will. “The word of the LORD came to me” and “This is what the LORD says” are recurring phrases throughout the Old Testament (Ezekiel 6:1; 7:1; 12:1; Zechariah 8:1; Exodus 4:22; 1 Samuel 2:27), called propositional revelation.
GOD’S SPECIAL REVELATION
Jesus Christ was God’s fullest and clearest revelation, He was God incarnate. “The image of the invisible God,” “The Word became flesh,” and “We beheld His glory” are a few descriptions of Jesus Christ. The writers in Hebrews and Acts explained it this way: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
“All the prophets testify about him [Jesus] that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through His name” (Acts 10:43)
WRITTEN RECORD NEEDED
Why was the Bible written? What about people who were not present and did not see God’s involvement in history, or the events surrounding Christ’s incarnation, His, death, and resurrection?
To reach all Generations, a written record was needed, one that would touch all people everywhere. The Bible was God’s chosen vehicle.
Testament means, “covenant” an alliance between two partners, an “agreement” a “promise.” The Old Testament covenant was brought to fulfilment in the New Testament. Through Israel, the entire world would learn of God’s covenant to send a redeemer.
God’s covenant was first specifically given to Abraham (then Abram). It covered three aspects: a land for Israel, a nation (numbered more than the stars in the heaven) and blessing to all the people of the earth (the Redeemer to bring God’s forgiveness). See Genesis 12:1-3 and 15:4-7.
The Bible’s Two Sections
Old Testament New Testament
Number of books 39 27
Major groups Law, Historical books,Poetry, Wisdom, Prophets Gospels, Acts, Epistles. Revelation
Years to write 1,100 years 100 years
LANGUAGES
The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. Then a gradual infiltration of the Greek language came with the expansion of the Greek empire under Alexander the Great from Greece to Persia in 331B.C including Palestine.
Through several centuries, Greek culture dominated until the Romans conquered the land under Pompey in 66 B.C.
Jesus was born into a Hebrew culture in which the spoken language was a “common” form of Hebrew called Aramaic and a “common” form of Greek called Koine. Jewish people, largely in common Greek, wrote the New Testament.
A Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, called the Septuagint (meaning seventy), was made by a group of seventy-two Jewish scholars about 250 B.C. for the Israelites. It was necessary because of the impact of Hellenism on Judaism.
The books were arranged according to similarity of subject matter; and this is the order of the Protestant Bible today.
With the spread of Christianity to Rome, the Latin Vulgate version was translated in roughly A.D. 400. It became the authorised version of the Catholic Church. Twelve books, called the Apocrypha (meaning “hidden”), were included in this version. They were never included in the Hebrew Old Testament or in the Protestant editions today. New Testament writers quoted from every other book of the Old Testament except those in the Apocrypha.
There were no chapter and verse divisions until around the year A.D. 1214, when the books were divided into chapters Over three hundred years later, verses were given numbers.
BREATHED OUT!
How was a book of history covering over two thousand years written? And how could it have a single theme? Two clear statements from the New Testament answer this question:
“Above all, you must understand that 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.”
(2 Peter 1:20-21).
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
When we say the Bible is Inspired what do we mean? The Bible originated in God’s mind, not in human minds. It was given to us by inspiration. The Bible is not inspired in the way we might say the writings of Shakespeare were inspired or the music of Elvis was inspired. The biblical sense of inspiration means ‘God so superintended the writers of Scripture that they wrote what He wanted them to write, disclosing the exact truth He wanted conveyed.’
The word inspired means “out breathed” (from the mouth of God). Paul is not ambiguous; the words did not come from the writers themselves! Inspiration applies to the end result – the Scripture itself – a faulty script would be useless.
EVERY WORD IS INSPIRED
Assent to the fact of the inspiration of the Bible can be a superficial nod of the head or a heartfelt awe over God’s intentional reaching out to each of us. Three terms help us understand the truth of inspiration.
Plenary inspiration means all of Scripture is inspired – not merely some parts. (Plenary means “full.”) Implicit in God’s act of plenary inspiration is His disclosure of exactly what we need to know about him no more, no less. He communicated His basic plans and promises for all of His creation.
Verbal inspiration indicates that inspiration extends to the words of the Bible themselves, not only to the ideas. God did not dictate the Scripture mechanically but guided and superintended the writers within the framework of their own personalities and backgrounds. This guidance would of necessity include their choice of words, since thoughts are composed of words, much as a theme of music consists of individual notes. Altering the notes alters the song.
Plenary verbal inspiration stresses the authenticity and reliability of the very words that were written, without depriving the writers of their individuality. A Christian who has such a high view of inspiration examines prayerfully the meaning of each word and remains sincerely interested in using modern tools of textual study to understand the original meaning.
GOD GUARDED EACH COPY
The inspiration of the Scripture applies only to the text as originally produced by the writers. Those original writings were without error.
Through the centuries (before typewriters or computers), copyists did meticulous work.
These copyists worked with such precision and reverence that they wiped their pens clean each time before writing the name of God.
We now have thousands of miraculously preserved copies, differing from each other in only minute ways.
One scholar describes the differences by using the English spellings of honor and honour, both considered correct.
God sovereignly guarded and protected the copies we have now.
The philosopher Voltaire in his day said, “in 100 years the Bible will be a forgotten book, only to be found in museums.”
100 years later, Voltaire was dead, and his house was purchased by the Geneva Bible Society for the printing and distribution of Bibles!
WRITERS NOT PUPPETS
40 different men, from 13 different countries and three different continents to yet it all comes together as a literary masterpiece, with one central theme. That’s a miracle, with a divine Author overseeing the whole thing! Those 40 men came from a variety of backgrounds: doctors, fishermen, shepherds, soldiers, kings, princes, some were rich, some were poor, educated, uneducated.
The Bible covers a variety of subjects: The origin of the universe, creation of man, beginning of sin, divine principles of government, the rise and history of Israel, the incarnation of Christ, the institution of the church, and the evangelism of the world Yet, with all of this variety, with all of these colours making its light, with a thousand threads weaving its tapestry, there is one theme from beginning to end: Jesus Christ, and the redemption of mankind.
God chose writers whose hearts were receptive to him, yet each one was uniquely different. They were not human typewriters, He wants no puppets.
The full personalities of the writers entered into their writings. The individual writing styles of the authors are evident, some obviously reflecting more education than others, for example. The writers of the Psalms were diverse, some poets, some singers, and so on. Though their human capacities came into play, all of these writers were superintended and borne along in a unique way by the Holy Spirit as they each wrote from a different perspective.
How writers were inspired
Method Events
God described directly to the writer The creation of the universe and human race (Genesis 1-2)
Writers actually witnessed The resurrection and Jesus Miracles (John 20:3-9)
Copied from other texts handed down from eyewitnesses The creation of Luke’s gospel (Luke 1:1-4)
God spoke directly to the prophets “This is what the LORD says” (Jeremiah 30:1-2)
However the words came to be recorded, all Scripture is viewed by the writers themselves as words from God, not from their own minds. The apostle Paul speaks of Scripture as “the very words of God” (Romans 3:2),
Jesus himself quoted the Old Testament as the counsel of God given through the writers. The early believers prayed in Acts, “Sovereign Lord . . . you spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David”; they then quoted Psalm 2:1-2 (Acts 4:24-25).
Benjamin Warfield pointed out that such instances of equating Scriptures as if they were God resulted from the writer’s habitual identification of Scripture with God. It became natural to use the terms “Scripture says” and “God says” synonymously.
THE WORDS OF EVIL PEOPLE?
To say all Scripture is inspired does not mean all the attitudes and ideas are God’s truth. Some are the words of evil and foolish people, even of Satan himself. Such parts are recorded as accurate information, true pictures of the people’s words and their circumstances. In the book of Job we are told the words of Jehovah, the words of Satan, the speeches of Job’s three friends and the words of Job himself. Not all are equally God’s truth and authoritative, but inspiration guarantees that what each speaker said was accurately recorded. A good rule for any passage is to check the participants and their belief systems.
A few scholars have implied that the Bible “contains” the Word of God rather than “is” the Word of God in its entirety. If this were true, how would we know which parts are trust worthy and which are not? Often salvation and history are inextricably intertwined. For example, if the cross and the resurrection were not historical events, of what value are they in salvation? Personal subjective judgment is a shaky foundation on which to base our faith.
INSPIRED BOOKS?
How would you explain the phrase “The canon of Scripture”?
The Bible, as we know it today, is called the “canon” of Scripture, that Is, those books recognized as inspired. In Jesus’ time the Old Testament was viewed as a completed collection. He and the apostles referred to this collection as “the Scripture.” Most of the books of the Old Testament are quoted in the New and always as authoritative. According to careful calculation, approximately 32 percent – nearly one-third of the New Testament is composed of Old Testament quotations and allusions.
The canon of the New Testament, as we know it today, became fixed when Athanasius (A.D. 297-373), considered the father of orthodoxy, listed the books of the New Testament in his thirty-ninth Paschal Letter (A.D. 367). Our canon today was also confirmed at a church council held in Cathage in A.D. 397. Three criteria were used in recognising canonicity:
Was the book apostolic in origin?
Was the book used and recognised by the churches?
Did the book teach sound doctrine?
Based on answers to these three questions, the orthodox Protestant church today docs not accept as canonical the twelve books of the Apocrypha. Also, the Jews never recognised these books as part of their Old Testament.
SOURCE OF BELIEF
What was your primary source of religious belief when you were young? If you now have a new primary source, what caused the shift?
Generally, scholars have discussed four sources for religious belief. The first possible source for our beliefs is tradition, the authority of a particular church. This is the view of Roman Catholics and other groups.
The second source is human reason, a view often adopted by well-read thinkers. Human reason could include other religions or philosophies as well as unfounded ideas such as those of the Mormon Church’s Joseph Smith finding buried tablets or palm readers or psychics telling the future. Such ideas are missing a rational truth source.
A third recently popularised source of belief is an existential encounter or an emotional experience of any variety. These can be mistaken for God’s revelation.
The fourth source of belief is the Bible itself, which Christians have recognised as supported and verified by rational investigation and the historicity of Jesus Christ himself.
To take this position does not deny tradition or human reason, but it does demand that all beliefs be submitted to the message of Scripture.
Based on repeatedly accredited evidence of modern archaeology, we can trust the Bible with confidence. God’s truth remains our reality.
INTERPRETING THE BIBLE
Biblical understanding and interpretation can be oversimplified as either “literal” or “figurative.” As when reading anything, including the daily newspaper, some parts of the Bible are to be taken literally and other parts figuratively.
The Bible uses literary forms such as poetry, allegory, narrative and parable. Though some passages are more perplexing than others, usually common sense helps understanding. The statement “Two people were killed in an accident on the motorway” is obviously literal. “He shot at the goal and the Crowd went mad” contains readily recognised figurative language. A player does not “shoot” and the fans though they may get excited, do not become insane.
Figures of speech can be recognised by considering the intent of the author. The Bible is full of metaphors such as “I am the door” and “I am the vine, you are the branches.” Obviously these sentences are not talking about a literal door or wood or tree branches.
The context of a chapter or book is an excellent starting point for understanding a biblical passage. Statements lifted out of their context can become entirely distorted, even developing into unbiblical doctrines. A sceptic once triumphantly asserted, “The Bible says, ‘There is no God.” He was considerably deflated when reminded of the context: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1).
UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT
What are some questions you could ask yourself when trying to interpret a passage of Scripture?
Who is the writer or speaker; who is addressed?
What is the relationship between the two?
What is the primary teaching of the passage?
Is there application for us?
The importance of this cannot be overemphasised. This is applying God’s Word to our own lives, personalizing biblical truth and living by it.
Application can be universal, applied to all people everywhere; or limited, applied to specific situations, present or future. Think about the truth about God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit - “Through the pages, I see You, Lord.” Chew on these truths, letting them affect your relationship with God.
Write these truths in your own words.
Pray to him about these truths.
The Scripture is its own best commentary.
Often a verse or a passage becomes clear when studied in the light of other biblical statements on the same subject.
Look up a key word in a concordance. Using a good Bible dictionary or a general dictionary to investigate the full meaning of the words of Scripture will reveal surprising riches.
Consult several translations.
Though the Bible has many human writers, remind yourself constantly that in the final analysis there was only one Author God himself.
“I use Scripture as a lighter to kindle the fire in my heart.” Martin Luther
DOES THE SUN RISE?
Perhaps the most common challenge to the Bible today is this: do scientific facts and statements in the Bible conflict? How should we respond?
Scientists, and all of us, speak in what is called phenomenological language that is, we describe things as they appear to be rather than in precise scientific terms. This is common in the Bible. To say the sun rises in the east is a phenomenological statement. Technically, we know the sun does not really “rise.” The Bible has been easily understood in all cultures throughout history because it describes things in a phenomenological way. The Bible does not claim to be a science textbook, but where it touches scientific matters, it does not give misinformation.
When Bible information is incomplete, it is not necessarily incorrect. Science is always building on previous knowledge, sometimes scraps of knowledge. Advancement on incomplete theories does not mean the theories were incorrect.
Guard against making the Bible say things that, on closer examination, it really doesn’t say. Carefully investigate whether the supposed conflict is between biblical teaching and scientific facts or between interpretation of Scripture and interpretation of scientific facts.
At times an interpretation at variance with biblical truth is more philosophic than scientific.
Our presuppositions inevitably colour our conclusions; the Christian, the scientist and the atheist all consider spiritual truth with prior presuppositions. For example, an atheist will dismiss the possibility of miracles while a Christian presupposes there is a mighty God who can and would do miracles.
Christians base their presuppositions on God’s general revelation, His written revelation and His special revelation – Jesus Christ.
Be careful not to “freeze” a point of conflict between science and Gods revelation, assuming the Bible to wrong. The Bible has not changed in two thousand years, but science has moved on. To have reconciled the Bible to scientific views current a hundred years ago would have made Scripture obsolete today! Far better to admit apparent conflict and await the development of additional evidence.
It is interesting to note that modern science was born and largely developed by Christians. Believing in a personal God as Creator, they were convinced that the universe was orderly and uniform in its natural laws and therefore capable of meaningful investigation. The truth of biblical revelation and the truth of science will ultimately agree. All truth is from God.
The Bible revealed scientific facts hundreds and thousands of years before science learned about them.
While it is true that the Bible is not primarily a science book, not a text book designed to speak to your mind, but rather a love letter to speak to your heart, we should remember that the God of salvation is the God of creation…and when the Bible does speak on scientific matters, it speaks with complete authority and absolute certainty and accuracy.
Every once in a while you’ll hear about modern science disagreeing with the Bible. What should we do when this happens?
Be patient, and give science time to catch up! Science has always needed to catch up with the Bible. Want Some examples?
Medicine:
As recently as 1600 doctors and scientists still believed that many ailments and diseases were a result of the human body having too much blood.
Outside a Barber shop there is often a pole out front with a red and white stripe. The red stripe used to signify that you could go there to be “bled”. Doctors would prescribe that you go to the barber to be bled!
When George Washington became ill, his doctors bled him 3 times, the 3rd time they removed so much blood he died!
Now, science knows, it’s the blood that fights diseases/brings nourishment/repairs tissue/promotes growth. If only they had read Leviticus 17:11,
“the life of the flesh is in the blood.”
In the 14th Century the black plague decimated the population in Europe, 1 in 4 people died! It wasn’t the scientists or doctors who brought the plague under control, it was the church. The church applied a principle to the situation that was unheard of in that day, but which we take for granted today…quarantine! “As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.” (Leviticus 13:46 )
People in Moses’ day didn’t know anything about microbiology. They didn’t know what a germ or virus was! But God gave them the principle of quarantine.
1800’s physician in Vienna named Semovice, in charge of a hospital there. Pregnant women were coming in for routine exams and immediately after examination, many of them were dying of infection. Semovice noticed that doctors were entering the examination area from all other areas of the hospital, including the morgue, without washing their hands.He made it a rule that hands had to be washed and the doctors said “this is ridiculous, it will slow us down!” The medical field today knows to wash up, but only because science has caught up with the Bible in this area. Thousands of years ago, Moses wrote in Numbers 19:14-19 of the importance of quarantine, washing with water, changing clothes and the time interval for bacteria to die.
How did Moses know these things? “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16).
So far we’ve been looking at the medical field, and all the verses written down by Moses. Where was Moses from? Egypt! Egypt was the leader in the medical trade in those days. The ancient Egyptians were considered to be brilliant in the area of medicine.
Archaeologists found a medical book in 1855, “Papyrus Eburs”: a comprehensive book containing virtually all the medical info they had in the time in which Moses lived.
Some of the information was a little odd: “to prevent the hair from turning gray, you anoint your head with the blood of a black cat boiled in oil, or with the fat of a rattlesnake”
Baldness: “apply a mixture of 6 fats, namely those of the snake, to strengthen it, anoint with the tooth of a donkey, crushed in honey.” Another cure: soak head in persimmon juice it won’t grow hair, but will shrink your head to fit the hair you’ve got!
This is from the brilliant ancient Egyptians, in whose schools Moses was educated. I’m glad in Moses’ writings we don’t find these instructions! I’m glad that when you read the dietary code/sanitary code Moses wrote down, you find the highest standards anywhere, and without medical contradiction. Why? Because all scripture is given by inspiration!
Astronomy:
We take for granted that the earth is suspended in space, hanging from nothing. Ancient Egyptians believed and taught that the earth was supported by 5 marble pillars. Greeks believed earth rested on the shoulders of the god Atlas. Hindus believed earth rested on the backs of elephants, when they shook, that was an earthquake…and the elephants rested on the back of a huge tortoise, which was on top of a coiled serpent in the midst of a cosmic sea.
Aren’t you glad you don’t read that foolishness in the Bible! Job said in the oldest of Biblical writings:
“He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; He suspends the earth over nothing.”
(Job 26:7) That was a radical thought until just a few hundred years ago. How did Job know that perhaps 8,000 years ago? All scripture is given by inspiration!
Nobody believed the earth was round until 1492. “Columbus, you’re going to sail off the end of the earth…” but 700 years before Christ, Isaiah 40:22 said that “God He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.”
150 B.C., Astronomer named Hipparchus laid down his pencil and said, “it’s done!” He believed he had counted all the stars in the sky. 1,022! That was the number used in Universities for 250 years. Then Ptolemy came along and laughed, 1,022, that’s ridiculous, there’s 1,026! He found 4 more! And that was science for 1,300 years. Then Galileo came along with his invention, the first crude telescope, he looked through it for the first time, and gasped.
We know now that there are billions and billions of stars in each of the galaxies, which are innumerable!
What did God say to Abraham in the Bible long before any of them were even born? “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” (Genesis 15:5)
Science has always needed to catch up with the Bible.
DATING PROBLEMS?
In careful reading it may appear that the Bible has some “internal” contradictions in parallel accounts of the same event. Some apparent numerical differences have even been attributed to errors in copying manuscripts. Recent archaeological discoveries, however, show the ancients’ system of dating explains some numerical problems. If, for example, one king ended his rule and another began ruling in a particular calendar year, both were given credit for the entire year. Round number estimates are often used in the modern world which may not be precise but are not considered wrong.
Some explanations for seeming biblical discrepancies may not be fully satisfactory. But it would be unscientific in light of modern archaeological discoveries, to assume the Bible is wrong until proven right, rather than the reverse.
An ever-increasing number of excavations from Egypt to Babylonia have told us more about the life and history of Bible lands. Thousands of records etched in stone tablets dating back to three thousand years before Christ have been quarried and subsequently translated. Alan R. Millard, a senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool, stales; “All of these discoveries have increased our knowledge of the world in which the Bible was written, so they enable its distinctive message to stand out more boldly. Rightly interpreted, the Bible and archaeology can only enrich each other.”
To believe in divine, biblical inspiration is not to deny there are problems reconciling some statements of Scripture with the historical data we possess. But the evidence of modern archaeology has, with very few exceptions, confirmed the Bible record, so it would not seem unreasonable to postpone judgement on the questions still in doubt.
The Bible records the fact that Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible, and Jesus verified that in the New Testament.
For many years, unbelieving historians laughed at the thought that Moses wrote the Pentateuch. ‘That’s impossible,’ they said, for there was no written language when Moses lived!
Archaeologists continued their work, and in 1887 in North Egypt 300 clay tablets were unearthed, we know them as the “tel-el-armana” tablets.
What were they? Letters and business transactions between Egypt and Palestine, dated centuries before Moses was even born.
And now it has been proven they had a written language, and they had a postal service! (It might have been quicker than the one we’ve got today!)
Remember the story in the book of Daniel of Belshazzar seeing the handwriting on the wall?
For centuries historians mocked that story as mythology, stating that they have the Babylonian records, which show that the last king of Babylon was NOT Belshazzar, but was Nabonitis. As a matter of fact, they said, we have no record anywhere that any Belshazzar ever lived!
One day a clay tablet was found by archaeologists which revealed the truth: Nabonitis was the father of Belshazzar, and they were co-regents, ruling together! Nabonitis travelled the world, his son ruled the kingdom.
Now we have a better understanding of Daniel 5:16 “Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
What if that tablet had never been found? Should we doubt the Bible? No! But isn’t it wonderful how God makes His truth known.
Late 1800’s/early 1900’s Sir William Ramsey was a well-known archaeologist and historian. He was professor of humanities at Aberdeen University. He was considered to be the world’s most imminent scholar on Asia-Minor, and it’s geography and history.
He read the book of Acts and said, “the book of Acts is a highly imaginative and carefully coloured account of primitive Christianity” (in essence, “of my knowledge of history, I have no respect for Luke as a historian”). Then he went to the middle east for the express purpose of proving the Bible wrong in its history.
He came home and wrote the book, “Luke, the beloved physician” in which he proclaimed Dr. Luke to be one of the worlds foremost historians.
Here’s a quote from Sir William Ramsey…this was after looking carefully at the evidence: “I take the view that Luke’s history is unsurpassed in its trustworthiness. You may press the words of Luke in a degree beyond any other historian, and they will stand the keenest scrutiny, and the harshest treatment.”
We do not “prove” the Bible by archaeology.
The Holy Spirit confirms in our hearts the conviction “the Bible is the Word of God.”
HOLY SPIRIT ILLUMINATION
Scripture becomes meaningful to us when our hearts are open and illumined by the Holy Spirit. Jesus asked Peter the question, “Who do you say I am?” and Peter’s immediate response was, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:15-17). Again when Jesus met two disciples on the road to Emmaus following His resurrection, He “explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” As He sat with them, “their eyes were opened and they recognised him” (Luke 24:27,31). “Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). He also explicitly told His disciples, “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). God reveals by the Spirit what He has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
The Bible does not become the Word of God; it is already the Word of God.
What do a television set and the Word of God have in common?
A television, sitting in the corner switched off is still a television set. It won’t display any pictures or play any sound until it is switched on, but it is still a television. It does not become a television when it is switched on.
What the Holy Spirit illumines is the Word of God, whether or not anybody responds to it. We have the choice. We can open our minds and hearts to the Holy Spirit, allowing the Scripture to become personal in our lives.
NECESSARY FOOD
“Never study the Bible for purely academic purposes”
Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
Beyond the sacred pages of the Bible, we connect personally to God. Academic understanding does help illumine our thoughts, but then we must turn to speak to the Author, react to His words, probe His will for our lives.
One well-known performer said “Nothing outside yourself can make you feel whole. Not fame, not sex, not drugs, not money. None of these work. Nothing can fill you up. And believe me, because I’ve tried them all.”
By contrast, the Old Testament’s Job, a man in horrendous loss and suffering, gives us a glimpse of how to approach God’s Word. In the midst of his suffering, he said in his talk with God: “I have treasured the words of [your] mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12 NKJV). Just as food gets to the muscles and bloodstream, the words from God can make you feel whole, satisfied, loved, connected – deep inside!
Our faith is rooted in the Bible, but we do not worship it, we trust it.
Every new idea and even our emotional experiences are to be tested by its teaching. Are my opinions, my worldview, and my actions congruent with God’s revelation?
Anticipate joy and exhilaration as you respond to God’s words. Blaise Pascal, the French scientist, sought diligently to know God, and the fruit of his search is expressed in very moving words. Some were written on paper and sewn inside his coat and discovered after he died. One of them was:
O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee, but I have known Thee. Joy. Joy. Joy. Tears of joy.
The Bible, the written Word of God, the Basis of our belief.
“Your Word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” Psalm 119:89
For personal reflection
1. How would you respond to the statement the Bible is not scientifically accurate?
2. Explain the statement: We do not prove the Bible by archaeology.
3. How can you feed on the Word of God?
Belief in the Bible does not make it true; belief enables us to enter into what is already true.
