The Bible: Is It Credible? Series

And archeology has helped show that the Bible is reliable. There are many finds that I could mention but for time sake let me just mention a couple. The name Pilate was said to be a figment of the Gospel writer’s imagination. There was no historical record of the famous Governor who gave the go ahead for Jesus’ crucifixion. Then, in 1961 a helicopter was flying down the coast of Israel and noticed a strange circle in the sand. That led to an excavation of an entire city named Caesarea Philippi and a magnificent amphitheater. On the walls of that amphitheater was a plaque dedicating it to the man who built it: Pontias Pilate, Governor of Judea. There are places that for years were only told about in the Bible, like the city of Nineveh or the infamous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Skeptics believed they never existed. Until Ninevah was excavated in 1854 and Sodom and Gomorrah were found in the late 1980’s. How did they know they were Sodom and Gomorrah? The top layer of each city was covered in ash.. Burned to the ground leaving only the basements and underground structures.. Just like Genesis 19 says.

For those who wish to openly and objectively investigate there is ample evidence to believe what the authors say.. That this is the Word of God.

IV. THE BIBLE: WHAT DOES IT MATTER?

But the most important question we can ask about the Bible is what does all that matter? Even if the Bible is God’s love letter what difference does that make to me?

{Video Clip: Walk The Line - Start: Chp. 2:2:36 - Chp. 2:4:43 - 2:07}

Johnny Cash’s brother is right. If we are going to know the right things, if we are going to tell the right things then we need to know this book. Because this book makes all the difference in the world!

(1) That makes the Bible essential for salvation. There is no greater value. 1 Peter 1:23 reads, "For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God."(NLT) Now, you might ask, "How does that work? I thought it was Jesus Christ that saves?" Well, Jesus is the one who saves you. The Bible however, is the source of our knowledge of Jesus and His saving power. The Bible is the channel that God uses to bring us to Jesus.

(2) The Bible is also essential because it increases our faith. Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God."(NKJ)The more you know about God through His Word the more you learn to trust Him.

(3) The Bible is essential for providing authoritative answers for life. What authority do you accept for your life or like our opening video asked: What do you believe in? How do you make decisions on what is right and wrong? Is it as some say: "Oh, I choose what is right by how it feels to me. If it feels right, then I do it." Of course the problem with that is that there may be an enormous difference between what you feel is right and what I feel is right. Maybe I feel like it’s okay to beat you to a pulp if you disagree with me? You say, "Oh, no, that’s wrong." Why? If feelings are our authority than all of us have the right to act as we feel. Maybe you say you choose your authority by what is culturally acceptable at the time. Living together before marriage must be okay. Why? Because it is accepted by society, "everybody is doing it." But 100% of the people believing in the wrong thing simply makes 100% of the people wrong. Isn’t that virtually what happened in WWII Germany? So choosing an authority for your life is critical, but what do you use? Well, as a Church we encourage you to choose the Bible as your ultimate authority. The Bible has all the answers for life. From it you can find timeless answers to raising kids, improving your marriage, managing your emotions, handling your money, experiencing forgiveness and finding fulfillment in life. It is credible, reliable and useful.. For “showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us...”