Building Christians Up From The Foundation & Unto Perfection
Hebrews 6:1-3
Hebrews 6:1-3
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Before you read: This article is part of a larger series that builds upon itself from the foundation up, with each study building on the last. If something in this article does not make sense to you or if you believe it to be incorrect, please ensure you have read the entire series before passing final judgment. Also, be sure to visit this page’s FAQ And Objections: Is the Bible the Word of God
It begins with the words “In the beginning God” in the book of Genesis, and ends with the word “Amen” in Revelation. Between the first and last words, we read about creation, the history of mankind, Israel, and the future.
If this were an ordinary book, such as *War and Peace* or *The Cat in the Hat*, it wouldn’t be so controversial. But this book is not like any other. This book claims to be the word of God.
Is the Bible the word of God? Can we trust it? And can it prove that the God it speaks of is the one true God?
If we are going to examine the claims of the Bible, we need to know what those claims are. To do that, we are going to open the Bible itself.
The first claim we are going to look into is one that makes the Bible so different from other normal books.
1 Thessalonians 2:13
13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
This scripture in itself is enough to say that the Bible makes the claim that it is the word of God. But if there is any question about what word it is speaking about, we can go to another set of scriptures.
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
2 Timothy 3:16
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
According to these verses, we can see that the Bible itself does make the claim that it is the word of God.
It also claims that everything written in the scriptures can and should be used for doctrine (teaching), reproof (harsh discipline like spanking a child for doing wrong), correction (different from reproof in that this is more about learning something new, whereas reproof is being reminded of what you already know), and instruction in righteousness.
In other words, the Bible is like the words of a Father raising His child.
So, it is clear that the Bible claims to be the word of God.
So, the Bible claims to be the word of God. How do we know if it is telling the truth? How do we know if it isn’t some grand scheme of man? Didn’t man write the Bible?
Let’s read 2 Peter 1:20-21 again.
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The Bible claims that it is not the word of men, nor is it something that man even wanted. Yet, men wrote it. The Bible doesn’t deny that. But it does tell us that these men only put the pen to paper as God told them what to write.
So, we need to test this claim. Did men want to write the things in the Bible? Did they want it to be seen as the word of God? Did men even have the ability to write it?
Hebrews 11:32-38
32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
It doesn’t sound like the message contained in the Bible makes for an easy life with others. In fact, it sounds like the people who believed the things in the Bible had a hard time because of it.
What man wants to burn in a fire, be cast to the lions, tortured, and made outcasts of society? This is what the scriptures can bring with them. There is no reason to believe men would want to write the things in the Bible because the Bible would bring this kind of suffering on them.
Also, if the Bible was actually written by men to control people (as some claim), you would have to ask a very important question: Who gets to control them? The Bible was written throughout the history of many kingdoms, many of which were prophesied to fall. So what kingdom would want to control its people by telling them their kingdom would fall?
No, government control would not be a reason for men to write such a book. And if it were simply for morals, why would they be willing to die for the things written when they could just make a law? Even today, you can ask the atheist and they will tell you we already have a moral law we are born with. Again, there was no reason for a man to want to write the Bible.
Isaiah 46:9-11
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.
The Bible is a collection of 66 books written over centuries, by the lowest of the low to the greatest of kings on earth. And yet, they all agree, and they all have one thing in common: they are all 100% accurate. They all tell the story of the end from the beginning.
I’m not just talking about things that men can control either. The prophecies about Jesus alone are breathtaking. There were prophecies hundreds of years before Him that tell the exact time of His birth, the method of His conception, His life, death, and resurrection.
Let’s take for example just four prophecies about Jesus and see how likely they would be fulfilled:
1. Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
2. Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14)
3. Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13)
4. Crucified (Psalm 22:16)
Let’s assume for this calculation that the odds of each of these events occurring by chance are as follows:
Bethlehem birth: 1 in 100,000 (based on the population of towns at that time)
Virgin birth: Chances are almost 0, but for simplicity, let’s say 1 in 1,000,000
Betrayed for exactly 30 pieces of silver: 1 in 1,000
Crucifixion (before it was even invented): 1 in 10,000
If we multiply these probabilities together (100,000 x 1,000,000 x 1,000 x 10,000), we get 1 in 10^15 (1 followed by 15 zeros). These are astronomically low odds for just these four prophecies to happen by chance.
This is just for these four prophecies being fulfilled alone! And NONE of them were written less than four centuries before they happened.
Could men have known which empires would rise and fall centuries before they did? Parts of the Bible were written before some of those nations even existed. It could not have been written by the knowledge of men.
There is no way that men, hundreds and even thousands of years before the events they foretold, could have done so with 100% accuracy. The *Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy* identifies 1,239 prophecies in the Old Testament and 578 in the New Testament. Only 300-400 are estimated to be left unfulfilled, and those remaining are end-time prophecies. So, they aren’t meant to be fulfilled yet.
I can’t imagine things that are not currently possible happening. I am sure the prophets who wrote these prophecies down couldn’t imagine it either, and yet they happened. I believe the remaining prophecies will also be fulfilled. So no, the men who wrote the Bible did not do so of their own will or by their own knowledge.
Thus far, I have stated that the Bible can be tested based on its ability to tell the end from the beginning. However, I have only mentioned a few examples. I have spoken in general terms because of the vast amount of information.
I will go into greater detail as we get into Unit 6. But for now, I have given you some things to think about. The Bible does claim to be the word of God. It was not written by the will or understanding of men. But can we trust it?
We will discuss the reasons for trusting the Bible while also being aware of the lies that surround it in the next few units.
Unit 1:4 – Can the Bible Be Trusted OR
Return To Christianity 101 Unit 1 – The Bible and Faith in God
July 12, 2015 at 12:07 am | | 1 comment
This is a great unit for anyone struggling to answer an unbelievers questions, my partner asks so many questions and I answer them as best I can but this lays it all out neatly and gives the Scriptures as proof of what is being said. Great work. Praise Jesus!