Chapter Five | sharingthebible

BUT IS THE BIBLE TRUE?

A Layman's View.

Chapter Five

WOULD HE LEAVE US IN THE DARK?

If we accept the possible existence of a supreme being, God, the creator and sustainer of all things, we must then consider other questions. Does He care about us and what we do? Does He get involved? How can we know for sure? If He cares and gets involved how can we know what He wants from us? Which religion should I pursue? Is the Bible really God’s word? Is the Bible all truth or only part of it?

Much has been written about the accuracy and infallibility of the Holy Scriptures we call the Bible. Most of it is written in an excellent and scholarly fashion. These works generally present deep philosophical arguments and complex networks of facts which establish persuasive evidence in support of scriptural accuracy for the Bible student or scholarly. It has been my experience, however, that many laymen are not Bible students or very scholarly. Many, in fact, never attended college and some did not finish high school, nevertheless, they need to have confidence in the scriptures. This is written with these people in mind.

If a being so supreme as to be able to create heaven and earth and all that they contain, did so, does it seem reasonable that He would then want us to have to guess what He expects of us? Wouldn't it seem more logical that such a being would arrange some form of communication to make His wishes known to us? If He did, would He not make arrangements to protect such communication from corruption in order to maintain its accuracy?

First, let us consider what the Bible is, what it is not, how it came to be, its message and its purpose. It is necessary to examine these things to establish a foundation from which to investigate the facts, myths and misunderstandings regarding the Bible.

INTEGRITY OF THE REPORTERS

One important consideration in determining truth regarding the existence of God is the integrity of the scriptures. If the scriptures are truthful and reliable then what they tell us about God's existence may well be true. If the scriptures are untruthful and/or unreliable, this would cast doubt on what they tell us about God's existence.

Falsehood and unreliability of scripture would not, in and of itself, disprove the existence of God but it would cast serious doubt upon it. Conversely, the truth and reliability of scripture may not prove God's existence beyond question but it certainly supports it and calls for further examination.

One of the most critical factors in determining whether the scriptures are reliable is the integrity of those who recorded them. If these men were not reliable, mentally stable men of high moral character, their writings might be suspect. Under the heading What the Bible Is we will examine whether the reporters, (those who recorded the scriptures) were sane, reasonable, truthful, men.

WHAT THE BIBLE IS

The Bible is either:

a compilation of deliberate lies by unscrupulous men intent on deceiving mankind,
the work of sincere but deluded individuals, or
it is the inspired Word of God.

Let’s examine each of these possibilities in search of truth:

DELIBERATE LIES BY UNSCRUPULOUS MEN:

When we consider the concepts and philosophies they taught, it simply does not seem plausible that the men who recorded the scriptures were promoting a deliberate lie. What’s more, with regard to the Gospels, it seems ludicrous to presume that they could have foisted such preposterous lies upon so many people who were, themselves, witnesses to the events described.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 1 Cor. 15:3-8; NIV (italics and bold mine).

If many of the more than five hundred reported witnesses to Jesus resurrection were living at the time the Gospels and some of the other scriptures were written, are we to assume they were all in on a grand conspiracy? Wouldn’t someone have stepped forward to say this is not the way it happened? Our government can’t seem to keep a secret among a handful of people – let alone more than five hundred!

We know from scripture, and from history, that many of those who recorded the scriptures died defending their beliefs. Some people will give their lives for a truth they firmly believe in but it is not reasonable to assume these men would have willingly given their lives to defend what they knew to be a lie.

THE WORK OF SINCERE BUT DELUDED INDIVIDUALS:

How could men under such a delusion develop such lofty ideals and record historical events so precisely and accurately? Deluded individuals may fool many or even most people for a time and a few people over long periods, but the delusion always shows itself eventually.

How would they develop such a compelling and cohesive flow of moral and spiritual values capable of having such positive impact on so many lives down through the centuries? What single book has ever stood the test of time with so much scrutiny?

As a former law enforcement officer I can bear witness to the fact that witnesses rarely agree regarding the details of what they saw? Even when witnesses are attempting to tell the absolute truth, a good lawyer can usually shoot a few holes in their testimony. The Bible is a compilation of sixty-six books written by numerous authors over a period of nearly two thousand years. Nevertheless, a great many brilliant scholars, historians and legal experts have tried for centuries to find a flaw in the scriptures and have not yet succeeded.

If, the Bible is the work of men who believed they were recording the words of God but were deluded would their own words not give them away? When people who are out of touch with reality speak and write, it soon becomes very obvious that they are, indeed, out of touch with reality. That they were human goes without saying and they freely confessed their own frailty and imperfections. Nevertheless, everything they wrote, including (in fact especially) their admissions of imperfection, speaks for their integrity.

The ideals they called men to embrace and the moral codes they espoused are the highest ever taught in human history.

A reasonable conclusion would be that they were not deluded.

They were sane, mentally stable, truthful reporters, and there were hundreds of witnesses who could have refuted the facts but none did. Therefore, we can only conclude that everything they recorded in scriptures is the inspired Word of God.

EVIDENCE OF THE TRUTHFULNESS OF SCRIPTURE

Frankness of scriptures:

One of the strongest evidences of the truthfulness of scripture is its unflinching willingness to bare the warts of its heroes:

· Abraham's deception of Pharaoh by presenting Sarah as his sister rather than as his wife. (Ge. 12:12-18).

· Samson's moral weakness regarding Delilah. (Judg. 14:3-16:20).

· Jacob's deception of his father and brother. (Ge. 26:30-27:36) His partiality in his relationships with his wives and sons.( Ge. 29:30, 34; 37:3).

· Moses fears regarding taking God's message to the Hebrews and to Pharaoh. (Ex. 3:1-4:14). His disobedience in striking the rock.(Num. 20:8-12).

· David's disobedience in counting the Israelites. (2 Sa. 24:10). His affair with Bathsheba and his conspiracy to have her husband killed. (2 Sa. 11:2-16).

· Jonah's unwillingness to obey God by going to Nineveh. (Jonah 1:1-4:9).

· Elijah's flight of fear when threatened by Jezebel. (1Ki. 19:2-10).

· The Apostles desertion of Jesus when He was arrested. (Mt. 26:31; Mk.14:51; Jn. 21:1-5)

· Peter's denial of Jesus three times. (Jn.18:15-26).

These are just a few examples of the numerous instances of God's frankness found in the scriptures. It is not typical of writers, when promoting a philosophy to bare the shortcomings of their heroes let alone their own faults. Those who recorded the scriptures did both.

Accuracy of the facts presented:

Many of the facts presented in the scriptures have been questioned by doubters and scoffers since the time they were written. Archaeological facts, dates, identities and the actions of people mentioned, historical and prophetic events, have all been scrutinized and questioned for centuries yet not one single fact has been proven to be false.

How is it that with all this scrutiny by so many skeptics and enemies of the gospel, no one single fact has yet been proven to be in error? If anything pertinent in scripture could be proven to be in error it would be hailed by detractors as the greatest event in history. It would be; in every newspaper and magazine, on every TV news broadcast, talk-show, and radio program.

It is doubtful that any other written record in existence could withstand such intense hostile examination, as the scriptures have, without some error being discovered.

The fact is established that most of the Apostles and many other believers died rather than deny Jesus deity. Why? Some detractors have claimed the Apostles made up the stories about Jesus miracles and resurrection. If so, how do we explain that most of them died defending the truth of their accounts and that not one ever recanted? And how is it that they were willing to die rather than recant their testimony after Jesus resurrection when they were afraid to even show their faces at his execution?

Next >

Sharing the Bible Online