The Bible is True!
1. We Live in a Post-Truth World
Is the Bible true? Is the Bible reliable? How can we know that the Bible is true? What about the Bible and science? Which is true? Are both true? These questions may not be issues for some us, but they are very relevant for our younger generations. They have to deal with these questions every day. Today like never before the authority and truth of the Bible are questioned. Even in churches the Bible is being neglected. Many churches no longer teach the Word of God but popular topics trying to be relevant to the culture.
What is happening? Why is this happening? We are living in a post-truth era, in a post-truth world. Every year the Oxford English Dictionary selects a word of the year. In 2016 the word of the year was post-truth. Post-Truth is an adjective that describes “circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Basically this means that society now defines truth by feelings and not by facts. People set their own standards for what is right and wrong based on their own feelings. They make statements that “feel true” but have no basis in facts. Truth is no longer important. Feelings matter.
This post-truth thinking came about when the Bible was removed as the foundation of truth from our colleges and universities. In Germany, England, and here in America many universities were founded on the Bible to teach the Bible. They all abandoned the Bible. The Christian values that built Western society were rejected. People now think that they can improve themselves and the world without God’s help. They deny that humans are sinful beings. So, “as a result society is getting darker. Evil is spreading. Hate is reigning. The planet is groaning. Justice and peace are being redefined.” (Dickerson)
An anti-Christian, anti-Bible attitude overtook Western society. As our culture drifts further and further away from anything Christian, the pressure to abandon the authority of the Bible increases. Where once the view of the Bible as God’s Word was tolerated, it has become offensive, out of style, scoffed at, and scorned. (Dickerson) And it is especially our young people, the millennials and generation Z, who are being bombarded with anti-Bible attitudes, ideas, statements, and teachings. Many young Christians who believe in God and love Jesus are thinking from this Post-Truth framework because they have grown up and are growing up in this post-truth culture. We must also remember that this attack on the Bible is not only social, philosophical, and cultural. It is also supernatural and satanic. The devil is real and he is doing everything in his power to oppose God’s rule. And what better way than to convince the world, even churches and Christians that the Bible is not true.
So, what are we to do? We must remain rooted in the Bible, which is God’s Word and is true! We must stand firm in the Bible as the authority for all we believe and do. Today we will look at how we can know the Bible is true. Next week we will look at the Bible and science, and the importance of teaching the Bible as God’s Word and Truth to the world, our young people, and children.
2. How Do We Know the Bible is True?
There are many evidences that the Bible is true, reliable and trustworthy. It is not possible to discuss all of these in detail in one sermon. I will touch briefly on only some of them. First the Bible is true because it is God’s Word. The Bible itself claims that it is God’s Word, and God himself through the Bible declares the Bible as his Word. Some 3,800 times the Bible states, “Thus says the Lord,” “God said,” and “the Word of the Lord came.” With regard to the Ten Commandments Exodus 31:18 states, “When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.” Also Deuteronomy 5:22, “These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.” David said in 2 Samuel 23:2, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me.” Paul speaks of the Scriptures as “the very words of God” (Rom. 3:2). Peter said, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Pet. 1:23).
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, testified that the Bible is the Word of God. He quoted Scripture when he answered the devil and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). He told the Jews, “And why to you break the command of God for the sake of your traditions? … Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition” (Matt. 15:3,6). When Jesus prayed for his disciples he asked the Father, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
Jesus is the living Word who was with God, who is God, and this Word became flesh (John 1:1). Jesus confirms the authority and truth of the Bible as God’s Word. Jesus is the Truth. When God says the Bible is his Word, then it is God’s Word, and the Bible is true. If we deny the authority and truth of the Bible, we deny the authority and truth of Jesus Christ.
Some ask, “How can the Bible be true and the Word of God when it was written by human authors?” Yes, but these human authors were moved by, inspired by the Holy Spirit, by God. 2 Peter 1:16-21 teaches us, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Paul explains, “these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words” (1 Cor 2:10-13). And again, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
These human authors wrote God’s message, his words, using human language, human literary styles, human expressions so that his Word will be clear and could be understood by human beings. Yes, they were influenced by their times, cultures, personalities, experiences, and emotions. But the words remained the words of God. God gave the words and truths of the Bible, breathed them into human authors. The Bible is God’s Word and is true.
We do not have the original texts of the Bible. We have only copies but these manuscripts are further evidence that the Bible is reliable. For the Old Testament there are more than 800 manuscripts, either portions or full copies of the biblical text. The earliest example of an Old Testament text dates from the mid-seventh century B.C. The OT manuscripts from the Dead Sea Scrolls date from between 250 B.C. to 50 A.D. For the New Testament we have more than 5,000 copies in Greek, 10,000 in Latin, and 9,300 in other languages. The earliest NT copy dates from 130 A.D. and we have full NT manuscripts from 350 A.D. This gives us time lapse from when the original text was written to the earliest copy of between 30-310 years. Compare this with other ancient writings which we accept as reliable and true. Of these we have only between 8-20 copies, and the time lapse between the original writings and the first copies we have is between 900-1,300 years. We accept these are reliable and true. Why not the Bible? The Bible has more and earlier manuscripts than any other book from the ancient world.
What about errors in the Bible? There are no errors in the original inspired text. There are errors in the copies because these old manuscripts were copied by hand, and errors happened. However, the science of textual criticism studies these manuscripts, is able to identify the errors, and help us to come as close to the original text as is possible. Textual criticism concluded that after 2,000 years of being copied, only 40 of the 20,000 lines of the New Testament are debatable. That’s 0.2% errors. And these errors do not affect the basic and core beliefs of the Christian faith. God preserved the manuscript copies from substantial errors.
There are also evidences from archeology and external historical sources. These prove the reliability of the Bible as a historical document. They show that the cultures, persons, and events of the Bible are trustworthy. There is not time to talk about the genuine, supernatural miracles that confirmed the prophets and apostles as men sent by God. And the prophecies of the Bible that have been fulfilled. And then the many lives throughout history that have been changed through the transforming power of the Bible. WWII story — “It’s a good thing we haven’t. If it weren’t for this book I would have killed and eaten you by now.” Bible is alive and God’s power.
One last evidence, one of my favorites, is the unity of the Bible. The Bible consists of 66 books written by perhaps 40 authors from different times, backgrounds, educational levels, occupations, and cultures. They wrote about many different topics using a variety of personal and literary styles. Yet from creation to new creation they all tell the one story of God’s amazing love and grace, the one story of God’s plan and action to save humankind. There is one central theme, the person of Jesus Christ. In the OT Christ is anticipated, promised, expected. In the NT he came, the promised fulfilled. Jesus Christ who came to give us new, eternal life.
3. Believe the Word! Be Rooted in the Word!
The Bible is God’s Word and it is true. Believe the Word! Even when presented with all the evidence there are still people who do not believe and reject the Bible. The Bible’s truth and authority does not depend on what we believe or what the world says about the Bible. God does not exist because the Bible exists. The Bible exists because God exists. The Bible is true because God is Truth.
Let’s imagine for a moment that there was no Bible. Would that then mean that there is no God? That what the Bible says happened did not happen? That Jesus Christ did not come? No! Even if there was no Bible God would still exist. God would still have created the world, acted in history. God would still have sent Jesus. God’s salvation plan would still be in place, and Jesus would still come back. God would have used another way to reveal all these to us, but in his amazing love, grace and wisdom God’s chose to reveal himself and his salvation through the Bible his written Word in human language so that his revelation, his truths are clear to us.
The Bible is true. “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal” (Ps. 119:160). “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar” (Prov. 30:5-6) We have seen that the words of God lead to life. We love Jesus our Savior and Lord. We know him, his words and his heart from the Bible, his Word. Therefore, believe the Word! In this Post-Truth world we must make sure that we remain rooted in the Word so that we are not being blown around by every wind and wave. God’s Word is the ultimate and final authority for all we believe and do. The Bible is our authority on every issue in our culture and society. The Bible is our life-giving guide for every area of our lifestyles. Be rooted in the Word! “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom …” (Col. 3:16).