Is the Bible really Gods Word Part 2?

The Bible • Sermon • Submitted 9 months ago • Presented 9 months ago

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he Bible itself that claim its divine origin. For example, 2 Timothy 3:16 states, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." Additionally, the Bible contains the teachings, laws, prophecies, and moral guidelines that Christians follow as the Word of God.

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Part 2 The Authoritative Word of God

How do we know the Bible is really God’s word?

There are two different approaches that are taken when it comes to the Bible being the Word of God.

First, there are those who believe that the Scripture is self-authenticating.

The Bible is true because it says it is true, and the Holy Spirit bears witness to this truth.

No other argument is necessary.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NASB95

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

A second approach believes that the claims of Scripture have sufficient evidence to back them up.

Those who hold this view believe there is overwhelming evidence to convince anyone that the Bible is what it claims to be—the Word of God.

People, therefore, need to check out the evidence; not merely blindly believe the claims of Scripture.

For many believers the first approach is satisfactory.

You can testify to its truth because of what it has revealed to you.

You don’t need proof, you can just accept it by faith

But what about those who do not believe yet?

Can the Bible alone being the proof enough they need to believe?

For some yes!

I’ve lead many people to Christ by showing them the authoritative word God, and they believe it.

But I’ve also come across those who do not believe

they raise objections to the validity of the Bible

Now in my experience these are generally feeble objections that they embrace with never really thinking them through

for instance.

I’ve had people tell me the Bible is full of contradictions, How can it be the word of God?

So I ask them to give me an example of a contradiction, not one has been able to give me an response

1 Peter 3:15 NASB95

15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

Yes faith is good, and absolutely necessary

Hebrews 11:6 NASB95

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

but we need to be able to help those who are searching.

but not necessarily, waste our time with those who just want to argue.

There are many areas we can use to show the Bible is the Authoritative word of God

We could talk about the book being the best selling book of all time

We could talk about it being the oldest book with the most manuscripts..by far

We could talk about it being the book translated into the most languages

We could talk about the fact that it is the most hated book ever written, more people have tried to destroy it throughout history than any other book, and yet no success

Today we will talk about Jesus view of scripture, Archeology, and Prophesy.

Let’s begin with Jesus view of Scripture

after all I think His opinion matters

1) Christ Testified that the Bible Is from God

Matthew 4:4 NASB95

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”

He said that the Bible is imperishable

Matthew 5:17–18 NASB95

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

He asserted that the Bible cannot be broken, or fail in its purpose

John 10:35 NASB95

35 “If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),

He affirmed the ultimate supremacy of the authority of the Bible over human tradition

Matthew 15:3 NASB95

3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

Matthew 15:6 NASB95

6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

He considered the Bible to be without error

Matthew 22:29 NASB95

29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.

John 17:17 NASB95

17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

He considered the Bible to be historically reliable

Matthew 12:40 NASB95

40 for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Historical Accuracy

The Bible is not merely a book containing theological teachings that are unrelated to history, but the theological statements of Scripture are closely linked to historical events.

Paul maintained that if Christ’s bodily resurrection from the dead was not an historical fact, then our faith is futile

1 Corinthians 15:17 NASB95

17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

William Ramsay is one such example of an archaeologist who went from believing that the Bible contained fabricated myths to believing that the Bible was not only accurate historically but that it was the Word of God.

Earlier in his life Ramsay had been influenced by a liberal theology, which taught that the writers of the Bible were more interested in promoting a biased theological perspective than in accurately recording history. In the course of his studies, however, Ramsay was surprised to find extensive archaeological evidence for the accuracy of the biblical narratives. One thing that impressed Ramsay about Luke, the writer of Acts, was his accuracy with respect to ostensibly insignificant details. For example, Luke accurately names the rulers of Thessalonica “politrarchs,” Gallio the “Proconsul of Achaea,” the official in Ephesus a “temple warden,” the governor of Cyprus a “proconsul” and the chief official in Malta “the first man of the island.” Such titles have since been confirmed in numerous Greek and Latin inscriptions.

In the Book of Exodus, we find that God claimed to be the One who rescued the people from slavery. The Bible says:

Exodus 20:1–2 NASB95

1 Then God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

The nation was continually urged to remember these mighty deeds of God.

In addition, the events recorded were always treated as actual historical events.

Later, we read the following in the Book of Kings:

2 Kings 17:36 NASB95

36 “But the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice.

Again, we find the emphasis on these historical events, along with accompanying miracles.

This truth is often emphasized in the Old Testament. The Lord also said:

Micah 6:5 NASB95

5 “My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled And what Balaam son of Beor answered him, And from Shittim to Gilgal, So that you might know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

Note that the people were told to “remember.”

In each and every case, these events were assumed to have literally happened.

The Bible clearly speaks of the Exodus of the people of Israel out of Egypt.

many skeptics say this never happened. because they don’t want to agree with the Miracle of the parting of the Red sea

too fantastical for them.

but there is evidence of Chariot wheels on the bottom of the red sea covered in choral

Video of :Chariot Wheels at Botton of the sea

The Old Testament Is Familiar with Local Laws

There are a number of biblical episodes that show intimate understanding of local laws at the time.

For example, when Sarah the wife of Abraham was childless, she suggested that Abraham take Hagar his handmaiden as a secondary wife and raise up an heir through her.

This fits well with the practice at that time as recorded in the Eshnunna law code ? a law code that dates about 1900 B.C.

The Nuzi tablets, 20,000 clay tablets that were discovered 150 miles north of Baghdad; also confirm such customs as to the role of secondary wives and their rights of inheritance.

Therefore, the episode of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar fits the local laws of the time.

Local Customs Are Correctly Recorded

We find that the customs recorded in Scripture fit the time frame in which the stories were said to have occurred.

From the Nuzi tablets we also find that one brother sold his birthright for three sheep—similar to Esau selling his birthright to his brother Jacob for a bowl of soup.

This confirms that the practice was legally binding at that time in history.

It also tells us that the price paid for the birthright did not have to be of equal value.

In another example, we find that the Bible states the patriarch Joseph was sold for twenty shekels of silver

that coincides with the cost of slave in other secular documents at that time

The Geographical References Are Minutely Accurate

There are a number of specific geographical references in Scripture.

As we examine the evidence, we find that they match up to the geography of that day.

For example, the biblical account of the life of Abraham documents a number of cities that he visited.

The location of almost every one of these cities is now known.

All of those that have been positively identified were important caravan centers during the time the Bible says that Abraham lived.

However, in later times, not all of these cities were important centers.

This is another indication that the travels of Abraham fit exactly into what is known of that particular historical period, but would not fit with a later period.

Prophesies

Yes you can spend time examining the numerous prophesies given in scripture that have come true

In fact there is over 2000.

A book that can predict the future has to have some Godly direction, as that’s not generally a human ability

Since the probability for any one of these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance averages less than one in ten (figured very conservatively)

and since the prophecies are for the most part independent of one another,

the odds for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than one in 10^2000 (that is 1 with 2,000 zeros written after it)!

1 in 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Here’s but a few examples

Some time before 500 BC, the prophet Daniel proclaimed that Israel’s long-awaited Messiah would begin his public ministry

483 years after the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem

He further predicted that the Messiah would be “cut off,” killed, and that this event would take place prior to a second destruction of Jerusalem.

The decree regarding the restoration of Jerusalem was issued by Persia’s King Artaxerxes to the Hebrew priest Ezra in 458 BC

483 years later the ministry of Jesus Christ began in Galilee.

AD 70 came the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus.

In approximately 700 BC, the prophet Micah named the tiny village of Bethlehem as the birthplace of Israel’s Messiah

(Micah 5:2).

The fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Christ is one of the most widely known and widely celebrated facts in history.

In the fifth century BC, a prophet named Zechariah declared that the Messiah would be betrayed for the price of a slave—thirty pieces of silver, according to Jewish law-and also that this money would be used to buy a burial ground for Jerusalem’s poor foreigners (Zechariah 11:12-13).

Bible writers and secular historians both record thirty pieces of silver as the sum paid to Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus,

and they indicate that the money went to purchase a “potter’s field,” used—just as predicted—for the burial of poor aliens (Matthew 27:3-10).

There’s over 1997 more

This message is a very small sampling of tangible proof the Bible is the authoritative word of God.

Maybe you the type the says I believe the Bible is the word of God because it says so

great

but fill your quiver with reliable inescapable proof that the Bible is the Authoritative word of God.

There’s no other book that compares to it.

As such we should honour the privileged of being able to read and depend on it!

questions@kingdomway.ca

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