Lesson  -  March 12, 2006   Despite almost 2000 years of effort by Kings, Emperors, Governments, Individuals and even the Church itself to hide or stamp out its teachings, The Bible remains the single most widely read book in history. It has been translated into over 1200 languages and more than 30 million copies are published every year.

Can We Believe the Bible ?

Last week, I spent a couple days Reading an essay about supposed Biblical corruption. The premise of this essay was that the Bible which we use today, particularly the New Testament, has been changed by the Roman church, or The Church Of Constantine, as the essay calls it, to agree with the political desires of the Roman church and government to prevent the people from actually learning the truth as taught by Christ. This essay is written in a very scholarly fashion, with footnotes and quotes from a variety of sources, together with references to the writings of the early church fathers who were disciples of the original apostles.

Of course, after thinking about this essay, I was reminded by the following passages that are included in the NT which warned us even 2000 years ago that there would be deceivers :

Mat 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

2Pe 2:1 "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

1Jo 4:1 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works" (2 Cor 11:13-15 NKJ).

It has been said, "The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God's revelation of Himself to man....It has God for it's author."

It is important who authors a book. The Bible claims God as it's author, that God's Holy Spirit inspired it. What does that mean? It means that God so controlled the biblical authors that they wrote only the truth God wanted and without destroying the writer's personality or style.

The Bible says: "All scripture is inspired by God" (2 Tim. 3:16). It says, "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).

These verses, of course, speak of the original texts or autographs. But what of the Translators ? Can the same be said of our Bible today ? What about different translations and versions ? Since the majority of us do not speak Greek or Aramaic and none of us have access to the original autographs, how can we rely on what we may read today ? A difference of opinion exists among scholars as to whether the Bible is accurate in it's science and history. The Bible never claims to be a book of science, religion, philosophy or literature. Yet it contains true elements of all these and more. The really important matter concerns the authority of the Bible, which is accepted by all. Let's take a look at some historical and archaeological examples:

Pilate - said to be a figment of their imagination they dreamed up as a bad guy villain. A helicopter gun ship was flying down the coast of Israel and they noticed a circle in the sand. They began to dig and excavated an entire city called Caesarea Philippi and a magnificent amphitheatre. There was a plaque dedicating it to the man who built it, Pontius Pilate.

Daniel writes of Belshazzar the King. Skeptics read that and pointed out that in the Babylonian records there was never a King Belshazzar. The King at that time was Nabonites. They said, "The Bible is clearly wrong." 1956 a Babylonian chronicle was discovered that revealed Nabonites left his throne for a 10-year period (the period Daniel wrote about) and Belshazzar replaced him as king. The Bible was vindicated. Even going so far as to describe Daniel as the third ruler in the kingdom, which has indeed been verified.

Then there is Nineveh - The book of Jonah says Jonah was sent to the city of Nineveh. There was no other evidence of the city of Nineveh, so skeptics scoffed and said the Bible was making the city up. Then the Archeologists discovered Nineveh.

The same happened with Sodom and Gomorrah. There was nothing in history to confirm they existed and then we found the foundations of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The idea of the walls of Jericho tumbling down was thought impossible, until Jericho was excavated and indeed the ancient rubble showed that the walls fell OUTWARD, rather than inward, as most ancient cities.

Time and again the Bible has been proven accurate historically.

The Old Testament refers to a nation of people called the Hittites but historians had a major problem because they said they couldn't find any record of this nation. So, historians say, ah ha, "We have got to question the Bible and the validity of the Old Testament documentation and accuracy." However, in 1906 some archeologists were digging around and unearthed the capital city of the Hittite nation. They kept on digging and they found 40 different Hittite cities. The skeptics had to again admit the Bible was right.
Ezekiel - Spoke of a city called Tyre. He prophesied it would be utterly destroyed and never rebuilt. Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great came and reduced the city to rubble and to this day it has never been rebuilt. There isn't even anything on that ground. It is used by fishermen to spread their nets to dry.
It's as if every time a spade goes into the ground another critic of the Bible gets buried.

There have been over 25,000 archeological discoveries that substantiate the validity of scripture.

2 Pet. 1.20-21 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. "

Is. 53 - Foretelling of Christ in detail - 700 years before he was born. Isaiah tells of:
His life, identifying Bethlehem and his ancestors
His ministry
His reaction to judicial proceedings
His death
And His burial

Ruber Smith who compiled a personal library of 25,000 volumes wrote, "Islam cannot point to any prophesies of the coming of Mohammed uttered hundreds of years before his birth. Neither can the founders of any cult in this country rightly identify any ancient text specifically foretelling an appearance."

At the very least, the Bible is the final authority on all matters of faith and morals. As the Bible says: "All scripture...is profitable for doctrine..."

The Dead Sea Scrolls give us a great deal of insight as to the accuracy of the OT text. One of the scrolls, Dated to 125 BC, contains the text of Isaiah. In Isaiah 53 of the 166 words in the text Only 17 letters differ from the Masoretic text, still in use today, which was written in 916 AD. Part of the reason for this accuracy is the rules for transcribing religious scrolls as set forth by Hebrew scribes.

Some of these include::

  1. Only new skins of clean animals may be used

  2. They must be prepared for use in the Synagogue by a Jew

  3. Every skin must contain a certain number of columns, equal throught the entire codex

  4. The length of each column may not extend less than 48 or more than 60 lines

  5. The breadth of each column must be 30 letters

  6. The ink must be black, prepared by a special recipe

  7. There must be a hair's breadth between each consonant

  8. There must be the space of nine consonants between each section

  9. The fifth book of Moses must terminate exactly with a line.

  1. No word, letter or Yod must be written from memory, but only copied from an authentic codex before him

  2. The copyist must sit in full Jewish dress

  3. He must wash his whole body

  4. And if a king adress him while writing the name of God, he should take no notice.

The Greek version, commonly called the Septuagint agrees 95% with the Masoretic text we have today. This pretty well authenticates the accuracy of translation with the regard to the OT. All in all, there are some 14,000 manuscripts and fragments of the Old Testament from various sources. What of the NT, or the part which primarily concerns us as the teachings of our Lord ?

Well, we have fragments of the gospels and epistles in various manuscripts dating between the 2nd and 4th centuries. We also have the writings of the early 1st and 2nd century Christian fathers which contain quotes of nearly the entire NT. There are over 24,000 manuscripts and fragments. While there are some slight differences in spellings and even words, nothing that really changes doctrine. We can find virtually the entire text of the New Testament quoted in the writings of the early Christian Fathers. It is virtually impossible to think that so many different authors, from different times and areas wrote the same verses, virtually word for word, if they were making things up as they went along.

The essay seems to draw conclusions that the early Christian gnostics were teaching the truth and that doctrines not actually taught by Christ, such as the Trinity, were nothing more than inventions of the church of Rome. In the same way that December 25 is celebrated as the birthday of Jesus and the way we celebrate Easter and other holidays.

Through the years, a number of church leaders have had issues with versions of the Bible. As far back as Martin Luther, he felt that Hebrews should be thrown out of the NT because he couldn't understand it.

Truth be told, at the time Jesus lived, his teachings were probably gnostic in nature, because prevailing religion at the time was a serious of rules to be followed, sacrifices to be made, festivals and holidays to be observed, etc. Jesus was essentially teaching a belief system that would unite a person with GOD in their heart and mind. This was not only incomprehensible, but unthinkable. Witness the story of Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, who could not understand the rebirth of water and spirit that Jesus talked about.

Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

While Jesus was teaching that man could open his heart and mind to God, through faith, Gnosticism believes in a good and evil primordial force- a yin and yang if you will. It degrades religion and belief in God to a philosophy. Its great question is NOT -How can man be freed from sin ?, but How can the natural order of the universe be restored? It teaches that within Christ's simple message, there is a greater truth wherein lies the secret of the universe. The parables and statements like those to Nicodemus allowed the Gnostics to point to Jesus as a person who had those secrets as opposed to someone who was the Son of God and Blessed by the Holy Spirit. This type of teaching may be the beginning of the "once saved, always saved" type of theology. While Christ gave us few commandments, they are important. The Gnostics were looking for philosophical secrets which would essentially allow them to live their lives according to their consciences or lack thereof rather than according to a "higher authority".

His teachings allowed the gnostics to combine their philosophy with those of this new teacher or "Messiah" If we read closely the book of Colossians, we see references to this type of teaching,

Col 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Col 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Col 2:18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

Col 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

Now, this kind of talk about Jesus may seem like heresy. Personally, I believe that proper study with a receptive heart and alert mind will allow the spirit to lead anyone with an earnest desire to the truth. Jesus told us that faith alone is not enough. We need to be born again, of water and the spirit. Also like the rich young man, we need to follow our saviour's example- faith is just the beginning.

I Corinthians 1:18 - "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

God's Word is often offensive to those who don't believe. It's the best book that anyone will ever put together, and joy and peace can be obtained by its overall author - God.

The Bible shows us a ton of things. First of all, God opens up the door to His Mind so that we can enter in and discover some of what He is like and what He wants us to be.

As you read through each page of the Bible, you realize more and more how God has reached down to man out of true Love.

Even though we have messed up along the way - messing up by falling into temptation and sin, failing to obey the Old Covenant, rebelling against Him by sinning - He still offers us eternal Salvation through His Son.

The Bible is wonderful! The Good News of Salvation is here! Jesus Himself has bore our sins, died on the cross, and rose again so that we might Live not a boring old hopeless life, but LIFE more abundantly!

I Corinthians 15:3-4
3 "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

If you were hanging from a ledge of a cliff, dangling 5,000 feet off the ground with no ground in between, would you cry out for the help you need and be pulled up onto the firm and safe ground of earth?
We are in the same situation: if we haven't asked Jesus to be our Savior yet, we are dangling from a cliff. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, and if we don't have Him as our Savior, we are dangling from that cliff, a mile above the ground. If we let go, we die. However, if we have Jesus to pull us out of the trouble and to forgive our sins, we are on a firm foundation - the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ!

Jesus commanded us in the Sermon on the Mount,

Matthew 5:46 - "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Now you may think, 'What an outrageous request!!!' But...the Holy Spirit is our Sanctifier, and He brings us closer and closer to that request. Even though we are imperfect beings and stumble in our Walk, He is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness ---.
1Jo 1:6 "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1Jo 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Though we may stumble as Christians, we will not fall.

Psalm 119:1 - "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD."

One of King David's earnest pleas found in Psalm 119: "O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments." (verses 5-6).

The Bible can be described as 'Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth' (B.I.B.L.E.) The Word of God is a road map of how to live life correctly.

We can live a life of power, and it's through Jesus Christ. Through the Bible, through Prayer, through Sharing the Gospel with others.

Prayer before reading the Bible is key, also. Pray that the Holy Spirit shows you what is in a passage, and things will click. However, we don't have this power of Discernment without the Holy Spirit, and that comes upon asking Jesus to be your Savior!

Thank the Father for all His Wonderful gifts - Because -


Jam 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Jam 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. "

Let us not make the same mistake as the foolish virgins as related by Christ in Matthew 25-

E. Their mistake was in failing to make adequate preparation.
F. Failure to prepare to meet the Bridegroom results in exclusion from the marriage feast.
Matthew 25:10 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

The Bible is Wonderful! The Bible IS Truth. The Bible is our rule and guide. Pick it up today! When you ask Jesus to Save you, there will be no regrets! Glory to God! Amen.

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