The Absolute Truth of the Bible, pt 1

To believe in something is to accept it as true, genuine, or real.  Today’s culture says it is only true, genuine, or real when you accept it as such for yourself, subjectively. In other words, something is true if you believe it is true.  Objective, or absolute truth is true no matter who you are or where you live.  It is true whether you believe it or not.  The culture today is intolerant of anyone who believes in absolute truth— that is, a truth that exists outside ourselves, one that is true for all people, for all times, and for all places.  

Knowing the absolute truth about God is extremely important!  The world of subjective truth will demand evidence—proof that God is real and His Word is true.  

So, where do we start?  Let’s start with the basics—the Bible.   The basic argument the world throws at us is this: How do you KNOW the Bible is true and not just a collection of stories?

King David talked about the greatness of God’s word and all that does for those who follow it in many places—especially in Psalms 19:7-8¹.  David knew that God’s Word was perfect, trustworthy, right, and pure.  It’s not surprising to us that the Bible is totally true because its author is totally honest (Hebrews 6:17-18²)  But how do we explain that to a skeptic?  God wants us to be sure that His word really tells us about Him—to be so confident about His perfect book that we dare to put into action all that it teaches us.  So it makes sense that he gave us a book that can stand up to the same important questions we can ask about any other book in the world:

a)     Do the facts inside the book add up?

b)     Was the book passed down without mistakes?

c)      Do facts from outside the book back it up?

A.     The facts of a book add up best when two things happen: 1) the facts come from people who actually saw the event and 2) the facts in the book all agree.

God did not plop the Bible down on the earth in finished form.  He used human authors to write it little by little.  Those authors were careful to write down exactly what God wanted people to know (2 Peter 1:21³).  Not only that, but the people who wrote the Bible had seen God’s actions with their own eyes (2 Peter 1:16⁴).  Everything we learn about Jesus from the Bible was written almost 2,000 years ago, yet the books of the New Testament were written very close to the time that Jesus was alive in human form—while people could easily double check the facts.  They were so sure of their stories about Jesus that they dared even their enemies to disprove the evidence (Acts 26:25-26⁵).  That’s a foolish thing to do if you are spreading lies.

The whole Bible tells the same story. It points people to God.  This is especially astounding  when you realize that it was written:

·       Over a 1,500 year span

·       By more than 40 authors

·       By a wide variety of people, including a prince (Moses), a fisherman (Peter), a shepherd (Amos), an army general (Joshua), a king’s food taster (Nehemiah), a prime minister (Daniel), a doctor (Luke), a king (Solomon), and a tax collector (Matthew)

·       In such places as the wilderness, in a dungeon, on a hillside, while traveling, on an island

·       On three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe

·       In three languages:  Hebrew (used for most of the Old Testament), Aramaic (used for parts of the Old Testament), and Greek (the language of the New Testament)

Despite this, the Bible still tells one message of how you can know God!

Next time, we’ll look at another common question, “Was the book passed down without mistakes?”

Scriptures are quoted from the New International Version, ©2010

1.     Psalms 19:7-8 “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul.  The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”   

2.      Hebrews 6:17-18 “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.”

3.      2 Peter 1:21 “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.”

4.      2 Peter 1:16 “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

5.      Acts 26:25-26 “’I am not insane, most excellent Festus,’ Paul replied.  ‘What I am saying is true and reasonable.  The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.’”

Introductions

I think it's important that Christians not only believe the truth of God's word, but also know why they can be sure it is the truth--and share that with others. I've taught several Bible studies over the years--at work, in church, prisons, and in a retirement community. It was there that I began teaching verse by verse through books of the Bible, and did so with a dear friend for over 8 years. We ended our time there with a study of apologetics, as that was the direction I felt the Lord leading me to study.  God confirmed that call again in the fall, when our Sunday School lessons focused on apologetics, and again just recently, when my pastor began a series on the reliability of the Bible (sermons are available on the church website—link on right). 

Apologetics is a word derived from the Greek word apologia, which means to give a reasoned defense (1 Peter 3:15—“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”  NIV).  Apologetics seeks to provide rational grounds for believing the truth claims of Christianity in whole or in part and to respond to objections raised against the true knowledge of God in whole or in part in the Christian faith (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  Apologists develop their defenses of the faith in relation to scientific, historical, philosophical, ethical, religious, theological, or cultural issues.

There have been hundreds of apologists through history.  I have to admit that my favorites are C.S. Lewis, Lee Strobel, and Josh McDowell.  These men sought to disprove the existence of God, and ended up finding His truth.  Some of the references I’ve used include Josh’s “The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict” and “Beyond Belief to Convictions” (he references many others in these books), as well as “The Apologetics Study Bible”—an excellent resource with articles from many noted apologists.

I’m looking forward to our journey together into the truth.  If you are a Christ follower, my prayer is that you find encouragement.  If you are not a believer, my prayer is that you find truth, and the hope that is Christ.    This is my passion and my purpose!