Question One: Is the Bible really the Word of God?--Excerpt
"People say you can’t trust the Bible because it was written by so many different people. Besides, aren’t most of the stories just allegories, intended as an illustration or lesson?”
Make no mistake, the Bible is the infallible Word of God. You can trust it. Though it’s comprised of sixty-six books and penned by forty different authors, it has incredible integrity. Even the Dead Sea Scrolls attest to this. They show the great care scribes took when copying the Scriptures because the wording hasn’t changed but has remained intact from generation to generation. The Isaiah Scroll, discovered in Qumran, Cave 1, is the same book of Isaiah found in the King James translation, except for a few words.
But that’s not the only proof of the Bible’s inerrancy. Literally, hundreds of Old Testament prophecies have come true. One such example concerns the nation of Israel. Hosea 3:4-5, Ezekiel 37:11-12, and Ezekiel 11:17-20 predict the regathering of the Jews into their homeland. This has happened. In 1948, despite all odds, Israel became a nation, just as the Bible predicted over twenty-five hundred years before.
But the Bible contains many other prophecies, some regarding Adam, Abraham, Sarah, Noah, Moses, just to name a few. There are even three-hundred prophecies concerning Jesus’ first coming, all of which have been fulfilled.
Any mathematician will tell you this is mathematically impossible. Stephen M. Bauer, in his book, The Math of Christ, examines just forty prophecies concerning Christ’s first coming and concludes that, “the combined probability of all these forty events happening is one times ten to the 136th power. That’s a 1 with 136 zeros behind it.” He further clarifies it by saying, “all the atoms in our entire observable universe is a number considerably smaller than the odds of these forty prophecies coming to pass.” In other words, it’s absolutely impossible, at least in the natural. But we know that with God, all things are possible!
For an additional in-depth look at hundreds of fulfilled prophecies from Genesis to Revelation, check out Ken Johnson’s book, Ancient Prophecies Revealed. It should convince anyone of the inerrancy and accuracy of Scripture.
Okay, but are the people and stories real or just object lessons?
Jesus said they were. He spoke of Abel, Moses, Elijah, Jonah, Noah, Lot, Abraham, Isaac. Jacob, Zacharias, Daniel, David, Solomon, and the Queen of Sheba. And He spoke of them as real people. In addition, He mentioned places such as Sodom, Gomorrah, Tyre, Sidon, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Nineveh; some of which have been excavated by archeologists. And lastly, Jesus claimed that all the law and prophets spoke about him, which covers another big section of the Bible. Jesus also spoke to Satan and cast out a horde of demons; indicating that they are also real.
In addition, Jesus quoted the Old Testament. When He was in the wilderness for forty-days and was tempted by Satan He said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Here, in Matthew, Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3b, “man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.”
Notice that both Scriptures indicate that we are to live by every Word of God. In Hebrew it’s kolw and means “all, every.” In Greek, that word is pas, and means, “all, every.” I think it’s safe to say that every Word of God means every Word of God.
Jesus further confirmed this when He said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” He confirmed it again in John 14:24 where He said that His words were not His own but His Father’s words. And yet again in Matthew 22:29 when He said, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God.”
It really comes down to: do we believe Jesus or not? When He spoke about these people, places and demons, He believed they were real. And when He quoted Scripture, He indicated they were God-breathed. And quite frankly, that’s good enough for me.
And finally:
The Bible changes lives. It certainly changed mine. I’ve lived on both sides of the street; one without Jesus and His Word, and one with. I can tell you there is no comparison. Though my lifestyle was not as dramatic or destructive as some, I can say that life without Jesus and His Word is often shallow, unfulfilling, and unsettling. On the other hand, knowing Jesus, which also means knowing His Word because He IS the Word made flesh, gives you an anchor, a hope and a wonderful future. But don’t take my word for it. Ask anyone who has come to the Lord; who has been delivered from a destructive lifestyle. They will be happy to give you an earful.
