We live in a culture where people are confused, uncertain, and reject the positions many churches take today. And in numerous cases, some are altering just what the Bible teaches. So how can we be equipped to stand firm in our confidence in the scriptures?
It is my desire that everyone is equipped to understand why we are to place our confidence in God’s holy word.
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The Source and the Origin of the Scriptures
Where does scripture come from, and how can we put so much confidence in it?
Let’s take a look at how God’s word was originally transcribed.
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Originally Written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek
The Old and New Testaments were a combination of languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, allowing people in these cultures to read and understand what was written down.
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Written by God Through Men That He inspired (2 Timothy 3:16)
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
2 Timothy 3:16, NKJV
God spoke directly to and inspired the hearts of each author. In doing so, they divinely knew what to write.
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What Was Written Came From God (2 Peter 1:16-21)
“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses to His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing the 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.”
Rest assured; these men wrote down exactly what God told them to.
I don’t know how you feel about that, but I know that in my own life, God has continued to inspire men and women who share with others a divine word or instruction by way of the Holy Spirit. God used prophets and people, and He is still using them today.
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Translated Into Various Languages
As of 2022, the Bible has been translated into 724 languages and the New Testament into an additional 1,617 dialects.
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Translations May Have Error But Not the Original Text
Anytime you translate from one language to another, there is always the possibility of error. And while some people have tried to correct these errors, mostly through word meanings in other languages, some errors still remain.
However, we believe that the original text is true and accurate because God, who is the very essence of truth, spoke it to others.
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The Scripture’s Context
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The Old Testament
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Copied by Jewish Scribes
Long before there were printing presses, there were handwritten scrolls. (Some of which are still available today!)
Jewish scribes had one primary responsibility: to write with detail and copy the word by letter onto paper scrolls. This was not only their paid profession but their God-given callings.
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Painstaking Details
The Old Testament includes rather strenuous details throughout.
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Written Over Several Hundred Years
The Old Testament was believed to be written from 1600 B.C. to 400 B.C. Rest assured, Scripture was not rushed but intricately and intentionally put together.
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The New Testament
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Written Over 50 Years
The New Testament was written from 35 A.D. to 95 A.D.
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The Books Were Combined Together in Various Ways
Eventually, the New Testament was combined with the Old Testament and finalized in 397 A.D. by the Counsel of Carthage.
So how do we know when these books got into the record of the Bible as we know it?
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Each New Testament Book Had to Meet Certain Requirements, Including:
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The Test of Authority
To pass the test of authority means that the apostle’s authorship, or endorsement of a book, had to be genuine.
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The Test of Uniqueness
When was the book written, and who was it written for? The internal evidence of its uniqueness met the requirements according to the place it was written in and for.
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The Test of Acceptance
Did the early church accept this book? If the early church embraced and accepted a book, it was included.
(You may often hear of books that were written and not included in the Bible, and one of the reasons is that they didn’t agree with those early writings.)
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Evidence For the Proof of the Scriptures
Why and how can we put so much confidence in the Scriptures?
The truth is that everyone has an authority in their life, whether it be God or other people. So who has the power to tell you to change?
My life is dependent on the Bible being true. Through the authority of the scriptures, I run my life and make decisions about my family, my money habits, and how I lead the church. And it is my hope and prayer that you, too, would arrive at a posture of putting your trust in the teachings of the Word.
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The Harmony of the Scriptures
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Various Writers From Different Continents and Languages
Writers from different locations and dialects wrote in a way which they were harmonious.
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No Contradictions
If you come across a passage of scripture where you think there is a contradiction, there may be something wrong in your interpretation or translation.
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Common Theme/Message: Salvation
From Genesis to Revelation, one thing is clear, and that is that God loves human beings. Throughout, we can see that God has a plan for people to be forgiven of their sins, allowing them to have a relationship with Him!
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Fulfilled Prophesy
Fulfilled prophesy proves that we can put so much trust in the holy Word of God!
Let’s look at some corresponding examples from the Old and New Testaments.
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Jesus’ Birth (Isaiah 7:14 & Matthew 1:18, 24-25)
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14, NKJV
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”
Matthew 1:18, 24-25, NKJV
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Jesus’ Arrest (Isaiah 53:7 & Matthew 27:12)
“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was left as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.”
Isaiah 53:7, NKJV
“And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.”
Matthew 27:12, NKJV
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Jesus’ Prayer for Sinners (Isaiah 53:12 & Luke 23:34)
“Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Isaiah 53:12, NKJV
“Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ And the divided His garments and cast lots.”
Luke 23:34, NKJV
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Jesus Was Hated (Psalms 69:4 & John 15:25)
“Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; they are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully; though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it.”
Psalms 69:4, NKJV
“But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’”
John 15:25, NKJV
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Jesus’ Friends Abandoned Him (Psalms 38:11 & Luke 23:49)
“My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, and my relatives stand afar off.”
Psalms 38:11, NKJV
“But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.”
Luke 23:49, NKJV
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Jesus Experiences Rejection (Psalms 109:25 & Matthew 27:39)
“I also have become a reproach to them; when they look at me, they shake their heads.”
Psalms 109:25, NKJV
“And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads.”
Matthew 27:39, NKJV
This is proof of why we can put so much trust in the Scriptures. Prophesy is powerful and key to understanding that God can be trusted in His Word.
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History
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Dead Sea Scrolls
After the Bible was put together, we found evidence that other writings were available. These writings, The Dead Sea Scrolls, were discovered between 1946 and 1956 in Palestine.
These scrolls give testimony that 36 of the 39 Old Testament books matched the New Testament writing word for word.
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Historians
Several historians (Philo, Josephus, Jamnia, and many church fathers) wrote history and bear records, agreeing with what is written in the scriptures!
And while we don’t see the pieces they wrote as God’s word, we can see the agreeance and build confidence that the Bible is true.
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Archaeology
Various archaeologists have compared the Bible with archaeological findings and concluded that the Bible is accurate. In addition, they have examined cities, caves, customs, furniture, artifacts, and buildings that back up the Bible as a trustworthy source.
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The Scriptures Confirm Themselves
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Jesus and the New Testament Confirm the Old Testament
We see through the words of Jesus and other authors of the New Testament that they confirm the words of the Old Testament.
- Matthew 5:17-18
- Matthew 10:15
- Matthew 12:17, 40
- Matthew 17:11-12
- Matthew 19:3-5
- Matthew 23:35
- Matthew 24:15, 38-39
- Mark 10:6-8
- Luke 4:4,8,12
- Luke 17:26-29
As a matter of fact, all of the Old Testament books, with the exception of Esther, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, are quoted in the New Testament 250 different times!
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The New Testament Confirms Itself
- John 14:26
- John 16:13
- 2 Peter 3:15-16
- 1 Timothy 5:18
- Colossians 4:16
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Conformity to the Faith
Conformity to the faith means that the information in the Bible is consistent with what was taught in the Old Testament books, as well as the known teachings of the New Testament.
If one apostle taught something contradictory to one of the other books, it was not included. This would create confusion, and there is no confusion in the Word of God!
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Apostolic Connection
The New Testament books can be connected to a specific time frame where the apostle lived at the time of Christ.
This was the criteria of these books and, more specifically, when it came to the Gospels. If they couldn’t establish an apostle connection in a book about Jesus’ life, it was rejected.
The Bible says that the books written about Jesus are more than you could count. Lots of people wrote about Jesus! However, before it could be considered God’s holy word, it had to be connected to one of the apostles alive during that time.
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Widespread Acceptance
During the time of the early church, many churches widely accepted books, including the Bible, as the Word of God.
If the people who lived during that time had questions about the legitimacy of the Bible, then they wouldn’t have accepted it, which is why we can place our confidence in it.
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Persecution
The followers of Christ put their lives on the line to live by this book.
The apostles were tortured and crucified, and I don’t know about you, but I am not willing to die for a fable!
Do you know why they continued standing firm in the Scriptures? They had assurance and witnessed how this book changed their lives!
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Changed Lives!
Throughout the Scriptures, people’s lives have been transformed, and because of that, lives continue to be changed today.
This God-breathed book has survived 1,500 years of completion, forty generations, and forty different authors; it has been written in different languages and many places, yet it has still survived!
It has withstood wars, persecution, criticism, and rejection and is still the highest-selling book of all time.
The Bible is more than a book; it is something we can put our trust in. It changes lives.