Famous Last Words

Can We Really Trust the Bible?

Introduction

Paul’s Legacy:

• Mentored 36 people mentioned in his letters
• Influenced 50 additional people mentioned in Acts
• Timothy as heir apparent to his ministry

[2 Timothy 3:14-17] “But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

Biblical Claims About Scripture

[Isaiah 40:8] “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.”

[Psalm 19:7] “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”

[Hebrews 4:12] “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

Three Tests of Reliability

1. Bibliographical Test (Is this what was originally written?)
   • Comparison of ancient manuscripts:
     • Plato: 7 copies, 1,200-year gap
     • Aristotle: 49 copies, 1,400-year gap
     • Homer: 500 copies, 500-year gap
     • New Testament: 24,000 copies, 25-year gap
2. Internal Evidence Test (Is the written document accurate?)
   • Proximity to events in time and place
   • Eyewitness testimony:
     • Peter: [Acts 4:20] “We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
     • John: [1 John 1:1] “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen.”

Three Ways to Verify Truth:

• Appeals to common knowledge
• Rapid spread during eyewitnesses’ lifetimes
• Martyrdom of early believers

“People would die for a lie they believed but who would die for a lie they made up?!”

3. External Evidence Test (What sources verify its accuracy?)

Archaeological Support:

• William F. Albright: “All radical schools in New Testament criticism which have existed in the past or which exist today are prearchaeological.”
• Sir William Ramsay: “Luke is a historian of the first rank.”

Scientific Accuracy in Scripture

• Job 26:7 – Earth suspended in space
• Isaiah 40:22 – Earth’s spherical shape
• Genesis 1 – Water-based planet
• Genesis 10 – Continental drift (Pangaea)

“Dr. Clark Pinnock: ‘There exists no document from the ancient world witnessed by so excellent a set of textual and historical testimonies…'”

Application

1. Thank God for:
   • The historical account of human experience
   • Preserving His word through history
   • Faith based on historical facts
2. Recognize the implications:

“Wolfhart Pannenberg: ‘The evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is so strong that nobody would question it except for two things: First, it is a very unusual event. And second, if you believe it happened, you have to change the way you live.'”

[1 Peter 1:24-25] “As the scriptures say, ‘People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.'”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________