Convincing people that God’s Word is truth must come before they will believe anything you may show them and change their lives because of it. This is part one of a twelve part series found only on sermonlines.com and heard throughout 2018 at plattsburghchurch.com.
Ten Reasons Why the Bible is True
1 The Bible itself says it is inspired of God and authoritative
a. We shouldn’t claim for the Bible what it doesn’t claim for itself (John 17:17, 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
b. Prophecy fulfilled centuries after it was written prove this: compare Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 to the events of the cross or Zechariah 11:12-13 to Matthew 27:3-10.
2 There’s a unity of thought and purpose over 1600 years of writing it (1500 B.C. to 100 A.D.).
a. There are no seeming contradictions that are not easily accounted for.
b. The theme is a loving God’s plan to bring sinful man back into a relationship with Him.
3 There’s a unity of thought and purpose though written by about 40 writers from many different backgrounds: kings, shepherds, fishermen, rich, poor, Jews and non-Jews.
a. The Bible was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
b. The writers were from different countries and political situations: Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Israel.
4 Careful copying through the centuries has given us the exact Bible as when it was first written.
a. See the methods of the Masoretes and monks who believed their salvation was at stake!
b. Found in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls, written about 100 B.C. to 100 A.D., prove the preservation of all the Old Testament books (except Esther).
5 Outside sources describe Bible events, places, and people.
a. In 93 A.D., the Jewish historian, Josephus, described Jesus rising from the dead, et. al.
b. Stories of the Genesis flood are preserved in cultures around the world.
c. The Chinese language depicts pre-Babel events in their ‘picture language.’
d. Outside sources are mentioned in Scripture (Joshua 10:12-14, Luke 1:1-4).
6 Archaeology continues to prove Bible events, places, and people(s) over and over.
a. Hazor was indeed burned by the Israelites when they came into the land (Joshua 11:12-13).
b. The temple was destroyed, rebuilt, enlarged, and destroyed again as the Bible states.
7 Man is more confident of the Bible’s accuracy than other ancient works.
a. Over 5,300 ancient Greek copies of the New Testament exist that are within two centuries of the originals. It is better preserved and authenticated than Caesar, Plato, or Aristotle’s writings.
b. There were more witnesses to the Bible’s events, places, and people than to Shakespeare writing Shakespeare’s works.
8 The Bible was the newspaper of the day with witnesses who were for, neutral, and against Christianity attesting to the validity of the Bible’s events, places, and people.
a. Not even Christianity’s enemies of the 1st Century could explain away Jesus’ miracles or the empty tomb. If they could have, they would have!
b. Jesus appeared at least ten recorded times over a period of 40 days after He was resurrected. The largest group was 500 (1 Corinthians 15:5-6) to people who were not expecting to see Him alive. Mass hallucinations do not happen in this manner.
9 Nature and science prove the Bible over and over.
a. Things tend toward chaos, not the complexity we see either through a microscope, telescope, or with our eyes (Romans 1:18-20).
b. The Bible speaks of the earth being round (Isaiah 40:22), the paths of the sea (Psalm 8:8), and dinosaurs (Job 40-41).
10 Changed lives prove the Bible is true.
a. Compare the apostles in Luke 22:54-62 to Acts 4:18-20. Most died attesting to the gospel.
b. The changed lives of Christians today from how they were before they obeyed Christ attest to the Bible being true.