Monday, March 7, 2016

One of the most important questions for Christians living in today’s culture is, “Why do you choose to believe the Bible?”

Christians are often asked their position on issues: marriage, homosexuality, abortion, gender roles, racial relations, money, etc. And most Christians will share their convictions.

If you dig into the reasons for their convictions, they will probably mention something about the Bible’s position on the topic. But if you ask them why they believe what the Bible says, most people are unable to provide an answer, or at the very least, they have weak reasoning.

            “Because that is the way I was raised.”

                        We are raised to believe a lot of different things, not all of them correct.

            “Because it has changed my life.”

                        This is a purely subjective argument.

            “Because it is the inspired Word of God.

This begs the question, “But why do you believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God?”

Pastor and apologist Voddie Baucham writes, “I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses during the lifetimes of other eyewitnesses. These eyewitnesses report supernatural events that took place to fulfill specific prophecies and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.”

Consider these passages.

Peter, a disciple of Jesus who once denied he even knew Him but ended up giving his life for the sake of the gospel wrote:

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

-         2 Peter 1:16-21

Luke, a physician by trade and investigative by nature penned:

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

-         Luke 1:1-4

And Paul, who once persecuted Christians and hated their Christ, had his eyes opened and fervently preached the gospel with these words:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,  and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Apologists refer to this as one of the internal evidences that the Bible is the Word of God, meaning that the Bible itself claims a divine origin. C.H. Spurgeon wrote, “It makes no more sense to defend the Bible than it does to defend a lion. You don’t defend a lion, you just turn it loose!” When we “turn the Bible loose”, so to speak, we find it to be God’s truth. The Bible claims itself to be authoritative, the Holy Spirit convicts us of its message, and we see lives transformed by its gospel.

Non-believers are often more interested in the external evidences of the Bible—that is, evidence outside of Scripture that points to its validity. Hank Hanegraaf of the Christian Research Institute created the acronym M.A.P.S. to point to the reliability of the Bible: manuscripts, archeology, prophecy, and statistics.

This week in 10 Minutes with God, we will investigate the answer to the question, “Can I trust the Bible” by exploring some of the evidences of its reliability. We hope you will stay with us as we discuss this important topic!

Pastor Jeff Frazier