Can the Bible Be Trusted?

A certain pastor observed a little girl standing outside the preschool Sunday school classroom between Sunday school and worship, waiting for her parents to come and pick her up for "big church." The pastor noticed that she clutched a big storybook under her arm with the title "Jonah and the Whale."

Feeling mischievous, he knelt beside the girl and asked, "What’s that you have in your hand?" "This is my storybook about Jonah and the whale," she answered. "Tell me something," he continued, "do you believe that story about Jonah and the whale?" The girl said, "Why, of course I believe it!"

The pastor inquired further, "You really believe a man can be swallowed up by a big whale, stay inside him all that time, and come out okay?" She declared, "Yes! This story is in the Bible, and we talked about it in Sunday school today." Then the pastor asked, "Can you prove to me this story is true?" She thought for a moment and then said, "Well, when I get to heaven, I’ll ask Jonah."

Finally the pastor asked, "What if Jonah’s not in heaven?" The girl put her hands on her hips and sternly declared, "Then YOU can ask him!"

Quiz Game:

How many books are in the Bible? 66

How many in the OT? 39 NT? 27

What is the longest book in the Bible? Psalms Shortest? 2 John

What is the shortest verse? , “Jesus wept.”

What is the longest verse?

What is the longest word in the Bible? “Maher-shalal-hash-baz” in

A Few Quick Fun Facts:

The Bible is translated into 1,200+ languages.

There are ~170,000 Bibles distributed every day (old figure).

Number of promises in the Bible: 1,260

Number of commands in the Bible: 6,468

Number of questions in the Bible: 3,294

Shortest chapter ()…Longest chapter ().

Need:

· Webster defines “unique” – (1) one and only; single; sole. (2) different from all others; having no like or equal.

How many of you would agree with me that the Bible is unique? Webster Dictionary defines “unique” – as (1) one and only; single; sole. (2) different from all others; having no like or equal. These goofy fun facts and quiz game notwithstanding, the Bible is a tremendous book.

But is it more than a tremendous book? Is the Bible really unique? In a study, 42% of Americans believe the Bible is the literal Word of God. But is it?

If you’ve ever tried to tell someone about your Christian faith, you may have had them retort about the validity of the Bible. They might say something like:

Full of contradictions and errors? Hasn’t translation led to errors? Is it the same now as then? With so many translations, which is right? Is it historically reliable? Is it scientifically reliable?

Isn’t the Bible full of contradictions and errors?

Hasn’t translation led to errors?

Is it the same now as then?

With so many translations, which is right?

Is it historically reliable?

Can you really trust the Bible???

Is it scientifically reliable?

Can you really trust the Bible???

Bridging Sentences

Sermon Idea:

That’s the question before us this morning: Can the Bible really be trusted? Granted…everything we teach, preach, and sing in this church is based on the teaching we find in the Bible. So if the Bible cannot be trusted…then we’re wasting our breath…our time…our energy…our money. But I do believe the Bible is the unique Word of God…and I want to show you why you can believe that this morning.

Take your Bible and turn with me to our foundational passage today, . Unlike most Sundays where we go to a singular text and expose its meaning, today we are going to start here…but launch into a more “topical” approach to our topic. There really is no single text that summarizes the totality of the Bible…so we’re going to look at 6 ways the Bible is unique (MIM). Paul sets the stage for our discussion by explaining the Bible (or Scripture as he calls it) is the unique, inspired, all authoritative Word of God.

The Bible is the unique Word of God.

Interrogative:

How is the Bible unique?

Now that you’ve found your place in God’s Word…would you stand in honor of the reading of God’s Holy Word.

Transition:

2 Timothy 3:14–17 NASB95

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Transition:

There are 6 ways the Bible is unique.

Pray.

There are 6 ways the Bible is unique.

Body:

2 Timothy 3:15–17 NASB95

and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Body:

Pray.

Satisfaction

Brief Exegesis on

Background

The Apostle Paul writes this book to his young friend in the ministry, Timothy. Timothy is the pastor at Ephesus. He is also a young mentee of Paul. Here in , Paul is encouraging him in his ministry. Difficult times will come (v. 1), avoid evil men (vv. 2-5), and more.

Then in verse 14, Paul says, “Continue in the things you have learned.” Verse 15, “And that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith.” What sacred writings?

Well, for the NT church, the sacred writings would have been the Old Testament—also called the Law of Moses, Law and the Prophets, or even the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. For the NT church, the sacred writings were the Scriptures of the OT.

Major Focus

Then in verse 16, we see the key phrase, in my opinion, to the passage:

2 Timothy 3:16 NASB95

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

All Scripture is “inspired by God.” That is, it is given by God…breathed in by God…it is unique. There are a lot of great ancient writings. Shakespeare was good. Both the Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer were good. Plato’s Republic makes the great books list. What about Aesop’s Fables? The Art of War?

But the Bible is UNIQUE because it is the ONLY book that is inspired by God.

Application

If this is

Profitable for teaching (what is right)…reproof (what is not right)…correction (how to get right)…training in righteousness (how to stay right).

Division 1: The Bible is unique in its continuity.

The Bible is unique in its continuity.

Explanation

Just consider for a few moments the “continuity” of the Bible. That is, it’s uninterruptedness…its flow…its progression. Consider the following facts:

Written over 1,500 year span

Written over 40 generations

Written by over 40 authors, from every walk of life – (Moses a political leader trained in Egypt, Peter a fisherman, Amos a herdsman, Joshua a military general, Nehemiah a cupbearer, Daniel a prime minister, Luke a doctor, Solomon a king, Matthew a tax collector, Paul a rabbi)

Written in different places (Moses in the wilderness, Jeremiah in a dungeon, Daniel on a hillside and in a palace, Paul inside prison walls, Luke while traveling, John on Patmos)

Written at different times (during times of war, times of peace)

Written during different moods (heights of joy, depths of sorrow and despair)

Written on three continents (Asia, Africa, Europe)

Written in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek)

Topics cover hundreds of controversial topics (yet with Biblical harmony and continuity from Gen to Rev. One unfolding story: God’s redemption of man.)

Written on topics which cover hundreds of controversial topics...yet with biblical harmony and continuity from Genesis to Revelation. One unfolding story: God’s redemption of man. The Bible is unique in its continuity.

Application

§ Application

English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) once said in describing the Bible, “It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter.”

Baptist Faith & Message

Division 2: The Bible is unique in its circulation.

Division 2 Statement

The Bible is unique in its circulation.

Explanation

§ Explanation

The Bible is unique in its continuity, but it is also unique in its circulation. Did you know that the Bible has been read by more people and published in more languages than any other book in history. Statistics suggest that the Bible has sold 3.9 billion copies in the last 150 years combined. Second in the most sold list is “Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-Tung” with 820 million…and third is Harry Potter with 400 million.

The Bible was selected as the first major book published on Gutenberg’s press. Why? Because it was that popular of a book.

About 30 years ago, British and Foreign Bible Society (to meet demands) had to publish “one copy every 30 seconds day and night; 22 copies every minute day and night; 1,369 copies every hour day and night; 32,876 copies every day in the year!”

Argumentation

§ Argumentation

According to The Cambridge History of the Bible, “No other book has known anything approaching this constant circulation.”

The Cambridge History of the Bible – “no other book has known anything approaching this constant circulation.”

Now the critic is right. The critic says, “This doesn’t prove the Bible is the Word of God!” And I agree. But it does show factually, though, that the Bible is unique!!! Amen?!

Division 3: The Bible is unique in its translation.

Division 3 Statement

The Bible is unique in its translation.

Explanation

§ Explanation

The Bible is unique in its continuity, it is unique in its circulation, but third…the Bible is unique in its translation. The Bible was one of the first major books ever translated. The Hebrew Bible (or our Old Testament) was translated from Hebrew into Greek in 250 BC. This translation is known as the Septuagint, and you often see it abbreviated by the roman numerals for “70” as LXX.

The Bible has been translated, re-translated, paraphrased more than any other book in existence. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “By 1966 the whole Bible has appeared…in 240 languages and dialects…one or more whole of the Bible in 739 additional ones.” A more recent stat suggests that the Bible is translated as a whole into 349 languages…with 2,123 having at least one book in that language.

Encyclopedia Britannica – “by 1966 the whole Bible has appeared…in 240 languages and dialects…one or more whole of the Bible in 739 additional ones.”

Argumentation

§ Argumentation

What does all this mean? Well if you compare this to the 1 to 20 copies of any works of Plato, Aristotle, Caesar, Tacitus…the NT alone has over 5,800 Greek manuscripts (completed or fragments), 10,000 Latin manuscripts, over 9,300 other languages to include Syriac, Slavic, Gothic, Ethiopic, and Armenian.

An even more interesting statistic is: If all of the Bibles in the world were burned…we could reconstruct the entire Bible from quotes made by the early Church Fathers alone, except for a very few verses.

What other book in all of human history has that sort of translation history and reproduction-ability? None! Why? Because the Bible…say it with me…is UNIQUE.

Division 4: The Bible is unique in its survival.

Division 4 Statement

The Bible is unique in its survival.

Explanation

§ Explanation

Next, the Bible is unique because of its survival. It has survived in 3 key areas. First, survival through time. As already mentioned today, there is more manuscript evidence than any 10 pieces of classical literature COMBINED.

Second, survival through persecution. The Bible has withstood vicious attacks to burn it, ban it, outlaw it from the days of Roman emperors to present-day Communist-dominated countries. I just finished reading a book on the history of the Bible this past week while traveling. It is amazing the attacks on the Bible…and yet it survives til this day.

More manuscript evidence than any 10 pieces of classical literature combined

Survival through persecution

o Survival through persecution

Has withstood vicious attacks to burn it, ban it, outlaw it from the days of Roman emperors to present-day Communist-dominated countries.

The French infidel, Voltaire (1694-1778), said within 100 years the Bible would be extinct. But 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society used his press to produce stacks and stacks of new Bibles!!! What an irony of history!

Third, consider its survival through criticism. The Bible has not only been persecuted and tried to be extinguished, but the Bible has…and continues…to undergo great scrutiny or criticism. One person wrote, “Infidels for 1800 years have been refuting and overthrowing this book, and yet it stands today as solid as a rock….the Church of God is an anvil that has worn out many hammers…Emperors and popes, kings and priests, princes and rulers have all tried their hand as it; they die and the book still lives.”

“Infidels for 1800 years have been refuting and overthrowing this book, and yet it stands today as solid as a rock….the Church of God is an anvil that has worn out many hammers…Emperors and popes, kings and priests, princes and rulers have all tried their hand as it; they die and the book still lives.”

Argumentation

§ Argumentation

Two issues to note when it comes to its survival.

First is its Quality. Because of the great reverence of Jewish scribes had toward the Scriptures, we have high quality manuscripts. The Masoretes orchestrated a serious process for the transmission/copying of the Old Testament Scriptures. The # of letters, words, and lines were counted…middle letters of the Pentateuch and OT were determined. If a single mistake was found, they’d be destroyed.

Can you imagine what agony it would be to be on the last stroke of the page…and find a mistake. You didn’t erase it. You burned it! For that reason, when the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered…and copies were found that were 1000 years older than our current oldest manuscripts…that is why they were so similarity. Great care equaled great quality.

That brings me to the second note: Does that mean there are no errors? No! There were errors in different manuscripts. There were errors from faulty writing, scribal errors, judgment, additions, deletions. But here is what you need to know…due to the great number of manuscripts available, textual criticism supports that 99.5% of your Bible is pure with no variant reading (errors) affecting any doctrine of the Bible. Norman Geisler says you can have 99.9% assurance that the Bible you hold is the same as was written. Why 99.9% and not 100%? He said he wanted to leave room in case something was ever discovered. But that is likely not going to happen…discovering something that would greatly change the VAST number of manuscripts already discovered.

Variances / Errors – from faulty writing, scribal errors, memory, judgment. NO variant reading affects any doctrines of the NT. The NT is considered 99.5% pure.

To put it in the

Application

To put it in the words of Jesus,

Matthew 5:18 NASB95

“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

§Application

– “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

Division 5: The Bible is unique in its teaching.

Division 5 Statement

The Bible is unique in its teaching.

Explanation

§ Explanation

The Bible is also unique in its teaching. There are 3 worth noting.

Prophecy

First, the Bible teaches prophecy. No other volume of literature has such prophecy…with such accuracy. According to scholars, Jesus fulfilled at least 55 OT prophecies in his first coming. That one man could fulfill all them is a mathematical miracle…even to fulfill a handful really. That Jesus fulfilled just 8 of the prophecies is a 1 in 10^17 possibility. Let me explain.

No other volume of literature has such prophecy…with such accuracy

If you mark 1 of 10 tickets…place them in a hat, then ask a blindfolded person to draw one. There is a 1 in 10 chance that she would pick the correct one. To say that Jesus fulfilled 8 prophecies is a 1 in 10^17 possibility. That’s huge. Here is a comparison. Take 10^17 silver dollars. Mark one. Lay them out on the state of Texas. They would cover the entire state of Texas…two feet deep. Stir them up. The likelihood that a blindfolded person would walk back and forth…finally reach down and pick up the marked one…that’s a chance 1 in 10^17. Jesus fulfilled not just 8 prophecies, but so far 55!!!

Second, the Bible teaches history. Distinguished archaeologist, Professor Albright says the Bible is an “astonishingly accurate document.” Go back and study history. Kings and governors. Timelines. All that is in the Bible is correct…it teaches history.

History

Distinguished archaeologist, Professor Albright, says the Bible is an “astonishingly accurate document.”

Third, the Bible teaches about personalities. It deals very frankly with the sins of its characters. Read the biographies of today and they’ll try to cover up, overlook, or ignore the shady side of people. The Bible does not paint its characters as saints. It simply tells it as it is!!! If the Bible were untrue, it would have described the many heroes of the Bible in a much happier, cleaner, better light. But it doesn’t. It describes the sins of Noah, David, and Peter. It shows that it wasn’t made up to cover up the chaos of the crazed disciples. No, it shows the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Personalities

Deals very frankly with the sins of its characters. Read the biographies of today and they’ll try to cover up, overlook, or ignore the shady side of people. The Bible does not paint its characters as saints. It simply tells it as it is!!!

Division 6: The Bible is unique in its authority.

§ Application

Hebrews 4:12 NASB95

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

– “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Division 6: The Bible is unique in its authority.

Division 6 Statement

The Bible is unique in its authority.

Explanation

Finally, the Bible is unique in its authority. We began by reading . I want to go back to that passage. Notice the source of the Bible. Listen to the text,

2 Timothy 3:16 NASB95

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

§ Explanation

Did you catch it? All Scripture is inspired by God. The source of the Bible’s authority is God Himself. A lot of books boast incredible authors. Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird), James Patterson (Alex Cross series), John Grisham (The Testament), Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park), and so many more great authors. But they are just people. Just ordinary people like you and me. But the Bible is inspired…breathed into…by God Himself.

Peter says it a similar, but different way...

2 Peter 1:21 NASB95

for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

– “All scripture is given by inspiration of God (literally, God-breathed), and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

This time, Peter clarifies that the Bible is not “by an act of human will.” He acknowledges that the Bible is a divine book…men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

– “No prophesy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit from God.”

Then Paul adds to our authority when he writes in 1 Thessalonians,

– “No prophesy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit from God.”

1 Thessalonians 2:13 NASB95

For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

Not as the word of men…but for what it really is, the Word of God.

Illustration

§ Illustration

As Baptists, let me read to you the “doctrinal statement” on the topic of Scripture. In the Baptist Faith and Message, it reads:

The Scriptures: The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

Application

Argumentation

§ Argumentation

1 Thessalonians 2:13 NASB95

– “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.”

Application

§ Application

Mark Twain once quipped, “Most people are bothered by those passages in Scripture which they cannot understand. The Scripture which troubles me most is the Scripture I do understand.”

So what’s our take-away this morning? How do we respond to this message? On the back of your bulletin, I’ve listed 3 questions. Here they are:

When it comes to God’s Word, what do you believe about the Bible?

· If the Bible is God’s Word, how have you invested time into reading, studying, and understanding it?

If the Bible is God’s Word, how have you invested time into reading, studying, and understanding it?

Do you have a plan for reading the Bible? If not, why not?

· Do you have a plan for reading the Bible? If not, why not?

What do you believe? Do you think the Bible is unique? Trustworthy? If you do, then how are you investing your time in reading, studying, and understanding it? Are you in a Journey Group? Would it help to take the “How to Study the Bible” course at Carolina College of Biblical Studies? It starts in a few weeks…great time to jump in. It is offered tuition-free every Thursday morning and evening.

Conclusion

Visualization

Off the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, a monolithic limestone promontory rises 1,398 ft. high. It’s known as the Rock of Gibraltar. Despite long sieges, it seemed that there was nothing that could destroy the Rock or its people. This history has inspired the simile, "Solid as the Rock of Gibraltar," which is used to describe a person or situation that cannot be overcome and does not fail.

· Visualization

Despite long sieges it seemed that there was nothing that could destroy the Rock or its people. This history has inspired the simile "solid as the Rock of Gibraltar", which is used to describe a person or situation that cannot be overcome and does not fail.

Rock of Gibraltar – invincibility of the rock and people secured around it?!!

In the same way, the Bible is solid as the Rock of Gibraltar!!!

Reiteration

· Reiteration

The Bible is a truly unique book. None other has had its uniqueness…but then none other is the inspired, infallible, inerrant, Word of God.

Action

· Action

The Obvious Conclusion. A professor remarked, “If you are an intelligent person, you will read the one book that has drawn more attention than any other, if you are searching for the truth.”

Appeal

· Appeal

Believe in the Bible…and the basic teaching of the Bible is that God loves you so much that He sent His one and only Son to live, to die, and to be raised again…for you!!

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