This week we are looking at the reliability of the Bible, and how we can have confidence in the Word of God. We will also look at some specific resources for you to use as you continue your journey in Bible study and Apologetics. This class will help us understand the importance of knowing what we believe as Christians and why we believe it. We can then be motivated to go out and share our faith with others, having confidence that what we believe is really true, and the ability to articulate that truth!

Defending our faith and developing a Biblical worldview based on our understanding of God’s Word takes time and practice, and must be part of a lifetime commitment we make to the LORD. It should form our purpose and identity in everyday life as we grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, modeling Him to our family, friends and neighbors. As Christians, it is more important than ever to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and then apply that to who we are on a consistent basis, and this can only be done if we know Jesus and what His Word teaches.

All class sessions include a time for prayer and reflection, a presentation, and a Bible study section. You will find the presentation overview and Bible study questions at the truthfaithandreason.com website, with basic answers for your review and, or to use as a leader’s guide.

Watch this week’s presentation:

Presentation Notes

Belief Blueprint
An Introduction to Christianity and the Defense of the Faith

Session Four: How Do We Know we can Trust our Bible? What are some good resources when I have questions?

Prayer Cards:

Do you have anyone that you are hoping to share what you are learning with? Write your name and that person(s) name down on your prayer card along with any other prayer request you might have, and exchange with your table group at the end of the evening.

Reflection from Session Three, Discuss:

1. Why is it important that truth (that corresponds to reality) plays an important part in forming your worldview?
2. How would you respond to someone who says…

• You can’t know absolute truth
• It’s true for you but not for me
• Christians are intolerant and judgmental

3. Review and practice our focus verse: 1 Peter 3:15

Focus verse

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect” 

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

How Do We Know We can Trust Our Bible?

MAPS-S

The acronym MAPS-S give us a snapshot of the evidence for the inspiration, inerrancy historicity and reliability of the Bible.

M = Manuscript evidence

A = Archeological evidence

P = Evidence from Prophecy fulfillment

S = Evidence based on Scientific authenticity

S = Evidence from Saved Lives over the centuries

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time and is considered by scholars to be a
Literary Masterpiece!

Manuscript Evidence

1. Strong historical and literary support
2. Excellent transmission over time
3. Accurate translations
4. Thorough canonization process – no inspired books are left out
5. Contains multiple eyewitness accounts
6. Authentication by both Christian and non-Christian sources
7. The science of textual criticism eliminates errors in the copies

The Testimony of the Scrolls

“The number of manuscripts of the New Testament, of early translations from it, and of quotations from it in the oldest writers of the Church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or the other of these ancient authorities. This can be said of no other book in the world”

-Sir Frederick Kenyon, (Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts, 55)

Archeological Evidence

Archeology: “The Scientific study of material remains of past human life and activities.”  –Miriam Webster

Some facts about Archeology and the Bible:

• Archeology uncovers physical evidence like coinage, pottery, and sculptures from dig sites that help confirm ancient cities, fortresses, people, and events
• Uncovered artifacts directly or indirectly give support to both Old and New Testament accounts
• Since the Bible contains historical narration many scholars and archeologist have used Biblical references to uncover truths about events, times, people, and places in both secular and Biblical history
• To date there have been over 25,000 archeological discoveries that support a variety of Biblical accounts, both Old and New Testaments
• No valid archeological find (zero) has ever contradicted a Biblical account
• Excavated examples include: The walls of Jericho; Dead Sea Scrolls; David’s buildings and inscription; various monuments, statues and inscriptions; and a first century crucifixion victim

How do we date things in Archeology?

They look at the context of the find that includes…

1. The geographic area of the find
2. Strata level
3. Historical references
4. Carbon dating (and other dating methods)
5. Coinage, pottery and other artifacts specific to the time period

Prophecy Evidence

Prophecy: Internal Biblical Evidence

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 (Jesus, Messiah) rises in your hearts; knowing this 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.  

–2 Peter 1:19-21

A prophecy of the Messiah and the Covenant Promise made sure:

“I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”

–Isaiah 42:6-9

What is Biblical Prophecy and Why Is It Important?

• The Old Testament contains over 300 places where prophecy is given concerning a promised Messiah
• In addition to Moses, Joshua, and other Old Testament authors, there are 16 prophets who wrote about the coming Messiah
• These prophets wrote to the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel from the time period prior to, during, and after their captivity and exile (Northern Kingdom to Assyria and Southern Kingdom of Judah to Babylon), 855-430 BC/BCE
• God spoke through these prophets in very different circumstances—some prophesied to kings, some to foreign nations, and others to the people in general
• God communicated to these prophets either directly, in dreams and visions, or through angels
• Many of the prophecies are two-fold and relate to things the Nation of Israel would face both eminently and futuristically
• These Old Testament prophets not only made predictions but they were investigative reporters and preachers that also exposed moral corruption, condemned it, and demanded repentance

Skeptics often say things like: “Couldn’t a group of Christians have just thought up these prophecies and then placed them in the Bible after the fact or, couldn’t Jesus have attempted on his own to fulfill these prophecies?”

Answer: NO WAY

1. The Dead Sea Scrolls

• The Dead Sea Scrolls contain the entire Old Testament (except the book of Esther) and a complete copy of Isaiah, dated between 200 and 100 BC, as well as all the other prophets and prophecy passages, years before the birth of Jesus
• The Dead Sea Scrolls match our Old Testament today with over 95% accuracy (any errors are simply grammatical, spelling or word order; nothing in meaning or doctrine is affected)

2. Jesus could not have planned prophecies concerning specific circumstances of his life

For example:

• Specific details of His birth
• The time in which He lived
• Specific details of His death

There are over 300 incidental and specific prophecies in the Old Testament that were literally fulfilled in life and times of Jesus—how does that look mathematically?

• If even 8 of these prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus it would be equivalent to 1 chance in 10 to the 17^th
• That’s 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000!
• We can’t even come up with the number to describe the fulfillment of all 300!!!

AND JESUS FULFILLED THEM ALL!

Science Evidence

• Even though the Bible is not a book of science, when it speaks of things we have just come to know today, it is never incoherent or mythological
• The Bible always authentic in its scientific illustrations
• The Bible gave accurate scientific and medical facts thousands of years before their discoveries
• The evidence for creation versus evolution for the origin of life; the evidence of a worldwide flood; and the cosmological and teleological arguments all support the God of the Bible and the truths of Scripture

Scientific truths found in the Bible

• Anatomy truths: God knit us together in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13)
  • In contrast, the Muslim Quran and Charles Darwin both say we begin as a clot. However, we know today the detail and intricacy involved in the formation and structure of the cell and the development of the embryo and the skeletal system, all based on the instructions coded in our DNA.
• Astronomy truths: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalm 19:1) …as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore… (Jeremiah 33:22)
  • In 150 BC scientists proclaimed that they had counted all of the stars and numbered them at 1,056; but with the invention of the telescope, we now know there are, indeed, too many to be counted.

• Geological truths: He (God) suspends the earth over nothing (gravity and the orbits). (Job 26:7)
  • In contrast the Quran says the mountains stabilize the earth. The Hindu Vedas say that the earth rests on the back of an elephant that stood on the back of a turtle in an endless cosmic sea of milk. The early Greeks believed that Atlas carried the earth on his back.

• Medical truths: For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised… (Genesis 17:12)
  • This is now known to be the best day to avoid infection and is the only day in which the blood-clotting factor is at its highest level.
  • God directed circumcision to be done on the 8^th day after the birth of the baby and today we know that this is the only day that vitamin K and Prothrombin are at their highest levels and therefore would be the safest day in which to perform this procedure.

• Health truths: Bacteria and virus avoidance is found in early Hebrew practices given by God in the Law concerning sanitation and eating regulations—See Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
  • We know today that the regulations for eating, cleansing, and contamination avoidance that was given in God’s Law has been justified in modern times with the discovery of the microscopic world.

• Nutrition and Dietary truths: God directed the best way for humans to eat as seen in all of the food regulations given in the Mosaic Law, as well as in the Garden of Eden and after the Flood, See Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and reference the story of Daniel and his friends in chapter one of the book of Daniel.
  • Today’s modern medicine recommends this “Mediterranean” style of eating, and is continuously proven to be the best form of nutritional health.

• Laws of Nature truths: Genesis 1:1 shows how God laid it all out in the very first verse of Scripture: In the beginning (time); God (force); created (energy); the heavens (space); and the earth (matter).
  • Herbert Spencer, who died in 1903, was famous for applying scientific discoveries to philosophy. He listed five knowable categories in the natural sciences: time, force, energy (or motion), space and matter – all found in this first verse of the Bible!

A few other examples, of many, include:

1. The earth is a sphere, and the heavens stretch out (Isaiah 40:22)
2. Free float of earth in space (Job 26:7)
3. Creation made of invisible elements (Hebrews 11:3)
4. Each star is different (1 Corinthians 15:41)
5. Light moves (Job 38:19-20)
6. Air has weight (Job 28:25)
7. Winds blow in cyclones and there is a water cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:6-7)
8. Blood is the source of life and health (Leviticus 17:11)
9. Ocean floor contains deep valleys and mountains (2 Samuel 22:16; Jonah 2:6)
10. Oceans contain currents and springs (Psalm 8:8; Job 38:16)

In addition, the existence of God and the Creation account of Genesis are supported by…

1. the Cosmological Argument (evidence found in the creation of the universe such as its fine tuning and the “Big Bang”)
2. the Teleological Argument (evidence of design in nature and in our own bodies such as the DNA information code).

-Saved Lives Evidence

• Over the centuries millions, possibly billions of people have testimonies of saved lives and changed lives (for the better) because of the truths of the Christian Bible – Most importantly salvation, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone
• The only Bible that some will ever read is the one they read in your life’s example!
• The only Jesus they will ever see is the one they see in you!

CONCLUSION

• If God exists, and the Bible is the miraculous Word of God, then everything Jesus said and did is true!
• If everything Jesus said and did is true, then should we be living out the Christian worldview He taught us to live?
• If we believe what we believe is really true, and we live out the Christian worldview, would we do things a little differently each and every day?

Recommended Books for further study

For Bible Study:

• Life Application Study Bible – NASB, NLT or NIV
• Rose Publishing (hendricksonrose.com): Bible Overview; Charts Maps and Timelines; and Subject Specific Pamphlets (100’s of topics)
• Knowing the Bible 101, by Bruce Bickel and Stan Janz

For Apologetics:

• Mere Christianity, by CS Lewis; Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel; Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, by Nabeel Qureshi; I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist, by Frank Turek and Norman Geisler; Cold-Case Christianity by, J. Warner Wallace; and Evidence that Demands a Verdict, by Josh and Sean McDowell

Recommended Online Resources

• Apologetics and Bible questions: gotquestions.org; searchcreation.org; patternsofevidence.com
• Online Bible studies: Daily Audio Bible App (DAB/DABC); The Bible Re-Cap with Tara Lee Coble;  Allen Parr (possible fee);  Logos Bible Software (fee)
• Bible Apps: Bible Gateway; Literal Word; YouVersion
• Apologetics and Christian Worldview Podcasts: Sean McDowell; Alisa Childers;  Apologetics Canada and Wes Huf;  Creation Today with Eric Hovind;  Mike Winger;  Stand to Reason with Greg Koukl;  Colson Center for Christian Worldview with John Stonestreet; Cold-Case Christianity with J. Warner Wallace
• AI concerns: Use Dominion for Bible and Christian Worldview perspectives (fee) – dominion.chat

Homework Review

 

Using a study Bible, review and practice the following hermeneutical method for Acts chapter one:

1.Author-Audience-Dating: Who wrote it, to whom and when?

2.Purpose: Why was it written?

3.Context/Flow of Thought: What does it say?

Read Acts chapter 1

4.Interpretation/Summary: What does it mean? Based on the reading…

a)What did Jesus tell His Disciples before His Ascension?

b)What did Peter say to the other disciples, why, and what did they then do?

5.Personal/Cultural Application: How do I use what I learned?

a)Can we apply what Jesus said to His Disciples in verse 8, and is it anywhere else in the Bible?

b)What else do we learn from these passages?

What’s Next?

Take another class, or join a group

Begin your own library of study Bibles and tools to help you study

Continue on your own Bible study journey, using the hermeneutical format to help you!

Recommended studies:

Note:  Read one chapter from a Wisdom Books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) every day before doing your regular study…

A back-and-forth method

1. Read the Gospel of Luke and then the book of Acts for a big picture of the Gospel of Jesus and early Church
2. Read the books of Genesis through Exodus for the history and foreshadowing of Jesus
3. Read the book of Matthew to note Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in Jesus
4. Read through the rest of the Torah and History books of the Old Testament
5. Go to the New Testament and read the Gospels of Mark and John and then continue on through the Epistles
6. Read through the books of the prophets, but note, you should have a guide as to where they fit into the history books
7. Read the book of Revelation to finish your journey through the Bible

Homework: Review and answer at your own pace
The Apologetic roadmap for this class

Questions you should be able to answer when you finish this class…

1. What is a Christian, and what are the core essentials of the faith?
2. What is the importance of using the hermeneutical method in Bible study?
3. What are the four main areas we can continue to work on to improve our Christian Walk?
4. What is a worldview, and the what is the importance of having a Christian Worldview?
5. What is truth, and what is the importance of having truth in my worldview?
6. How can we use the acronym MAPS-S to help us defend the reliability of the Bible?
7. What are some resources we can use to help study the Bible and answer tough questions?

Please continue to join us each week for more classes!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15