|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
In the Bible |
|
Reason
One... |
 |
Its
Honesty
The Bible is painfully honest. It shows Jacob, the father of its "chosen
people," to be a deceiver. It describes Moses, the lawgiver, as an insecure,
reluctant leader, who, in his first attempt to come to the aid of his own
people, killed a man, and then ran for life to the desert. It portrays David
not only as Israel's most loved king, general, and spiritual leader, but as
one who took another man's wife and then, to cover his own sin, conspired to
have her husband killed. At one point, the Scriptures accuse the people of
God, the nation of Israel, as being so bad they made Sodom and Gomorrah look
good by comparison (
Ezekiel 16:46-52). The Bible represents human nature as hostile to God.
It predicts a future full of trouble. It teaches that the road to heaven is
narrow and the way to hell is wide. Scripture was clearly not written for
those who want simple answers or an easy, optimistic view of religion and
human nature.
|
 |
Reason
Two... |
 |
Its Preservation
Just as the modern state of Israel was emerging from thousands of years of
dispersion, a bedouin shepherd discovered one of the most important
archeological treasures of our time. In a cave of the northwest rim of the
Dead Sea, a broken jar yielded documents that had been hidden for two
millennia. Additional finds produced manuscripts that predated previous
oldest copies by 1,000 years. One of the most important was a copy of Isaiah.
It revealed a document that is essentially the same as the book of Isaiah
that appears in our own Bibles. The Dead Sea scrolls emerged from the dust
like a symbolic handshake to a nation coming home. They discredited the
claims of those who believed that the original Bible had been lost to time
and tampering.
|
 |
Reason
Three... |
 |
Its Claims For Itself
It's important to know what the Bible says about itself. If the authors of
Scripture had not claimed to speak for God, it would be presumptuous for us
to make that claim for them. We would also have a different kind of problem.
We would have a collection of unsolved mysteries, embodied in historical and
ethical literature. But we would not have a book that has inspired the
building of countless churches and synagogues all over the world. A Bible
that did not claim to speak on behalf of God would not have become
foundational to the faith of hundreds of millions of Christians and Jews (2
Peter 1:16-21). But with much supporting evidence and argument, the
Bible's authors did claim to be inspired by God. Because millions have staked
their present and eternal well-being on those claims, the Bible cannot be a
good book if its authors consistently lied about their source of information.
|
 |
Reason
Four... |
 |
Its Miracles
Israel's exodus from Egypt provided a historical basis for believing that God
revealed Himself to Israel. If the Red Sea did not part as Moses said it did,
the Old Testament loses its authority to speak on behalf of God. The New
Testament is just as dependent upon miracles. If Jesus did not rise bodily
from the dead, the apostle Paul admits that the Christian faith is built on a
lie (1
Corinthians 15:14-17). To show its credibility, the New Testament names
its witnesses, and did so within a time-frame that enabled those claims to be
tested (1
Corinthians 15:1-8). Many of the witnesses ended up as martyrs, not for
abstract moral or spiritual convictions but for their claim that Jesus had
risen from the dead. While martyrdom is not unusual, the basis on which these
people gave their lives is what's important. Many have died for what they
believed to be the truth. But people do not die for what they know to be a
lie.
|
 |
Reason
Five... |
 |
Its Unity
Forty different authors writing over a period of 1,600 years penned the 66
books of the Bible. Four hundred silent years separated the 39 books of the
Old Testament from the 27 of the New Testament. Yet, from Genesis to
Revelation, they tell one unfolding story. Together they give consistent
answers to the most important questions we can ask: Why are we here? How can
we come to terms with our fears? How can we get along? How can we rise above
our circumstances and keep hope alive? How can we make peace with our Maker?
The Bible's consistent answers to these questions show that the Scriptures
are not many books but one.
|
 |
Reason
Six... |
 |
Its Historical And Geographical Accuracy
Down through the ages, many have doubted the historical and geographical
accuracy of the Bible. Yet modern archeologists have repeatedly unearthed
evidence of the people, places, and cultures described in the Scriptures.
Time after time, the descriptions in the biblical record have been shown to
be more reliable than the speculations of scholars. The modern visitor to the
museums and lands of the Bible cannot help but come away impressed with the
real geographical and historical backdrop of the biblical text.
|
 |
Reason
Seven... |
 |
Its Endorsement By Christ
Many have spoken well of the Bible, but no endorsement is as compelling as
that of Jesus of Nazareth. He recommended the Bible not only by His words but
by His life. In times of personal temptation, public teaching, and personal
suffering, He made it clear that He believed the Old Testament Scriptures
were more than a national tradition (
Matthew 4:1-11;
5:17-19). He believed the Bible was a book about Himself. To His
countrymen He said, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you
have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not
willing to come to Me that you may have life" (John
5:39-40).
|
 |
Reason
Eight... |
 |
Its Prophetic Accuracy
From the days of Moses, the Bible predicted events no one wanted
to believe. Before Israel went into the Promised Land, Moses predicted that
Israel would be unfaithful, that she would lose the land God was giving her,
and that she would be dispersed throughout all the world, regathered, and
then re-established (
(Deuteronomy 28-31). Central to Old Testament prophecy was the promise of
a Messiah who would save God's people from their sins and eventually bring
judgment and peace to the whole world.
|
 |
Reason
Nine... |
 |
Its Survival
The books of Moses were written 500 years before the earliest Hindu
Scriptures. Moses wrote Genesis 2,000 years before Muhammad penned the Koran.
During that long history, no other book has been as loved or as hated as the
Bible. No other book has been so consistently bought, studied, and quoted as
this book. While millions of other titles come and go, the Bible is still the
book by which all other books are measured. While often ignored by those who
are uncomfortable with its teachings, it is still the central book of Western
civilization.
|
 |
Reason
Ten... |
 |
Its Power To Change Lives
Unbelievers often point to those who claim to believe in the Bible without
being changed by it. But history is also marked by those who have been
bettered by this book. The Ten Commandments have been a source of moral
direction to countless numbers of people. The Psalms of David have offered
comfort in times of trouble and loss. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount has given
millions an antidote for stubborn pride and proud legalism. Paul's
description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 has softened angry hearts. The
changed lives of people like the apostle Paul, Augustine, Martin Luther, John
Newton, Leo Tolstoy, and C. S. Lewis illustrate the difference the Bible can
make. Even entire nations or tribes, like the Celts of Ireland, the wild
Vikings of Norway, or the Auca Indians of Ecuador have been transformed by
the Word of God and the unprecedented life and significance of Jesus Christ.
|
 |
The
Truth! - Freedom |
 |
You're not alone if you are unconvinced that Christ is all He claimed to be.
But keep in mind that He promised God's help to those who have good reasons
for their questions. He said, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will
find out whether My teaching comes from God or whether I speak on My own" (John
7:17 NIV). Here Jesus reminds us that we see things not only as they are,
but as we are.
If you do see the reasonableness of faith in Christ, keep in mind that the
Bible says to the family of God, "For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works
[religious efforts and accomplishments], lest anyone should boast"
Ephesians 2:8-9. The salvation Christ offers is not a reward for
religious effort but a gift to all who put their trust in Him.
Again, who is Jesus to you? To find out the truth, click
more...
|
 |
The
Lie! - Bondage |
 |
By the way, if what you believed about Jesus, God, eternal life, the Bible or
whatever was not true, would you want to know?
Would you want to know the Truth, to examine the evidence and make an
informed decision about very weighty matters?
Or, would you be content with simply believing the Lie?
The choice, as
always, is yours.
more...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|