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7 Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible

Study Guide

Moody Publishers

DVD SESSION 2

A LOGICAL REASON

THE BIBLE CLAIMS TO BE GOD'S WORD

A Summary from the Book

The Bible is the Word of God because it claims to be the Word of God! As you read this chapter you will discover that this statement is not the circular argument it initially appears to be.

We do not have to search for long to find what the Bible has to say about itself; the claims of divine origin are found on nearly every page. In this chapter, we will examine a few. Then we will analyze what this means for you and me.

In the Old Testament, the "mouth of God" was regarded as the source from which the divine message came. "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host" (Psalm 33:6). That expression, "breath of his mouth," is the Hebrew equivalent of "God breathed." God, the Creator, used men to write the Scriptures, but they are God speaking. The same mouth that spoke all of creation into existence is the mouth that spoke, producing the Scriptures.

The Old Testament repeatedly claims to be the Word of God, and those words are therefore as enduring as God Himself: "Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in heaven" (Psalm 119:89). And again, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

If you were to call the authors of the Old Testament to the witness stand, they would affirm with one voice, "We are speaking the words that have been given to us by God." The implications, as we shall see, are staggering.

New Testament writers have the same ring of authority. They cited the Old Testament as the Word of God and put their own letters on the same level. The authors claimed that they were both recording and writing God's Word out of their own experience. Paul, who authored at least thirteen books of the New Testament, claimed to have received revelations from God and wrote what he was told to say.

The Bible is really a library of sixty-six books written by about forty different authors over a period that spans fifteen hundred years. The fact that the Bible has unity despite obvious differences in content, style, and perspective is a powerful witness to the independence of each author.

The Bible is not a collection of books on many different topics; there is only one theme, and that is the topic of Christ and the redemption He provided. The apostles saw Christ as the center of the Scriptures.

No matter how much evidence for the credibility of the Bible is accumulated, I must stress once more that Christ must still be received by faith. I do not mean blind faith, nor faith that is contrary to logic, but rather faith based on reasonable evidence. Yet it is faith nevertheless.

ENGAGING THE TOPIC

Complete the statements below after reading the book and the above summary. Then, during your class or small-group meeting, watch the DVD, Session 2.

1. Inspiration does not just mean that God approved the writings of biblical authors, but that those authors actually ________ His words.

2. Peter made a direct link between the word that he was preaching and the ___________ words of the Old Testament.

3. The Bible does not have sixty-six stories to tell, but one story of God's response to man's ____________.

4. The apostles saw _____________ as the center of the Scriptures.

5. God has chosen to tell us _______________ about Himself we could discover in no other way.

6. Our own experience proves that we are slow to accept what the Bible has to say about us and our ____________ with God.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. How does unity of authorship support the Bible's truthfulness? ________________________________________________________________

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2. Read Genesis 3:15. What is the Bible's main theme?

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3. How do evidence and faith work together with respect to the credibility of the Bible? ________________________________________________________________

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4. Can we prove that the Bible is the Word of God?

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5. Discuss the statement "Without the willing, there cannot be the knowing." How is this true?

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6. Read Deuteronomy 18:18–20. What is the distinguishing characteristic of a true prophet? (See also 1 Kings 20:13; 2 Kings 17:13; 2 Chronicles 12:5.)

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7. Read Psalm 12:6; 18:30; 119:40, 89. How do these passages describe God's Word found in the Old Testament?

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8. Read Genesis 1:1. Dr. Lutzer cites this verse as an example of the precise unity we find in the Bible. The Hebrew text from which our English versions are translated indicates that the word for "God" is a plural noun. What is the significance of this grammatical detail? How does it contribute to the unity of later Scriptures?

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9. Describe the unity of symbolism we find in both the Old and New testaments. (See Matthew 16:6 as an example.)

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10. When we transfer our trust to Christ for salvation, it is not based solely on historical investigation. What does John 6:44 reveal to us?

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PERSONAL REFLECTION

We know that the Scriptures we have are true and dependable. "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Peter teaches us that the Holy Spirit of God used men of God to write the Word of God (2 Peter 1:20–21).

To successfully live the Christian life, we must study the Word of God, obey it, and let it control our lives. It is the Word of God that furnishes and equips believers so they can live lives that please God and do the work He wants them to do. The better we know the Word and hide it in our hearts, the better we are able to live and work for God.

We become convinced that the Bible is the Word of God, not by subjective hunches, but by having our subjective hunches destroyed when we are humbled in the presence of the God revealed on the pages of the Bible. We finally come to realize that this Book is telling the painful truth about ourselves and our relationships in the world. The pieces of life's puzzle suddenly come together and we are led to say, "Once I was blind, but now I see."

The Bible is a mirror, not a photograph. A mirror shows us as we are; we can't add more hair, a bit of robust color, and with a slight of hand, remove all blemishes. No wonder the Bible frightens those who are unwilling to face their sins, but is a balm to those who are finally prepared to own up to their need and accept the redemption of Christ.

Engaging the Topic answers:

1. wrote 2. unchangeable 3. rebellion 4. Christ 5. truths 6. relationship

DVD SESSION 3

A HISTORICAL REASON

HISTORY CONFIRMS THE BIBLE'S RELIABILITY

A Summary from the Book

Glance through the Bible and you will encounter stories about men like Abraham, Moses, and David. You will read about Christ, His disciples, and Paul. The Bible is filled with thousands of events that purport to have actually happened in the continuum we call history. Births, deaths, hardships, and miracles — they all are there. But is this history reliable?

Time magazine editorialized that years of searching for evidence have "convinced all but the most conservative experts that Abraham and the rest of the patriarchs were inventions of the Bible's authors." How can we believe the Bible is historically reliable in the face of such sweeping denials? Must we simply look the other way and keep believing, no matter how mythical the Bible really is? Worse, should we close our eyes to what these scholars say, hoping that their radical views will just evaporate?

There is a better way. Those of us who believe that the Bible is trustworthy look at matters very differently. We've already learned that we must either accept the Bible as the Word of God or reject it in toto as a forgery. And because we accept the Bible as the Word of God, we do not suspend belief until biblical events are confirmed by archaeology.

We acknowledge historical problems in the text, but we also believe — and this is important — that if all of the facts were known, the Bible's history would be accurate even in minor details. We strongly disagree with those who say, "Well, the Bible is a religious document, so who cares whether it has historical errors?" Religion, if it is worth believing, must be based on facts. Yes, there is room for faith, but unless it is faith in facts, faith is not only useless, but also destructive.

The Bible is not just a book on history, but also a book on doctrine, a book that takes us beyond the realm of human speculation. We are encouraged to believe its doctrines because of the reliability of its history. Christ challenged Nicodemus, "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:12). When God speaks He is just as reliable about the earthly things as He is about the heavenly! In fact, the reliability of the earthly matters gives us confidence in the reliability of the heavenly matters that are beyond the realm of human investigation.

In this chapter we will examine the contribution of archaeology. Archaeology can be defined as "a study based on the excavation, decipherment and critical evaluation of the records of the past as they affect the Bible." The last fifty years have been a bonanza for archaeologists. Obviously, archaeology is very limited in what it can and cannot prove. In addition, archaeology is not an exact science. Archaeologists sometimes differ among themselves as to how all the data should be understood. However, the majority of archaeological finds have illuminated biblical history and have, if anything, confirmed the biblical record. Though our faith is not dependent on the next archaeological find, it is gratifying to know that, as time moves on, more and more discoveries confirm the biblical record.

The biblical documents themselves have undergone extensive evaluation. The best way to confirm the accuracy of the New Testament documents is to test them by the same standards used to investigate any other historical documents. There are three accepted tests that examine the biographical,internal, and external evidence. The New Testament passes all three tests. Can we be sure that we have a reliable textual tradition? The answer is a resounding yes. Most remarkable is the fact that the people, places, and events mentioned in the Bible are found just where the Scriptures locate them.

But what about the Old Testament? Often we are asked: How do we know that the Bible we have in our hands has come down to us accurately? Since the manuscripts of today are copies of copies, how do we know that the text was accurately transmitted? The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has confirmed that the Old Testament text has not substantially changed throughout the centuries. The Dead Sea Scrolls give independent confirmation of the text of our present Old Testament books. They confirm what we hold in our hands is a reliable copy of the original documents.

ENGAGING THE TOPIC

Complete the statements below after reading the book and the above summary. Then, during your class or small-group meeting, watch the DVD, Session 3.

1. None of the Bible is accepted without_____________ confirmation from history and archaeology.

2. The Bible is not just a book on history, but also a book on_________________.

3. We are encouraged to believe the Bible's doctrines because of the ______________ of its history.

4. The New Testament writers knew that their faith was based on _____________.

5. The famous historian Josephus referred to the ________________ of Christ.

6. Perhaps the reason for the Bible's longevity can be found not in the men who wrote it, but in the God who _______________ it.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Although ancient manuscripts are generally accepted at face value, when it comes to the Bible, some scholars will accept only the parts that secular sources confirm. What are some reasons for this and what is the major problem with such a stance?

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2. Why is it important that the Bible be reliable in matters that can be tested?

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3. Does archaeology support or contradict Bible teachings. Why?

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4. Describe three tests used to evaluate the accuracy of historical documents. What does each test independently verify?

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5. Dr. Lutzer points out that the Bible cannot afford to have errors. Why must the Bible be reliable about the things of this earth?

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6. Read Mark 2:1–12, the remarkable account of the healing of the paralytic. What was Christ revealing about His authority?

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7. From where did the Dead Sea Scrolls come? Discuss the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls with respect to the accuracy of the Bible.

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8. With the creation account, did Moses receive his information from God or did he simply rewrite accounts that were already in existence? What surprising archaeological discovery forces us to raise the question and answer it?

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9. As Dr. Lutzer emphasizes, there is more to the Christian faith than believing in the credibility of the Bible's history. John 3:3 tells us that faith is required for us to transition from the history of the Bible to the theology of the Bible. Discuss why the attitude of the heart is just as important as the reasoning of the mind when engaging the full message of Scripture.

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PERSONAL REFLECTION

Those of us who believe the Bible is God's Word will be neither surprised nor shaken when a particular archaeological discovery appears to contradict the Bible. To the contrary, the majority of archaeological finds have illuminated biblical history and have, if anything, confirmed the biblical record. Given the Bible's excellent reliability over the long haul, it is doubtful if archaeology could ever make a discovery that would conclusively prove the Bible in error.

As important as archaeological discoveries may be, the Bible's ultimate credibility does not lie in archaeological evidence. God's Word, rooted in our history and available to all people and generations that will listen, was born in heaven. In Psalm 119:89, we read, "Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens." And, in Psalm 119:160, "The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever." While research evidence may be true, God's Word is truth. When we read, meditate, and obey the living Word, God communicates His life and power to us.

Luke tells us that there were many accounts of the life of Christ available to him, and then he continues, "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 1:3–4).

Obviously, Luke had access to many eyewitness accounts, and perhaps other written accounts were available to him. The life and message of Christ were so important that many books likely had already been written about Him. Because not everything in them could be trusted, Luke set forth his account. We can be confident that our four Gospels have provided us with a credible, reliable, and accurate account of the life of Christ. It is a treasury of verified information about the story of redemption. Some believe Theophilus, the recipient of Luke's letter, may have been a Roman official, or simply a seeker after the truth. Whatever the case, the gospel was making an impact in its world — an impact that continues to our present time.

Engaging the Topic answers:

1. independent 2. doctrine 3. reliability 4. fact 5. resurrection 6. inspired

DVD SESSION 4

A PROPHETIC REASON

BIBLE PROPHECIES PROVE ITS TRUTHFULNESS

A Summary from the Book

Prophecy can be fun. If you can predict the future even once, your friends will respect you and people whom you have never met will stand in awe of your power and influence. But your primary allies are ambiguity, riddles, and contingencies ("if this happens ... then that will happen"); such ambiguous statements will enable you to reinterpret a wrong prediction. Your reputation is important, but being clear about what you have said is not.

Enter Nostradamus. This famous soothsayer would sometimes put himself in a trance. Then, staring into a bowl of steaming water as it gave forth its vapors, he recorded his predictions in nearly one thousand quatrains (four lines of verse) that he divided into ten sections. They were written in a mishmash of French, Old Provincial, and Latin.

What intrigues scholars is that he tossed in baffling word games, puns, number codes, and other mysterious anagrams. Then, to confuse things all the more, he deliberately scrambled the order of the verses to disguise their chronology. Although he died in France in 1566, many believe that he predicted events that will engulf the world until the year 8000!

How much did Nostradamus know? What can we say about his predictions? First, many of them are simply too obscure to interpret. Second, we must be generous enough to say that there might be some predictions that did come to pass, or at least some similar events have happened. If we agree, as I believe we must, that unaided human reason cannot see into the future, we must ask: From where did Nostradamus get his information? According to the Bible there would be only two sources: God or the devil.

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Excerpted from 7 Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible by Erwin W. Lutzer. Copyright © 2015 Erwin W. Lutzer. Excerpted by permission of Moody Publishers.
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