The Bible

1. The Bible

2. Luke 23:39–43 (ESV) One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

3. Matthew 10:28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

4. How many times does the word “love” appear in the book of Acts?

5. How many times does the word “love” appear in the book of Acts?Zero (0)

6. Ephesians 2:8–10 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

7. The Big Picture

9. Inerrant, infallible, inspired The original writings of the Bible turned out just as God wanted them to.

10. The Bible is the primary way God speaks to us

11. Isaiah 55:10-11 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

12. Hebrews 4:12 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.

13. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

14. Acts 17:11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

15. Works Jewish Hindu Buddhist Muslim Mormon Etc. Grace Christianity The main difference: Grace

16. How was the Bible compiled?(The Canonization Process) • Author = Apostle or closely linked follower of Christ • Accepted by early church • Used in church services • “Stamp of God” • Consistent messages

17. Sola Scriptura • Scripture alone is our authority. • This does not mean that Protestants believe: • All truth is to be found in the Bible, or that the Bible is the only form in which the truth of God has come to His people. • Every verse in the Bible is equally clear to every reader. • The church and people are not of great value and help in understanding the Scripture.

18. The Bible is not a science textbook • But it was remarkably “lucky” about several things • The universe coming into being at a point n time – Genesis 1 • # of stars – Genesis 15 • Water cycle – Isaiah 55 • More!

19. If you get stumped . . . • “I don’t know, but I’ll find out” • Humble response • Takes all the pressure off of you • Keeps you from giving bad answers • Gives you time to prepare better answers • Lets you make an appointment to come back later to talk about God • One bad argument can undermine ten good arguments.

20. Historical facts • Jesus was a real person who died on a cross • The disciples really believed He rose physically • The Apostle Paul . . . • persecuted Christians then converted after claiming to see the risen Christ. • wrote at least Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Galatians and Philemon -- key doctrines and traditions at early dates. • Was hostile to the faith and had no reason to believe. • We know the original writings of the Bible with 99.5% accuracy, and 100% on major doctrines

21. Men wrote the Bible, so it must have mistakes? • No. Just because people sometimes make mistakes that they will always make mistakes. • If God wanted the original writings of the Bible to convey exactly what He wanted to, then He could do it.

22. How many translations did you Bible go through? • One. • Myth • Greek original  Latin translation  other translations  King James version  New International Version, etc. • Facts • Greek original copies of Greek original  Latin version • Greek original copies of Greek original  King James version • Greek original copies of Greek original New International Version • Dead Sea Scrolls prove copying process of Old Testament was highly reliable

23. The Bible has been changed so we don’t know what the originals said? • Nope. • Even atheist scholars concede that we know 99.5% of the original words and 100% of major doctrines. • The 0.5% are basically “typos” • The most divergent text families still end up with orthodox Christianity • We know what changed – the system works! • “Long ending” of Mark • Beginning of John 8 (woman caught in adultery) • See your footnotes: “The earliest manuscripts do not include . . .”

24. Does the Bible claim to be the word of God? • Yes, roughly 3,000 times. • That doesn’t prove it is God’s word, but it makes it very clear that we shouldn’t pick and choose which parts we agree with. • Jesus agreed with 100% of the Old Testament, including controversial passages about Adam & Eve, Sodom & Gomorrah, Noah and Jonah • Christians should seek to hold the same views as Jesus

25. Is the Bible out of date? • Common claims • “It was written 2,000 years ago.” • “Bronze age mythology.” • If it is the word of God it would be timeless. • 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

26. Other reasons to trust the Bible • Archeology • Fulfilled prophecies

27. Do you take the Bible literally? • We should read it in the way the authors intended it, depending on the context and type of writing. • History • Metaphor / illustrations / parables • Doctrine • Poetry • Figures of speech – i.e., exaggerations

28. Why I can’t be an atheist . . . • Something came from nothing? • Life came from non-life? • Evolution to everything we see today? • Oxymoronic fine–tuning from chaos? • Consciousness from materials? • Morality from nothing?

29. Intelligent Design in a nutshell “Living things contain within their genomes large amounts of functional information. The only cause known to be capable of generating large amounts of functional information is intelligence. It is therefore reasonable to infer that the functional information in living things must have an intelligent source." Douglas Axe

30. When was the New Testament written? • Most of it was probably written before the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 A.D. • The writers would have been inclined to mention this fulfilled prophecy • Paul died ~ 65 A.D. • All his letters written before then • Acts closes with Paul still alive • Luke wrote his Gospel before Acts • Matthew & Mark written before Luke

31. Dalmatian Theology • “The Bible is inspired in spots, and we’re inspired to spot the spots.” • The burden of proof is on them to demonstrate which parts are / are not inspired. • Not as cute as it sounds.

32. Advanced Dalmatian Theology • “God is also changing spots and adding or removing spots” • Oddly enough, He is only telling theological liberals • They use phrases such as “God is still speaking,” but they don’t mean that God still speaks through his Word (that would be a true statement). They think He is still revealing new truths to the church and changing doctrines taught in the Bible.

33. Tough questions • Why do the wicked prosper? • Why do bad things happen to good people and vice verse? • Where is God during tough times? • Why does life seem meaningless at times? See the Bible! (Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Job and more)

34. What is truth? “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” John 18:37-38

35. What is truth? • Truth is that which corresponds to reality. • Just because we can’t know all truth doesn’t mean that we can’t know any truth. • Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

36. Though it always comes as a surprise to intellectuals, there are some forms of stupidity that you must be highly intelligent and educated to commit. God keeps them in His arsenal to pull down mulish pride, and I discovered them all.J. BudziszewskiUT Philosophy ProfessorHow to Stay Christian in College

37. Making up your own version of God is worse than jumping from a plane and imagining your own version of a parachute.

38. What does the “world” say? • Pluralism – two definitions • Good  Treat people of all religions with respect • Bad  All religions are equally valid paths to God / all religions are pretty much the same • Sincerely held beliefs . . . • Good people go to heaven

39. Copycats – did Christianity borrow from other religions? No. • Thoroughly debunked in mid-1900’s but given new life by Internet. • Many allegations are mythical. • Old Testament prophecies pre-date the alleged borrowings. • Some overlaps expected – e.g., the flood. • Similarities don’t necessarily mean things were copied.

40. Recap • How many times was your Bible translated from the original language? • Do we know what the original Bible writings contained? • Does the Bible have to have mistakes just because men wrote it?

41. Recap • What is truth? • What is unique to Christianity? • Should we treat people of all religions (or no religion) with respect? • Are all religions equally valid paths to God?

42. How to read the Bible • Always, always, always read in context! “Never read a Bible verse.” • Read individual passages in light of surrounding passages and all scripture • Cultural and social setting • Who was it written for? • Literary type • Let the clear explain the unclear (interpret difficult passages in light of straightforward passages) • Don't assume that the unexplained is not explainable

43. How to read the Bible • Eliminate interpretations that can’t be right (like a multiple choice test) • The 144,000 in Revelation • Don't assume that the Bible approves of all its records. • When in doubt, consult a commentary, study Bible, pastor, or anyone with more experience in Bible studies. • Remember that the Bible uses non-technical, everyday language. • Don’t argue from silence – i.e., “Jesus didn’t say anything about . . .”

44. How to read the Bible • Read it – 1-3 chapters • Question it • What portion stands out to me? Why? • Is there an example for me to follow? • Is there an error for me to avoid? • Is there a duty for me to perform? • Is there a promise for me to claim? • Is there a sin for me to confess? • Plan it – make a plan for how you will use it • Pray it – pray scripture back to God • Share it – helps others, and helps us to remember it

45. In essentials, unityIn non-essentials, libertyIn all things, charityAugustine of Hippo

46. Essentials Jesus is fully God Jesus is fully human Jesus is the only way to salvation Physical resurrection of Jesus Etc. Non-essentials How often you do communion Wine vs. grape juice Musical styles Type of baptism Young earth vs. old earth Etc. In essentials, unityIn non-essentials, libertyIn all things, charity

47. Disputable matters • Romans 14:1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. • So we know that: • God knew we’d have disputed matters. • He gave guidance on how to handle them.

48. Young earth (thousands of years) vs. old earth (billions of years) • Does “day” always mean literal 24 hour period? • How much was accomplished in day 6? • Scientific evidence • Can Christians hold either view? • Either way, God created it all

49. Sample passages

50. John 3:16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.