Part Two: Rethinking the Bible

The Uniqueness of the Bible

We must remember that the Bible is inspired by God using approximately 40 different authors covering over 1,500 years of history. It contains 66 volumes covering hundreds of subjects that all tie into one main narrative – the redemptive story of humanity.

When comparing the Bible to the Quran, for example, the Quran was written by one man, Mohammed, who had a “subjective experience” (non-verifiable) in the forms of dreams and visions. The Quran was written over his single lifetime (Mohammed died at 62 years old). The Bible is truly a unique book of truth, verifiable by multiple eye-witness accounts, as well as numerous archaeological discoveries. The Islam faith, based on the Quran, in contrast, is not reliable.

Canonization Process

At the time of the Early Church, there were so-called “Lost Gospels” being circulated. These writings are considered fiction by most Biblical scholars. They were dated long after the original apostles lived, and were mostly based on misunderstandings of Judaism and Christianity. Some of them tell false testimonies about Jesus’ childhood, or the three days between his death and resurrection. This is why the Bible had to be Canonized (or closed) because of the false testimonies circulating. The churches needed to know for sure which books to be teaching and preaching.

The Canonized books needed to represent an eye-witness testimony, in other words, they were either written by an apostle or a scribe (one closely associated with the apostle). The knowledge reported needed to be public (or easily verifiable). The gospels books were already universally recognized, as scholar F.F. Bruce notes that Clement (AD 96) wrote a letter with quotes from nearly all the New Testament currently being used in the 1stC. The New Testament books were considered inspired, bearing the marks of Apostolic authority.

The Relevancy of Scripture

In the United States and other, secularized cultures, Biblical illiteracy is at an all time high despite the easy access to Bible among democratic nations. So, how can Christians help others desire to read the Bible more? Personal testimony is a great place to start. We need to not only tell people about the historical reliability of the Bible, but we need to show them how the Bible is relevant to their lives.

Share how the Bible has changed your life, showing how reading the Bible can be the way God communicates to us today. And always remember, there must be an element of faith – a prayer to trust God will speak through His word. Praying Psalm 119:18 is a great way to start one’s Bible reading: “Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things in your Word.”

In time, the Bible has literally changed the lives of billions of people. Billions. Coincidence? Mindless brain-washing? I think not. This is what the Word of God does – it changes lives.

 

 

18 Comments

    • LisaQAuthor May 4, 2018
  1. Brittany May 4, 2018
    • LisaQAuthor May 4, 2018
  2. Melissa Henderson May 4, 2018
  3. Nancy E. Head May 5, 2018
  4. Karen Friday May 5, 2018
    • LisaQAuthor May 6, 2018
  5. Edna Davidsen May 5, 2018
    • LisaQAuthor May 6, 2018
  6. Tony Clark May 6, 2018
    • LisaQAuthor May 6, 2018
  7. Lynn May 6, 2018
    • LisaQAuthor May 6, 2018
  8. Bailey May 6, 2018
    • LisaQAuthor May 6, 2018
  9. Marcie Cramsey May 18, 2018
    • LisaQAuthor May 20, 2018