[Biblemat] S) CAN I TRUST MY BIBLE?

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study from my
ancient files.  Use to the glory of God.

CAN I TRUST MY BIBLE?

     If you go to any bookstore today you will find a large selec-
tion of "How To" books.  These books will tell you how to have a beautiful 
flower garden or a bountiful vegetable garden.  If you look further you can 
learn how to cook a low
fat dinner, or you can learn how to change the oil in your car.
There are books on how to be better spouses and parents.
There are "How To" books that teach you about investing,
retirement and lots of other things as well.

     Mankind needs one other "How To" Book.  This is the Book that guides man 
through life, the one that tells him what
his life is about and why he is alive at all.  This would be a 
book that explains suffering and death.  There are many effor-
ts made to provide this text.  Some philosophies try to tell man how to 
improve life, either by indulging in pleasure or by
denying himself pleasure.  Some sciences try to improve life
by explaining the mind, its health and its illnesses.  But, again, these 
different sciences disagree on how to accompl-
ish what they all want to accomplish.  From philosophy to
science to religion there are many sources trying to be the
ultimate "How To" book.

     One book steps up and makes a startling claim.  The Bible
claims to be THE "How To" text of all times and for all times.
"Since you have in your obedience to the truth purified your
souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one
another from the heart, for you have been born again, not of
seed, which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through 
the living and abiding Word of God.  For, 'All flesh is like grass, and all 
its glory like the flower of the grass.  The grass
withers, and the flower falls off, but the Word of the Lord
abides forever.' And this is the Word which was preached to
you" (1 Pet. 1;22-25).

     The Bible claims to endure forever while all of man's effor-
ts and explanations fade and die.  Many have opposed the 
Bible, many have attempted to destroy it, but still it survives
and abounds even today.  Having lasted for centuries, some
might wonder, "Can we trust the Bible?"  It is old, parts of it
written over 1500 years before Christ was born.  It is seen as
ancient by some and as out of date by many others.  Can you
trust your Bible?

YOU CAN, IF YOU TRUST THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCES: --
     You can trust the Bible if you trust the historical evidenc-
es that accompanies it.  The Bible was written by 40 different
authors over some 1500 to 1600 years.  It was written by men
of eduction and political wisdom (as Moses, raised in Pharao-
hs house) and by shepherds (like Amos, the prophet).  It was
written by people who had no place to call home and by peo-
ple settled in great civilizations.  It was written by men who 
spoke and wrote Hebrew and by men who spoke and wrote
Greek.

     There is no other book comparable to the Bible in this sim-
ple evidence.  In spite of the diversity of authors in time, place and 
cultures, the Bible is one consistent whole.  It teach-
es a consistent way of life.  It presents a God throughout who
is the same and unchanging, in spite of the different authors
and their different experiences and outlooks.  All this indicat-
es a supernatural hand was guiding the compilation of our
Bible.  Only God could put it all together using so many differ-
ent sources.

     The Bible was written in two commonly spoken languages.
The Old Testament was written in common Hebrew, a langua-
ge still spoken and used today.  The common people of ancie-
nt times and common people today can still read this ancient
language.  The New Testament was written in the Koine (com-
mon) Greek, the universal language of the era and time.  Yet,
in spite of the differences in language and time and place, the
entire Old Testament points to the New Testament, and the
New Testament quotes from and depends on the Old Testa-
ment for examples of how God dealt with His people back in
the days of Abraham, Moses, David and such.  So, again, only
the hand of God could guide and accomplish the making of 
this great Book, the Bible.  (We might just insert here, that  the Koine 
(common) Greek in which the New Testament was
written, ceased to be a spoken or written language.  Therefore, the meaning 
of the words of the New Testament
as written in the Koine Greek, continues to mean the same
thing today as it did back when it was first written, JWS).

     Compared to other religions and philosophies, the Bible
stands alone.  Whereas most religious books and documents
are written by one man and usually are all written in one span
of time from one cultural perspective, the Bible is not like that
As such, you can trust the Bible since the historical evidence
for its compilation is so strong.

YOU CAN TRUST THE BIBLE, IF YOU TRUST THE TEXTUAL
EVIDENCES: -- The Hebrew Old Testament is well proven to
be accurate in its text.  You would think a book written cent-
uries ago might undergo some serious changes in text due
to copying errors and poor transmissions of written materials
Yet, whent he Dead Sea Scrolls were found, those ancient
texts (dating from the first century A.D.) matched almost 
exactly the Hebrew text of our modern Bible.  The only alter-
ations were in minor words like "the" or "and".  It is remark-
able to see how accurate our text is when compared to ancie-
nt texts.

     Compare the Bible to other ancient documents.  We have
thousands of whole and pieces of the New Testament.  They
are all the same and consistent in text.  We ahve more evid-
ence for the Bible than for the works of Aristotle.  In fact, we
have much more proof of the Bible's unchanging text than
for the works of William Shakespeare!  You can trust your
Bible since the text has been the same for hundreds and hun-
dreds of years.

YOU CAN TRUST YOUR BIBLE, IF YOU TRUST ITS AUTHOR: -
     Putting your trust in a "How To" book ultimately comes
down to what you choose to believe.  If there is a God, what
does He want form us?  Do we make up our own gods, or do
we accept the God the Bible reveals to us?  In the final analy-
sis you must choose.  But if you choose to believe in a personal, all 
powerful God, you can also put your trust in His
"How To" Book, the Bible.

     "And so we have the prophetic Word made more sure, to
which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a
dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises
in your hearts.  But know this first of all, that no prophecy of
Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no proph-
ecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved
by the Holy Spirit spoke form God" (2 Pet. 1:19-21).  Peter
says it simply.  God moved men to write.  We can trust the
Bible because God was behind it, not men.  If you trust God,
you can trust His Word.

     "All Scripture is inspired of God and profitable for teach-
ing, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
that the man of God may be adequate, equipped  for every
good work" (2 Tim. 3:16,17).  Paul sums it up best.  The Bible
is the best "How To" book when it comes to doing good, to
living right, to serving God, to raising a family, to living and
even to dying.  No other book makes such a claim.  No other
book backs up its claims with historical, textual and practical
evidence.  You can trust your Bible.  It is the living, abiding
Word of the Living and abiding God of Heaven.  No other book can make this 
claim with authority and truthfulness.  Yes, you can trust your Bible.  It is 
the only book you can
trust when it comes to pleasing the Almighty God of all Creat-
ion.   ---- David Thurman in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 48, No. 6,
Feb. 5, 1999.  (Adapted, JWS).   </HTML>
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