Is the Bible True?

Before we get to today’s article, I just want to mention that am writing from the perspective of a man that has experienced many of the challenges of which I write…. and those spiritual battles continue daily. The articles are implications of what it means to obey the commandment to raise your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. They require some reflection and are particularly for Christians who, as Peter would say, are diligently seeking to confirm their calling and are making every effort to supplement their faith. Said more succinctly, serious Christians. If you know other believers who desire to walk more faithfully with the Lord, please forward an article to them and tell them to sign up for future articles. Thanks so much!

Is The Bible True?

I have two introductions for you-

First, Introduction #1: Dear friends,

Maybe you know someone in your life- a friend, a family member, who has rejected the Bible and Christianity and maybe you struggle to share information with them about this topic. Over the next several weeks I am planning to address some of the common objections to the Bible and Christianity. Eventually, I’ll pull these series of articles into a playlist that I hope will be helpful. Please pass along to a friend or loved one. Thanks.

Second, Introduction #2: Dear loved person,

If you are reading this, it may be because a person who loves you passed it along. I know I can speak for them when I say that the information that they want me to share is literally life changing. However, you may have heard something about the Bible or what Christians believe and you have decided it’s not for you. I can think of a lot of reasons for your decision because I am sure I had some of the same ones for my disbelief. Did you go to a church one time in the past and you got nothing out of it? Been there. Did you experience people who said they were Christians, yet they were some of the worst people you have ever met? Been there, too.

Is It True Or False?

I could go on to discuss those experiences but the one objection to the Bible that I invite you to think about today is about whether or not the Bible itself is actually true. Why? Because if it is not true, every conversation about the Bible or Christianity is dead and there’s nothing to talk about. But if it is true, it will save your life from this confusing and depressing world now and give you meaning and joy today and forever.

There is much to say on the question, but I’m going to attempt to boil down the thousands of pages written in the past to a handful of powerful ideas. But before I do, I have to ask you one question and then ask you to do one thing. First, do you really want to know? I mean, are you open to learning something that might change your mind, or have you already decided that this is baloney? I know for myself that if I have been locked into a conclusion or certain perspective about something, it’s really hard to be open to change. So that’s the reason for me asking you to do something and that something is, “pray.”

So you might say, “pray? I don’t know how to pray and I never do. I wouldn’t even know what to say.” I understand and I don’t even care what you say, but I think all of us instinctively can look upwards and ask for help. Just ask that you receive help to keep an open mind about what you are about to hear.

What Is The Bible?

OK, so let’s talk about the Bible. What is the Bible?

The Bible is a collection of writings penned by 36 different men from different walks or life, different cultures, and different professions over 1500 years. And here is one of the amazing facts that should land on us hard: many of the authors never knew each other yet what they wrote is part of one story. And even more startling is the fact that while each of their writings support and complement the others, there are no contradictions. We must ask how that could be possible and the Bible gives us the answer: through those 15 centuries, God put into the mind of these men the exact words that God wanted them to write down!

Incredible Accuracy

But where did they write them down? Some wrote on stone or pottery pieces, clay tablets, papyri, and animal skins. The writings were copied and passed on to the next generation for safekeeping.

But how do we know if some of the original writings or copies were made up or had mistakes in them? Scholars have compared many manuscripts and have found that minor mistakes were made in copying and transcribing through the years, but none of the differences changed the meaning of what was written. Put another way, it would be as if a modern day person were to make a copy in English and missed dotting an “i” or crossing a “t”.

The newer writings (called the New Testament) are even easier to prove true and accurate. If you think about how we have always trusted other ancient writings and the proofs that we have readily accepted and compare them to the incredible proofs that we have for the Bible, it is patently clear that the Bible is both accurate and true. For example, the copies of manuscripts that we have for Plato or Caesar are respectively 210 and 251 manuscripts, but the manuscripts that we have for the New Testament writings are over 20,000!

Impossible Coincidence

As I mentioned earlier, the Bible is one story written by many authors over 1500 years. The main subject of the Bible is Jesus Christ and prior to His birth, the Old Testament writers wrote about His coming and what would happen in His lifetime. When someone writes about something that will happen in the future, it is called a prophecy and there are hundreds of prophesies (sometimes referred to as a Messianic prophecy) about Jesus Christ. I want to share with you a mind blowing calculation that was done by mathematician Peter Stoner. The following is available from a number of sources online:

“Professor Peter W. Stoner was Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College and Chairman of the science division at Westmont College. In his book, Science Speaks, Professor Stoner outlines the mathematical probability of one person in the first century fulfilling just eight of the most clear and straightforward Messianic prophecies.

Josh and Sean McDowell quote Stoner in their book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict:

We find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 10¹⁷ (1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000).

Stoner went on to calculate the probability of one person fulfilling 48 prophecies: 1 in 10¹⁵⁷.

In case you’re questioning whether Professor Stoner’s math was wrong, H. Harold Hartzler, PhD, of the American Scientific Affiliation, Goshen College, writes in the forward of Stoner’s book:

The manuscript for Science Speaks has been carefully reviewed by a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation members and by the Executive Council of the same group and has been found, in general, to be dependable and accurate in regard to the scientific material presented. The mathematical analysis included is based upon principles of probability which are thoroughly sound and Professor Stoner has applied these principles in a proper and convincing way.”

These calculations about what would happen (prophesies) in the life of one man, Jesus Christ, made hundreds of years before Jesus was even born, are calculations made based on the possibility that they would turn out to be true. In fact, Jesus Christ was born, lived and died in the ways that were prophesied about him.

Remember, there were hundreds of prophesies made about Jesus Christ by those ancient writers, but Professor Stoner did his calculations based on only 48. To continue the exercise using a larger number of prophesies coming true would only provide us with probabilities that would just continue to bury deeper the idea that there is any possibility that all of this was some kind or coincidence.   

Let’s Wrap It up

At this point, you may have opened up to the idea that the Bible is true, or you are fighting the clear evidence that has been put before you. You may be thinking, “do I need faith to believe the Bible is true?” And I would say to you, no you don’t need some blind, unsubstantiated faith to believe it’s true; you need faith in something else to believe the Bible is not true!

There are other ways to prove that the Bible is true, but I’ve chosen what I believe is the clearest and most powerful way to convince you. You may also be wondering and maybe even fearful that if you say you believe the Bible, you will have to give up things you love or start doing other things that you have never done. However, at this point all you have done is recognize that the evidence is so compelling, only God could have written this book through ordinary men.

Now you have to decide if you want to open the book to see what God has said. In it, you will find all the answers to why the world is the way it is and why people behave the way they do. It is full of wisdom and joy and you will wish that you had done so sooner in your life. My suggestion is that you find a solid Christian friend to read with you through the Book of John or you may want to try a YouTube playlist https://youtu.be/gMxQBR6EAyE that can give you a simple and straightforward explanation of what John wrote in the Bible. Either way, I can promise you that you won’t regret it!

Think deeply about life, and I’ll see you next time.

THIS WEEK’S SPOTLIGHT:

Title: All Things For Good Written By Thomas Watson And Read By Michael Lee

Description: One of the great Puritans, Watson writes based on the great promise from God that all things work together for good to those that love God. The book will expand your faith in God’s promises and His attributes and give a great comfort to your soul.

Apple Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-things-for-good-by-thomas-watson-and-read-by-michael-lee/id1703108941)

YouTube (https://youtu.be/cCMPuNsv6dE).

Read it online at www.ModernPuritans.com

Title: Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God, By Jonathan Edwards And Read By Michael Lee

Description: This famous sermon by Jonathan Edwards will sober you up to the awesomeness of God. It is updated in modern English by Modern Puritans.com

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-sinners-in-the-hands/id1695783947

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQjGDaS1xyeRC8vUJFwsxxaX

Title: The Duties Of Parents From The Booklet By J.C. Ryle. Read By Michael Lee

Description: From the famous booklet written by Pastor J.C. Ryle. Pastor Ryle gives us 17 points of Christian parenting on which to focus our attention. His words are timeless and apply to parenting today as much as it did 100 years ago.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-the-duties-of/id1676664853

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQgfoZGiRgzptFs7g07vkwU5

“Why Should I Believe Anything About Jesus Christ?” Written By Various Authors And Read By Michael Lee

Description: This Podcast features three famous recordings of booklets written by John Blanchard that will strengthen your own understanding on the death and resurrection of Christ and also serve as a great evangelistic tool for a friend or family member. The first booklet is called, “Ultimate Questions.” The second booklet is called, “Why The Cross?” And the third booklet is called, “Jesus, Dead Or Alive?”

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-why-should-i-believe/id1692832161

YouTube: Each of the John Blanchard booklets has its own recording. See below.

Ultimate Questions.  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQggMxnbCbkLux2C6QB1W0VG

Jesus- Dead Or Alive? https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQjeqfP9L1olkHULFCNHVDDF

Why The Cross? https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQgJEuKxJL0dgjCDM85tyqrQ

Christian Behavior, written by John Bunyan. This is a wonderful fairly short book written by the great John Bunyan to help Christians understand that their lives should be full of good works! Bunyan takes us to Titus 3:7-8 and brings practical application to all areas of the Christian life. You will be blessed by this great saint!

Apple Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-christian-behavior-by/id1716196912

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQjUQ_MpGbnqwrBVi7TgRKi3

Choose Your Master: God Or Money. The links are immediately below-

Description: This is one of the most written about topics in the Bible because it is one of the most dangerous to the Christian. Listen in on the good and bad experiences of the author and strongly consider the Bible’s teaching on stewardship.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-choose-your-master-god/id1683382182

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQiHoB3-tBm1qDDbxxpQAvTl

Title: All Things For Good Written By Thomas Watson And Read By Michael Lee

Description: One of the great Puritans, Watson writes based on the great promise from God that all things work together for good to those that love God. The book will expand your faith in God’s promises and His attributes and give a great comfort to your soul.

Apple Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-things-for-good-by-thomas-watson-and-read-by-michael-lee/id1703108941)

YouTube (https://youtu.be/cCMPuNsv6dE).

Read it online at www.ModernPuritans.com

Title: Critical Considerations For Christian Parents About Your Child’s Education, By Michael Lee

Description: As we search the Bible for answers to the question: How shall we raise our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord,” we can see that the system for educating children was done primary by the parents in the home. However, the world in which we live now is quite different and the vast majority of parents use an educational system that is outside of the home and is that system is called the public schools, or the government schools.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-critical-considerations/id1678162250

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQjnvjc7QuytT2V3lVr53oqa

Title: From Religion To Christ, Written By Peter Jeffery And Read By Michael Lee

Description:  Tired of the many systems of religion that you have observed or been part of in the past? Are you ready to say goodbye to religion? The author Peter Jeffery, agrees! Doing “religion” is empty and will not get you to heaven. There is something more-something much greater. Take a careful listen through this podcast and discover what a real relationship with God actually looks like.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-from-religion-to-christ/id1687134464

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQg_lCngBTcjs_dXT1VYvYWA

Title: Rediscovering The Lost Treasure Of Family Worship. Written By Jerry Marcellino And Read By Michael Lee

Description: Family Worship was once the normal practice that most Christian parents led in their homes. Led by either parent, the children would be taught daily from the word of God, pray and sing songs. It was considered to be a vital part of the Christian life.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-rediscovering-the-lost/id1692401602

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQgNq7asslVBsKyq0FC3arMs

Title: Thoughts For Young Men From The Book By J.C. Ryle. Read By Michael Lee

Description: A wonderful book of Biblical truth and advice for young men. Helpful to parents as well as the young men themselves. Full of wisdom for a life filled with Christ. J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) served God in England as a pastor and teacher for more than 40 years. His words are still being used by the Lord today and are applicable to all Christians in all times.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-thoughts-for-young-men/id1673847428

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQixZIaBE95_JRojVSkzq1nl

Title: Stand Firm Written By Peter Jeffery and Read By Michael Lee

Description: So you just became a Christian and now what? Get ready for a life of walking with the Lord and experiencing the joy of knowing you have peace with God. However, you also have an enemy- the devil. Peter Jeffery wants to help by teaching you about the battle with the wicked one and how you can STAND FIRM against his attacks!

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-stand-firm-written-by/id1681861976

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQjhDFeGYG5Tt5EWjeuz-e1p

Title: The Duties Of Parents From The Booklet By J.C. Ryle. Read By Michael Lee

Description: From the famous booklet written by Pastor J.C. Ryle. Pastor Ryle gives us 17 points of Christian parenting on which to focus our attention. His words are timeless and apply to parenting today as much as it did 100 years ago.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-the-duties-of/id1676664853

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQgfoZGiRgzptFs7g07vkwU5

Title: Choose Your Master: God Or Money. Written And Read By Michael Lee

Description: This is one of the most written about topics in the Bible because it is one of the most dangerous to the Christian. Listen in on the good and bad experiences of the author and strongly consider the Bible’s teaching on stewardship.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-choose-your-master-god/id1683382182

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQiHoB3-tBm1qDDbxxpQAvTl

Title: A Call To Prayer By J.C. Ryle. Read By Michael Lee

Description: This is a passionate plea from the famous preacher and teacher, J.C. Ryle. Although these words were penned more than 100 years ago, the need and application for today’s Christian is greater than ever.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-a-call-to-prayer-by/id167288080

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAh2MVKU1VQjaXXgO8P1U-bBFkEMCwdYR

Title: Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices From The Book By Thomas Brooks. Read By Michael Lee

Description: (This is one that you can listen to a “precious remedy” each day). Thomas Brooks, born in 1608, was a Puritan preacher who wrote a number of essays during his time with possibly the foremost entitled, “Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices.” In writing the book’s dedication, he wrote, “Christ, the scripture, your own hearts, and Satan’s devices, are the four prime things that should be first and most studied and searched. If any cast off the study of these they cannot be safe here, nor happy hereafter.” Brooks believed that all Christians have particular weaknesses in their faith and those weaknesses would be exploited in some way by Satan.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-precious-remedies-against/id1671364198

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Last modified: June 7, 2024