"WHY I BELIEVE"

In The Bible

INTRODUCTION
  1. The Bible is a wonderful book, highly esteemed by many...
    1. "The Bible is endorsed by the ages. Our civilization is built upon its words. In no other book is there such a collection of inspired wisdom, reality, and hope." - Dwight Eisenhower
    2. "The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world." - Charles Dickens
  2. I am not ashamed to confess my own faith in the Bible...
    1. As the Word of God
    2. Written by men, who were inspired by the Spirit of God - cf. 2 Ti 3:16-17

[What evidences are there to believe that the Bible is inspired of God? There are many, but let's just review a few beginning with...]

  1. THE UNIFORMITY OF THE BIBLE
    1. THE BIBLE IS A COLLECTION OF 66 BOOKS...
      1. Written over:
        1. A period of 1600 years
        2. A span of 40 generations
      2. Written by approx. 40 authors from every walk of life; e.g.:
        1. Moses, a political leader trained in the universities of Egypt
        2. Peter, a fisherman
        3. Amos, a herdsman
        4. Joshua, a military general
        5. Nehemiah, a cup bearer to a king
        6. Daniel, a prime minister
        7. Luke, a physician
        8. Solomon, a king
        9. Matthew, a tax collector
        10. Paul, a tentmaker and rabbi
      3. Written in different places
        1. Moses in the wilderness
        2. Jeremiah in a dungeon
        3. Daniel on a hillside and in a palace
        4. Paul inside prison walls
        5. Luke while traveling
        6. John in exile an the isle of Patmos
        7. Others in the rigors of military campaign
      4. Written at different times and during different moods
        1. David in times of war, Solomon in times of peace
        2. Some writing from the heights of joy, others from the depths of sorrow and despair
      5. Written on three continents, and in three languages
        1. Asia, Africa, Europe
        2. Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek
      6. Which subject matter includes hundreds of controversial topics
        1. The origin of man & the universe
        2. The nature of God
        3. The nature of sin & man's redemption
    2. YET THERE IS HARMONY AND CONTINUITY...
      1. "The Paradise Lost of Genesis becomes the Paradise Regained of Revelation. Whereas the gate to the tree of life is closed in Genesis, it is opened forevermore in Revelation." - Geisler and Nix
      2. Compare the continuity of the Bible with any other such writings of man
        1. Imagine what you would have if you just took ten authors...
          1. From one walk of life, one generation, one place, one time, one mood one continent, one language
      3. Speaking on one controversial subject
      4. You would have a conglomeration of ideas, not harmony!
      5. The reason for the unity of the Bible?
        1. The writers were all inspired by the same God - cf. 2Pe 1:20-21
        2. Providing evidence that the Bible is the Word of God!

        [Another evidence for the inspiration of the Bible is...]

  2. THE SCIENTIFIC FOREKNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE
    1. THE NATURE OF THIS ARGUMENT...
      1. In the Bible there are scientific truths that...
        1. Were unknown by man with all his wisdom and resources
        2. Are stated as facts hundreds of years before their discovery by men
      2. The writers of the Bible could have known these facts only through inspiration of God
    2. A FEW EXAMPLES...
      1. The roundness of the earth - Isa 40:22
      2. The suspension of the earth in space - Job 26:7
      3. The currents in the seas - Ps 8:8
      4. The springs in the seas - Job 38:16
      5. All nations of one blood - Ac 17:26

      [These are just a few of the many examples of scientific facts written in the Bible, but confirmed only recently with the aid of modern science. Further evidence of inspiration is...]

  3. THE FULFILLED PROPHECIES IN THE BIBLE
    1. THE NATURE OF THIS ARGUMENT...
      1. Prophecies in the Old Testament foretold events in detail that were beyond the scope of human speculation
      2. How did the writers do it?
        1. They attributed it to God!
        2. And God declared that such evidence was a proof of His existence and superiority over men and all heathen gods - Isa 41:21-24; 42:8-9; 46:8-11
    2. A FEW EXAMPLES...
      1. The fall of Babylon, written two hundred years before it occurred - Isa 13:17-22
      2. The fall of Egypt, that it would be destroyed more by civil war than by outside forces - Isa 19:1-4
      3. The fall of Nineveh, with its utter desolation - Zep 2:13-15
      4. The fall of Tyre, with its becoming a place for the spreading of nets - Ezek 26:1-5
      -- Cf. Introduction To Christian Evidences, Ferrell Jenkins, pp. 87-107

    [There are many other examples of fulfilled prophecies, especially those related to the coming of the Messiah (which we will cover in our next study). But here is one more reason to believe the Bible...]

  4. THE IMPACT OF THE BIBLE
    1. ON CIVILIZATION...
      1. The Bible has had a great impact
        1. On art, music, and literature
        2. On education, judicial systems, and even science
      2. Some related quotes
        1. "We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation, without reckoning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic." - Franklin Roosevelt
        2. "The fundamental basis of this nation's laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Matthew, from Isaiah and Saint Paul." - Harry Truman
        3. "If you take out of your statutes, your constitution, your family life all that is taken from the Sacred Book, what would there be left to bind society together?" - Benjamin Harrison
    2. ON INDIVIDUAL LIVES...
      1. It has transformed the lives of millions of people
        1. It has motivated them to be missionaries and martyrs
        2. It has made them better spouses, parents, friends, neighbors, workers
        3. Countless people would agree with the words of David - cf. Ps 19:7-11
      2. Some related quotes:
        1. "So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year." - John Quincy Adams
        2. "In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength." - Robert E. Lee
        3. "If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity." - Daniel Webster
CONCLUSION
  1. The evidence for the Bible as the Word of God is both objective and subjective...
    1. The objective evidence includes its unity, foreknowledge, and fulfilled prophecies
    2. The subjective evidence is seen in its impact on our lives and the world in which we live
  2. Do we really believe in and appreciate the Bible as the word of God...?
    1. "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through this book." - Abraham Lincoln
    2. "Within the covers of this one single book, the Bible, are all the answers to all the problems we face today. If only we would read it and believe." - Ronald Reagan

May our estimation of the Bible prove to be no less, demonstrated by our obedience to it...!