How Did We Get the Bible?
Saved You a Seat: A Series for You and Your Friends • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction:
Introduction:
My name is Wes McAdams, I’m the preaching minister here.
We are so glad you accepted the invitation to be here!
Each Sunday we are going to respond to common questions…
“How did we get the Bible?”
“How did we get the Bible?”
this question really matters because we…
encourage people to read it
some people memorize parts of it
believe it carries authority
obey it, follow it, change our lives based on its message
This morning I want to share 3 thoughts that will help us understand where the Bible came from and why we should care
Biblical Text:
Biblical Text:
the first thought
1. The Bible is the story and product of God partnering with people.
1. The Bible is the story and product of God partnering with people.
God loves to partner with people
that may surprise us
because it’s messy to partner with people
God doesn’t have to do that, he wants to do that
The Bible…
is the story of God partnering with people
and is itself a product of God partnering with people
Thousands and thousands of years ago, we don’t know exactly when…
[Graphic of Old Testament Books]
God rescued a nation of people (Israel) from slavery
He made a partnership (covenant) with them
He taught them how to live in partnership with him
This is what we call the Old Testament
But God didn’t do this by…
Speaking from heaven
Giving them all visions
Putting a feeling in each and every heart
Dropping books from heaven
He spoke through prophets
A prophet is someone God partnered with to share a message with people.
A prophet is someone God partnered with to share a message with people.
A partner isn’t a robot
A partner maintains his/her agency
A partner maintains his/her personality
A partner maintains his/her uniqueness
Sometimes prophets spoke about…
the future (prediction)
the past (history)
but they almost always had a message for the people of their time
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
There is that unique partnership…
the prophets were human
but the message is from God
they were “carried along by the Holy Spirit”
This means…
the Bible is true and trustworthy
But also that bound by the same communication rules as any other human document
historical context
language
cultural context
even though the Bible contains stories, history, and promises, the goal is always CHANGE…spiritual transformation
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The prophets wanted people to know
how to be in covenant
how to stay in covenant
how they were violating the covenant
encouragement to those keeping the covenant
the second thought I want to share is…
2. The Bible has been reliably transmitted and translated.
2. The Bible has been reliably transmitted and translated.
Obviously, the prophets didn’t all get together and produce this English Bible
This Bible is based on a translation of manuscripts
Those manuscripts are copies of copies
If you’re interested, you can look up the textual basis for your Bible
Modern Bibles are primarily based on…
“Masoretic Text” (Old Testament)
Two Hebrew Bibles (both over 1,000 years old)
We also have the Dead Sea Scrolls
LXX (Older than the Masoretic, but is a translation)
Scholars compare when there is any question
“Critical Text” (New Testament)
We have THOUSANDS of Greek manuscripts of the New Testament
Critical text is a compilation of the most reliable manuscripts
We also have the Majority Text / Byzantine Text
Also have the Textus Receptus (Received Text)
should we worry that there are variations in the text? NO
“The best estimates are that at least 99.8% of [textual variants] affected nothing. Most are spelling differences…No essential doctrine is jeopardized by any of these textual variants.” (Daniel B. Wallace, Executive Director of The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts)
The fact that so many early Christians were copying the Bible is actually a good thing!
this brings us to our third point
3. The Bible has been preserved, copied, shared, and translated because of what it is about…the Good News!
3. The Bible has been preserved, copied, shared, and translated because of what it is about…the Good News!
You can’t understand the HOW (we got the Bible) without the WHY!
Good news for the world!
Good news for you!
after Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, he told his followers…
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The books of the New Testament spread like wildfire
Written
Copied
Shared
Translated into other languages
Because people wanted to make disciples
followers
students
apprentices
Application:
Application:
In other words…
You have the Bible because people you don’t even know wanted you to know Jesus.
You have the Bible because people you don’t even know wanted you to know Jesus.
Fishermen
Tent Makers
Apostles
Teachers
Scribes
Translators
Scholars
Thousands and thousands of people…some of whom gave their lives
Invitation:
Invitation:
So, do you know him?
Are you following him?
Have you been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
Are you obeying all he commanded us?
Are you walking with him daily?
That’s what the Bible is about!
It’s not about a BOOK
It’s about a partnership with God
And you’re being invited into that partnership
