HS Bible Thurs

Intro and Quick Review

Yesterday we covered the Bible as one story and how each part is moving towards something. We also saw that Jesus is not an interruption to the story, but is actually the fulfillment.

Last night, I asked you to read Genesis 19, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Before going forward, lets discuss about the passage.

What stood out to you when you were reading the passage?

Was there anything that was confusing, troubling, or surprising?

When you read a story like that, how do you decide what to do with it?

See, these questions matter because today we are not asking what the Bible says—but rather we are going to ask why we should trust it and how we should read it.

Framing the Question

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people try to dismiss the Bible by saying:

It’s just a religious book

It’s been changed or corrupted over time

It’s just full of myths and allegory

Often, people accept those statements without ever asking serious questions.

None of these questions approach the subject in true intellectual honesty.

So, today we are going to look into these statements in an honest way.

We are going to look at the authority of Scripture

The trustworthiness of Scripture

The Interpretation of Scripture

Archaeology and the Bible

Before we talk theory, let’s look at a real-world example.

We just read about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah—the cities described as being judged suddenly and catastrophically.

I want to point out that the question is NOT “Does archaeology prove the Bible?”

We are going to look deeper than that.

The better question is “How does archeology interact with Biblical claims?”

We are going to watch a video that details findings made related to the destruction of these cities.

As you watch don’t ask yourself “Is this convincing?”

Rather ask:

What is the evidence presented?

What claims are being made?

What conclusions are being drawn from that evidence?

Play the video.

Discussion

Alright, so let’s slow down and think about this carefully as we answer these questions.

What kind of evidence was presented in the video?

Was the evidence physical, textual, scientific, or interpretive?

Did the video prove the Bible—or was it doing something else?

It is important to remember that archaeology can support historical plausibility, but it cannot prove theological meaning.

Evidence can tell us that something happened, but it cannot tell us why it happened in a theological sense.

That is a meaningful distinction.

The Authority of Scripture

Now that we have seen how evidence works, lets look at a deeper question.

Why does the Bible claim authority at all?

The Bible does not ask permission to speak. It speaks with and as authority.

Scripture says in 2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

This means that the authority that Scripture claims is internally given. It does not rely on public approval.

It also means that a text does not simply lose authority just because people question it.

I think that questions about all religious texts should be asked and studied because it helps us to understand evidence for and against a text.

Trustworthiness and Evidence

That being said, trustworthiness does not mean that we just take claims on blind faith.

In fact, historians examine ancient texts, and when they do they have a method.

They follow the “Historical Method” it is like the scientific method, but for really old stuff.

They look at manuscript reliability.

The New Testament alone has over 5,000 Greek manuscripts, plus thousands more in other languages of the time.

Some fragments of those manuscripts date to within decades of the original writings (i.e. early gospel writings)

When so many copies exist of a text, it makes it harder to fabricate or make errors because people would catch it and call it out quickly.

Most “errors” or variations are minor. They are spelling errors or word order changes, there are no changes to doctrines.

Works from other historical figures like Plato or Caesar often are found with fewer than 20 manuscripts copied centuries later. Yet historians do not question their reliability.

By the historical method, the New Testament is unusually well preserved.

They look at historical context.

They want to see if the Bible fits what is known about the time, culture, and geography of the world.

The Bible correctly lists the governance of Rome in Israel, the Jewish religious practices, and the Ancient Near Eastern covenants and laws.

In Luke’s gospel, he names specific rulers, cities, and offices.

Archaeology has repeatedly confirmed his accuracy in writing the titles, geography, and popular travel routes.

They look at external corroboration, like what do other non-biblical sources say about events, people, or places in scripture.

Tacitus was a Roman historian that mentioned Jesus.

Josephus was a Jewish historian that also mentioned Jesus.

Pliny the Younger corroborated their claims as well.

These sources serve as a confirmation that Jesus existed, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and that Early Christians worshipped Him.

All of this matters because these writers were not Christian, and they had no motive to support the Bible.

They look for internal consistency.

The Bible was written over a period of 1,000 years by 40+ authors across different cultures and languages, yet it maintains a consistent understanding of God’s character.

The Bible also tells a unified story.

To be fair, the Bible does contain some difficult passages, and some tensions do exist, but contradiction is not the same thing as complexity.

They look at how the Bible interacts with Archaeology.

They ask the question like does anything in the Bible conflict with archaeology?

The interesting thing with archeology is that it has confirmed the existence of cities that were once thought legendary, identified historical figures that are mentioned in Scripture, and it supports the cultural framework found in the biblical narrative.

While archaeology is great for showing the historical side of the Bible, it cannot prove miracles; however, it does support the world that the Bible describes.

We see that the Bible preforms well in all of these areas, but I must make a distinction. While evidence can support that the Bible is historically reliable, the same evidence cannot force you to believe it. That is why we have faith. Faith is not believing without evidence, rather it is trusting beyond what evidence alone can give.

Why Context Matters

This brings us to interpretation. See, not all of the parts of the Bible should be read in the same way.

Some passages are:

Narrative

Poetry

Law

Prophecy

Wisdom Literature

Understanding this, we should also understand that most misinterpretations of Scripture happen when we ignore genre, ignore audience, and ignore the historical context.

A text cannot just mean whatever we want it to mean.

2 Peter 1:20 says “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.”

We cannot take Scripture as a matter of personal interpretation detached from meaning.

Activity

So I want you guys to split into groups.

Each group will be given a short biblical passage.

Your task is to answer these 3 questions.

What type of literature is this?

What is the main idea being communicated?

What mistake might someone make if they read this without context?

Passages: Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

James 2:17 “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Revelation 3:16 “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”

Have them share answers.

Reflection and Preview

Let’s take a step back. How does understanding authority change how we read scripture?

What happens when people demand proof for something Scripture never claims to provide?

How does poor interpretation lead to misuse of the Bible?

We have to realize that the Bible was not written to satisfy modern skepticism, but it can withstand our honest inquiries.

Tomorrow, we will talk about why the Bible still matters culturally, morally, and personally. And we will talk about why it continues to shape lives even in a skeptical world.

PRAY

Father, I thank You for giving us Your word. You gave us minds that are capable of thinking deeply about it. Help us to not lose sight of that. Help us to approach Scripture honestly, humbly, and thoughtfully. Teach us not only what Your Word says, but how to read it rightly. In your holy name I pray, Amen.