5. The Uniqueness of Scripture

Intro: In the first lesson, we established that there is such a thing as right and wrong, good and evil. In short, that there is such a thing as objective truth and a natural moral law that binds the consciences of humanity. Then, in the second lesson, we saw that the existence of objective truth implies the existence of God. If there is a moral law, then there is a moral law-giver who himself is transcendent over the created order. That naturally raises the question of why evil exists, so in the third lesson we saw that the existence of evil doesn’t disprove the existence of God but, rather, confirms it. Without God, there is no such thing as good and evil, moral or immoral.

But, so far, all we have established is that there is such a thing as right and wrong, and that there is a God or higher power who has created it this way. But, how are we to choose amongst all of the religious options out there?

I want to argue tonight that Christianity stands out among the crowd because of the uniqueness of its holy book—the Bible.

Now, since the Bible is our source of information when it comes to all of the rest of our beliefs—beliefs about God, Jesus, and all of our doctrine, we’re going to spend three or four weeks investigating the reliability of the Bible. So, we’re not going to cover everything in this one lesson. Tonight, we’re going to confine our discussion primarily to the uniqueness of the Bible amongst other sacred texts and why the Bible, above all other holy books, demands our attention and respect.

So, if there’s a moral law that binds the consciences of humanity and tells us right from wrong, then there must be a wise, moral being out there who implanted that law in our hearts and minds. And if there is such a being, whom we will call “God,” then it’s worth asking whether he may have revealed himself to us in any other way.

As it turns out, multiple religions claim to have received such divine revelation in their holy books. But, how do we sort through them all? Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism all claim to be the truth. But, since they all present radically divergent and conflicting worldviews and versions of truth, they can’t all be true.

The existence of Objective truth demands that whatever truth claims are made within these holy books must be consistent with reality outside of the holy books.

There really is only one holy book that can withstand tests of historical verifiability, and that book is the Bible.

The Bible is historically verifiable.

Other religions recognize its value.

Judaism, obviously, recognizes the same OT as we have.

Islam reveres both the OT and NT, while claiming modern versions are corrupted.

The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith Article: How Does the Bible Relate to Islam? (Barbara B. Pemberton)

Islam teaches that throughout history God has sent prophets, from Adam to Noah to Jesus and ultimately Muhammad, all with the same message: There is only one God, who desires people to pursue good and to prevent evil. Christians and Jews, “People of the Book,” are believed to be the remaining followers of earlier divine, but corrupted, revelations. Islam’s scripture, the Qur’an, is understood by Muslims to have restored God’s original guidance. The Qur’an includes numerous biblical personalities but recognizes as authentic only three sections of biblical literature: the Torah of Moses, the Evangel of Jesus, and the Psalms of David.

Muslims see many of their beliefs and practices as biblical: the existence of only one God, the prophets, heaven, hell, angels, and a day of judgment. They also see the importance of charity, prayer, and fasting in the Bible. Although Muslims believe that Jesus was only a prophet and not divine, they do believe the accounts of His virgin birth, sinless nature, miracles, and second coming.

We will deal with the claims that the Bible is corrupted in a later lesson. For now, I just want you to notice how much of the claims of the Bible Muslims actually agree with—they claim that the God of the Bible is the true God and the same God they worship, monotheism, that much of the Bible is God’s revelation of himself, that Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus were prophets of God, the existence of heaven, hell, angels, and demons, Jesus’ sinless nature, virgin birth, and second coming.

You might argue that you can’t even really be a Muslim without first understanding the Bible. Islam is a derivative religion, just like every other cult that has spun off of Christianity.

Baha’i recognizes Jesus as a prophet and acknowledges the truth of Christianity, but then simply attempts to dismiss all the ways that Christianity contradicts Baha’i.

Mormonism holds the Bible as divinely inspired and authoritative, but like Islam and Baha’i attempts to give a “new revelation.” But the new revelation is totally contradictory to the one it is supposedly based upon.

The Bible passes tests of falsification that other texts do not.

The Book of Mormon is completely unverifiable. Not a single location mentioned in Jesus’ alleged journeys to the New World have been confirmed archaeologically.

Hindu and Buddhist texts have virtually no historical verifiability or anchor.

In contrast, Christianity is a historically rooted religion—it is based upon a historically verifiable event that, if untrue, would invalidate its claims. It is falsifiable. Other religious texts are either not falsifiable (because they are not rooted in objective truths or historical events) or are demonstrably false.

The Quran does not contain a cohesive story like the Bible, it’s more like wisdom literature. But, where the Quran does contain historical claims, it presents wildly differing accounts of several important historical figures from the Bible. Yet, the Quran’s historical accounts do not pass the tests of historical reliability. They are demonstrably false and self-contradictory.

A made-up story would generally try to present its heroes in a positive light. But the Bible presents God’s chosen people as stubborn, stiff-necked, and rebellious. It presents the disciples as clueless and petty. It preserves sordid affairs and questionable moral choices of the Patriarchs. And even Jesus, the long-awaited Jewish King, ends up crucified.

Contrast this with the rosy-eyed picture of these characters in the Quran. Despite even secular scholars’ admission that Jesus of Nazareth was, without doubt, crucified, the Quran asserts that he was not crucified, but it only appeared that way. Islam, like many first century Jews and Romans, cannot stomach the idea of a slain Messiah, so they reinvent him.

The Quran also contains numerous anachronisms—placing characters completely out of context in the wrong stories and the wrong time in history. Mary (the mother of Jesus) is somehow the sister of Moses and Aaron. The Quran presents Alexander the Great as a righteous man and teacher, despite it being well-established that he was a pagan idolater. It also has Haman, the enemy of the Jews in Esther, as Pharaoh’s prime minister (off by 1,000 years). The Samaritan was the one who molded the golden calf, and so on and so on.

Historical people, places, events, and cultural practices in the Bible can be verified.

Historical David confirmed (Tel Dan Stele)

Up until 1993 when the stele was discovered, there had been no documents or inscriptions discovered outside of the biblical texts (and texts dependent upon them) referring to David or a Davidic dynasty. This led many scholars to assert, as one did, that “David was as historical as King Arthur.”

But, in 1993, an inscription was found in Old Aramaic which declared victory of the King of Syria. It referred to the “House of David,” and is dated to between 870–750 BC.

Hezekiah’s tunnel

2 Kings 20:20 ESV

20 The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah and all his might and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

City of Jericho

Joshua 6:20–21 ESV

20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

‎Modern-day Jericho. Archaeological excavations reveal that Jericho was violently destroyed sometime toward the end of the Bronze Age. The walls seem to have been thrown down by sudden force, as if by an earthquake. Charred wood shows that what was left of the city was burned. Excavators have also found food supplies buried in the destroyed city, which shows it was not captured by siege.

Pontius Pilate Inscription

Scripture asserts in multiple locations in the gospels that Pontius Pilate was the “governor of Judea”

Luke 3:1 ESV

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

But, other historical writers like Josephus and Tacitus had referred to him as a “procurator,” not as a “prefect” (governor), and there was no evidence outside of the Bible that he was, as the Bible asserted, the “governor of Judea.”

Until 1961, that is, when an inscription was discovered in a block of limestone at Caesarea Maritima, which refers to “Pontius Pilate Prefect of Judea”

...and many more.

The Bible is thematically cohesive despite its diverse origins.

Diversity of Origins:

The Bible was written and compiled over a period of approximately 1,500 years.

The Bible was authored by at least 40 different men from a variety of walks of life and educational backgrounds, most of whom did not personally know one another and did not always have access to one another’s writings.

The Bible contains 66 distinct books.

The Bible contains numerous different genres: poetry, narrative history, wisdom, apocalypse, letters, songs, and more.

Unity in its theme and theology:

The Bible presents a unified answer to what has gone wrong in the world: sin.

The Bible contains a cohesive plot: the redemption and reconciliation of man to God.

The Bible points to Jesus as its main character and the climax of its story.

The Bible contains a resolution that somehow ties together the entire story.

The Bible is inerrant.

One of the most commonly repeated claims of those who deny inerrancy is the claim that the doctrine of inerrancy is a modern invention. They will argue that ancient Christians did not view their Scriptures this way, but rather viewed them as a merely human recollection of events and their own human interpretations of those events, just as we view non-religious books today.

But, this is demonstrably false.

Early church leaders believed the Bible was inerrant.

Augustine of Hippo, Letter to Jerome, 82:3. (A.D. 354-430.)

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 1.1: The Confessions and Letters of St. Augustin with a Sketch of His Life and Work Letter LXXXII

I have learned to yield this respect and honour only to

Athanasius of Alexandria, Easter Letter, 19:3. (A.D. 298-373)

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 2.4: St. Athanasius: Select Works and Letters Letter XIX

Now it is the opinion of some, that the Scriptures do not agree together, or that God, Who gave the commandment, is false.

Tertullian of Carthage, Treatise on the Soul, 21. (A.D. 145–220)

Ante-Nicene Fathers 3: Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian Chapter XXI

The statements, however, of holy Scripture will never be discordant with truth.

Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, 2:28:1-2. (A.D. 120–202)

Irenaeus of Lyon said that when we struggle with questions about Scripture and cannot find a satisfactory answer, we should not assume that the fault is with Scripture, but with us and our limited knowledge. Why did he have such confidence?

Ante-Nicene Fathers 1: The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus Chapter XXVIII

...If, however, we cannot discover explanations of all those things in Scripture which are made the subject of investigation, yet let us not on that account seek after any other God besides Him who really exists. For this is the very greatest impiety. We should leave things of that nature to God who created us, being most properly assured that

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, 65. (A.D. 110–165)

Ante-Nicene Fathers 1: The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus Chapter LXV

...if...you imagined that you could throw doubt on the passage, in order that I might say the Scriptures contradicted each other, you have erred. But I shall not venture to suppose or to say such a thing; and if a Scripture which appears to be of such a kind be brought forward, and if there be a pretext [for saying] that it is contrary [to some other], since

Clement of Rome, Letter to the Corinthians, 45. (A.D. 30–100)

Ante-Nicene Fathers 1: The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus Chapter XLV

Look carefully into the Scriptures, which are

So, the argument that inerrancy is a modern invention and that early church fathers did not regard the Scriptures as inerrant is simply false. The consistent witness by the early church fathers is an extremely high regard for Scripture as the very word of God, incapable of contradicting itself or asserting falsehood.

The Bible claims inerrancy for itself.

Peter claims that prophecy and Scripture was produced by the will of God, written down by men who were “carried along by the Holy Spirit.” This means that the source of Scripture, ultimately, is not man but God.

Men were the vessels of divine revelation, not the source of it.

2 Peter 1:20–21 ESV

20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Paul agrees with Peter, that God is the source and man the vessel through which Scripture came:

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

David, speaking of the first five books of the Bible (the Torah or “Law”) says that they are perfect.

Psalm 19:7–9 ESV

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.

Jesus asserted that God’s word is truth.

John 17:17 ESV

17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

Jesus repeatedly indicated that prophecies and Scripture must be fulfilled:

Matthew 5:18 ESV

18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Jesus included the Psalms with the Law in the category of Scripture, and claimed that Scripture is necessarily true.

Jesus’ argument to the Pharisees in John 10 calls Psalm 82 Scripture, and assumes that there is a category of writings called “Scripture” that “cannot be broken.” Their truthfulness cannot be questioned, they must, by necessity of their nature, be true.

John 10:34–35 ESV

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—

Jesus’ argument in Mt. 22:41-46 assumes that both he and the Pharisees agreed that the Psalms of David were ultimately the words of God, and that every single word was true and accurate.

Matthew 22:41–46 ESV

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, 44 “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet” ’? 45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Moses, John, and Paul sternly warn the readers of their books that eternal consequences will be poured out on anyone who alters their writings.

Revelation 22:18–19 ESV

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Deuteronomy 4:2 ESV

2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.

Galatians 1:8 ESV

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

The burden of proof lies upon those who claim it has errors.

“The Bible is full of errors and contradictions.”

Really? Show me.

When someone gives a testimony on the stand and asserts that it is true, it is up to the prosecution to prove otherwise. We have a presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

So, when we see in our world a Moral Law that tells us right and wrong, and we acknowledge that such a moral law must have a moral-law giver, we ought to begin searching to see if this Law-giver has revealed this unwritten code in written form anywhere. Lo and behold, we have a book that claims to be the moral law given by God himself. It’s provenance is unlike any other book, and yet it tells a cohesive and consistent story that has resonated with billions of people around the world. This book has been printed and read, translated into more languages, and transformed more people than any other book in history. It’s historically verifiable, and it tells a story that bears the marks of truth. Time after time when people set out to prove it wrong, it withstands the tests. That’s a book that’s worth reading and taking seriously.

For further study:

Jones, Timothy Paul. Why Should I Trust the Bible?. The Big Ten: Critical Questions Answered, n.d.

Jones, Timothy Paul. How We Got the Bible. Rose Publishing, 2015.

Mohler, R. Albert, Jr., Peter Enns, Michael F. Bird, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, and John R. Franke. Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy. Edited by J. Merrick, Stephen M. Garrett, and Stanley N. Gundry. Zondervan Counterpoints Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013.