Can I Trust the Bible: Textual Reliability and Supernatural Life Change

Intro:

Is it like A Game of Telephone?

How do we know the Bible we read today is the same as what was originally written?

How do we know the Bible hasn’t been changed or corrupted by people along the way?

We can actually be confident that the Bible we read today is accurate by using a science called “Textual Criticism.”

Apply the science of Textual Criticism:

Textual Criticism is the approach that scholars use to determine how close the text is to the original manuscript.

How long is the blackout period?

The Blackout Period is the period of time between when the text was originally written and the earliest available copy that we have today.

How many ancient manuscripts do we have available?

Blackout Periods for Ancient Texts:

Herodotus = 1,300 years.

Herodotus = 1,300 years.

Caesar’s Gallic War = 950 years.

Livy’s Roman History = 900 years.

Caesar’s Gallic War = 950 years.

Livy’s Roman History = 900 years.

Homer’s Iliad = 500 years.

Homer’s Iliad = 500 years.

The New Testament = Between 30 and 300 years.

The New Testament = Between 30 and 300 years.

Number of Ancient Manuscripts:

Herodotus = 8 copies

Herodotus = 8 ancient Copies

Caesar’s Gallic War = 10 copies

Caesar’s Gallic War = 10 ancient copies

Livy’s Roman History = 20 copies

Homer’s Iliad = 643 copies

Livy’s Roman History = 20 ancient copies

The New Testament = 24,800 copies.

(5,800 in Greek, 10,000 in Latin, 9,000 other)

Homer’s Iliad = 643 ancient copies

(5,800 in Greek, 10,000 in Latin, 9,000 other)

The New Testament = 24,800 ancient copies. (5,800 in Greek, 10,000 in Latin, 9,000 other)

2.6 Million pages of ancient NT writings.

Over 1 Mile high

***Papers stacked to the sky.

What about Variants?

Over 99% make no difference.

The remaining <1% make no significant theological change.

***Ehrman’s quote

The Last 150 years:

The Dead Sea Scrolls

They have affirmed that the text we have is reliable and accurate.

***KJV to Present Chart

1844 - F.C. Baur

Tried to debunk the reliability of basically every book in the New Testament by some theory. He was a major source for German Scholarship. He presumed that the book of John could not have been written until at lead 160AD because it taught that Jesus was God. Many scholars followed him.

1934 - P52

In 1934 this scrap of Papyrus was found. Scholars dated it back to somewhere between 90-150AD.

“The new testament stands out absolutely unapproachably alone amongst ancient prose writings… No secular historian would disagree with that conclusion.”

You have seen the data: The more manuscripts we find the more we are seeing that the Bible we have is reliable. There is no conspiracy theory behind it.

Even if one person tried to “change” it, and they made their own version, there would still be 24k other manuscripts to compare it to.

There

“I don’t want it to be true.” “The implications are too huge.” “What am I going to tell my family.” “What am I going to tell my girlfriend/boyfriend.” “What am I going to do with my sin?”

If this is true, it is the best news in the world. Whatever you may be afraid of (life change, surrender, relationship, surrender of control), God will be with you, and he will never let you down.

Witness the Supernatural Life Change:

***David Bennett’s Story

David Bennett’s Story

We see the Life Changes that God is doing, and it corresponds to what the Bible says will happen.

All over the world

Many of you have a story like this.

Some of you never thought you would be here, but you are.

Memorize the F.A.C.T.S

F - Fulfilled Prophecies

Fulfilled Porphecy

A - Archeological and Historical Data

C - Continuous theme

T - Textual Reliability

S - Supernatural life change

It’s not enough just to know the facts.

Problem: We have hard hearts, a heart of stone. Active Rebellion or passive indifference.

Sin: Payment - Death

You need a new heart and a new Spirit (Ez. 36:26).

Christ Died - took the penalty.

Gift = Eternal life.

- Confess, Believe

Prayer: Admit, Believe, Commit.

What’s Your Next Step?

Ask God for a new heart and commit my life to Christ.

Move past my skepticism and fully trust in God’s Word.

Pursue further study about the reliability of the Bible.

Give my skepticism to God.

Memorize the F.A.C.T.S to share with others.