Is There Evidence for the Authenticity of the Bible?

Introduction:

Process of inspiration and preservation of the word of God (through the scriptures).

Isaiah 30:8 KJV 1900

Now go, write it before them in a table, And note it in a book, That it may be for the time to come For ever and ever:

Jeremiah 30:2 KJV 1900

Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.

1 Corinthians 14:37 KJV 1900

If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

Question: Is there evidence for the authenticity of the Bible?

(1) The reliability of the documents of the New Testament

(2) The reliability of the eye witnesses in the New Testament

(1) The Reliability of the Documents of the New Testament

There is no ancient document that receives as much support or accuracy as the New Testament documents.

Illustration: Chart from Geisler

Here’s another astonishing fact: the early Church fathers—Origen, Clement, Tertullian, Irenaeus, Ignatius, Polycarp, etc.—prolifically cited the New Testament in their writings. Just a few of the early fathers alone account for 36,000 New Testament citations, but the number of such citations from all the Church fathers exceeds one million. “So extensive are these citations,” say Komoszewski, Sawyer, and Wallace, “that if all other sources for our knowledge of the text of the New Testament were destroyed, they would be sufficient alone for the reconstruction of practically the entire New Testament.” - Limbaugh, David. Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel (p. 217). Regnery Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Limbaugh, David. Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel (p. 217). Regnery Publishing. Kindle Edition.

(2) The Reliability of the Eye Witnesses

(a) The direct eyewitnesses who either wrote or superintended what was written of Christ's miraculous life and teachings are Matthew, Peter (through Mark), and John.

Add to this the numerous eyewitness and written accounts used by Luke and Paul, and the resultant testimony is more than substantial.

(b) The death of Christ was actually witnessed by the apostle John (, ), by Jesus' mother, as well as by the soldiers, the crowd, and many other women standing nearby (v. 25; cf. , ).

John wrote about what he had seen himself, and the other writers used the testimony of those present.

(c) On the crucial doctrine of the resurrection of Christ there were over five hundred persons to whom Christ appeared bodily.

He appeared to Mary Magdalene ( ), to Mary the mother of James (), to Salome and Joanna (), and to several other women from Galilee (see ). Christ appeared to Peter () and later to Cleopas and the other disciple on the road to Emmaus (). Later Christ revealed himself to the ten apostles in Jerusalem () and then to the eleven when Thomas was present a week later (). The next Sunday Jesus appeared to seven disciples on the Sea of Galilee (). Further, Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples on a mountain in Galilee () and to more than five hundred brethren at one time (). Finally, Jesus appeared to his brother James () and to the disciples on the Mount of Olives just before he ascended to heaven ().

The number of individual appearances is more than sufficient to determine the validity of their testimony. No like testimony is possessed for any event from ancient times.

Norman L. Geisler. Christian Apologetics (p. 314). Kindle Edition.

Top Ten Reasons We Know the NT Writers Told the Truth:

the NT writers included embarrassing details about themselves -

Mark 9:32 KJV 1900

But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Geisler, Norman L.. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Foreword by David Limbaugh) (p. 275). Crossway. Kindle Edition. -

the NT writers included embarrassing details and difficult sayings of Jesus -

Mark 3:21–22 KJV 1900

And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

the NT writers left in demanding sayings of Jesus -

Matthew 5:28 KJV 1900

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

the NT writers

the NT writers

the NT writers carefully distinguished Jesus’ words from their own -

1 Corinthians 7:10–12 KJV 1900

And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.

the NT writers include events related to the Resurrection that they would not have invented - first witnesses were women (all gospels account this)

the NT writers include more than thirty historically confirmed people in their writings - see table 10.1

Illustration: Table 10.1

the NT writers include divergent details (they did not conspire)

the NT writers challenge their readers to check out verifiable facts, even facts about miracles -

Luke 1:1–4 KJV 1900

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

the NT writers describe miracles like other historical events: with simple, unembellished accounts - (embellished account of Apocryphal forgery “Gospel of Peter”)

Early in the morning, as the Sabbath dawned, there came a large crowd from Jerusalem and the surrounding areas to see the sealed tomb. But during the night before the Lord’s day dawned, as the soldiers were keeping guard two by two in every watch, there came a great sound in the sky, and they saw the heavens opened and two men descend shining with a great light, and they drew near to the tomb. The stone which had been set on the door rolled away by itself and moved to one side, and the tomb was opened and both of the young men went in. Now when these soldiers saw that, they woke up the centurion and the elders (for they also were there keeping watch).While they were yet telling them the things which they had seen, they saw three men come out of the tomb, two of them sustaining the other one, and a cross following after them. The heads of the two they saw had heads that reached up to heaven, but the head of him that was led by them went beyond heaven. And they heard a voice out of the heavens saying, “Have you preached unto them that sleep?” The answer that was heard from the cross was, “Yes!”

Geisler, Norman L.. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Foreword by David Limbaugh) (p. 287). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

the NT writers abandoned their long-held sacred beliefs and practices, adopted new ones, and did not deny their testimony under persecution or threat of death.

*Geisler, Norman L.. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Foreword by David Limbaugh) (p. 275). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Geisler, Norman L.. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Foreword by David Limbaugh) (p. 275). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Questions for Reflection:

Give two reasons that help prove the authenticity of the Bible:

1. The documents for the New Testament

How will this help you discuss the Bible when you speak to a skeptic? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

2. The eye witnesses in the New Testament

How does this reality encourage your faith in the New Testament? This reality encourages my faith by __________________________________________________________________________________________________.

2 Peter 1:16 KJV 1900

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.