Bibliology Session 12-Viability of the Bible

Viability of the Bible Recall Our Definition The Spirit of God controlled the human authors of the Bible so that everything that they recored in the original documents was the inerrant words of God to mankind. Evidence of the Supernatural 1. Advanced Knowledge of Medicine 2. Advanced Knowledge of Science 3. Advanced Knowledge of History (a.k.a. Prophecy) 4. Advanced Intricacy of Design in the Original Texts 5. Evidence from Personal Testimonies of Transformation (a.k.a. Viability) Implications of Inspiration I. Authority: if the Bible is from God our Creator, then it supplies the absolute, and unchangeable standard for truth & righteousness. It ought be believed & obeyed, even in culturally controversial areas. Implications of Inspiration II. Accuracy: if the Bible is from the God “who cannot lie,” then it cannot contain error. The Bible must be completely accurate & consistent. - The Bible claims accuracy. Contrast Herodotus who says, “My business is to record what people say. But I am by no means bound to believe it- and that may be taken to apply to this book as a whole.” Implications of Inspiration III. Sufficiency: if the Bible is the Word of God to humanity, then it is logical to assume that God would give us all the knowledge we need to live in a way that honors Him. - 2 Peter 1:3 says that we have “all things that pertain to life and godliness.” - 2 Timothy 3:16 states that the Scriptures are “Profitable” i.e. helpful by providing a service (1 Tim. 4:8; Tit. 3:8). Profit of Inspiration 1. Doctrine = “teaching or instruction,” refers to absolute truths that we can count on. The Bible is to the believer what the constellations are to a sailor, they are fixed points that help us navigate in the dark (2 Peter 1:19). Profit of Inspiration 2. Reproof = “producing evidence for a conviction,” i.e. exposing evil. This Greek word appears 15 times in the book of Proverbs (LXX). The Bible not only tells us what is right, but it also tells us what is wrong, and what to avoid. Profit of Inspiration 3. Correction = “straighten up again.” This word was used in Greek culture to describe resetting a broken bone so that it heals straight, and comes back stronger… The Bible tells us how to get right. Profit of Inspiration 4. Instruction = “child training.” This is the Greek word where we get out English word Pedagogy, i.e. to train someone up from the beginning. - Hebrews 12 uses this word to refer both to parents training up their children, or a coach training an athlete. - The Bible raises us up to be “mature adults” (2 Tim. 3:17), that are capable of responsible obedience. The Bible teaches how to get right, and then stay right. Purpose of Inspiration Purpose = “that the man of God may be complete…” Greek word “complete” alludes to being “fully outfitted for a voyage.” In other words, we have everything necessary to successfully live life for the glory of God. We do not need another book… the Bible is sufficient! Viability These truths give us another powerful testimony to the supernatural nature of the Bible, namely, its power to change the lives of people. This test for truthfulness is called “viability.” “Viability” derives from the Latin word “vita,” which means “life.” To be “viable,” means that it works, or it is “livable.” Viability can serve as a test for any philosophy or religion. Test its claims, can they be lived out successfully? Illustrations from Personal Testimony Jeremiah 23:28-29 “The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” The Proof is in the Pudding! So lets look at some examples… John Newton On the tombstone of John Newton in England are written the words, “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and Libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, and pardoned, and appointed to preach the Faith he had long labored to destroy.” John Newton John Newton’s godly mother died when he was only 7 years old. After a few years of education away from home, John joined his father’s ship, at the age of 11, and began life as a seaman. His early years were one continuous round of rebellion and debauchery. At 18 years old he was captured and forced into the Royal Navy. He attempted desertion, and eventually ended up on a slave ship. John Newton After not being able to get along with the crew, he was left in West Africa to become a slave himself. He was rescued out of slavery by a sea captain sent by his father to search for him. After working for years in the slave trade, Newton eventually became a captain of his own slave ship. Newton was renowned for his vulgarity, and scorn of the Christian faith. John Newton In 1748, while amid a stormy voyage that threatened his life, he called out to God. The ship survived, and he began to read his Bible. By the end of the voyage back to England, Newton was converted. Though he did not change over night, his growth in Christ was steady. John Newton He eventually left the slave trade, became an ordained minister in the Anglican church, and later became a mentor for William Wilberforce, to whom is credited the abolition of slavery in England. John Newton is perhaps most famous for his authorship of the Hymn “Amazing Grace.” Pitcairn Island The true story of the Mutiny on the “HMS Bounty” has often been retold. One part that deserves retelling was the transformation wrought by one book. Nine mutineers with six native men and twelve native (Tahitian) women put ashore on Pitcairn Island in 1790. They then burned the ship (the wreckage is still visible today). One sailor soon began distilling alcohol, and the little colony was plunged into debauchery and vice. Pitcairn Island Ten years later, only one white man survived the murderous debauchery, and was surrounded by native women and halfbreed children. In an old chest from the HMS Bounty, this sailor one day found a Bible. He began to read it and then to teach it to the others. The result was that his own life and ultimately the lives of all those in the colony were changed. Discovered in 1808 by the USS Topas, Pitcairn had become a prosperous community with no jail, no whisky, no crime, and no laziness. Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 275). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc. Robert Moffat & Africaner Africaner was a Hottentot desperado of Mamaqualand. He was such a hardened character that the governor at Cape Town had offered five hundred dollars for him dead or alive. He and his men were the terror of South Africa. When Robert Moffat (1795-1883) went as missionary to Africaner’s tribe, the people at Cape Town never expected to see him again. They told him that Africaner would use his skull for a drinking cup. Robert Moffat & Africaner Trusting in God, the brave missionary preached the Gospel to these savages. His first convert was Africaner. Later Moffat took him to Cape Town with him. When the colonial ruler saw the savage changed into a humble Christian man, he said, “What a miracle! This is the eighth wonder of the world!” Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 275). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc. General Lew Wallace Two infidels once sat on a railroad train, discussing the life of Christ. One of them said, “I think an interesting romance could be written about him.” The other replied, “And you are just the man to write it. Tear down the prevailing sentiment about His divinity, and paint Him as a man—a man among men.” General Lew Wallace The suggestion was acted upon and the romance written. The man who made the suggestion was Colonel Ingersoll, the noted agnostic. The writer was General Lew Wallace, and the book was called Ben Hur. In the process of constructing the life of Christ, Gen. Wallace found himself facing the greatest life ever lived on earth. The more he studied, the more he was convinced Christ was more than man. Until one day, he finally came to confess not only the existence of God, but also the Divinity of Christ. Taken from “christianheritagefellowship.com" George Mensik George Mensik was a right-hand man of Chicago gangster Al Capone. From 1925-31, Capone controlled the underworld of Chicago crime. As wicked as George Mensik was, God began to work in his heart. Mensik’s wife and five-year-old daughter trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and started praying for Mensik’s salvation. George Mensik Burdened with guilt over their pleas, he came home drunk one day, determined to shoot them both. He picked up a loaded pistol and walked into his daughter’s room. As he pointed the gun at the kneeling figure of the girl beside her bed, he heard her small voice crying up to God to save her daddy. Mensik broke down and shortly thereafter received Christ. George Mensik George Mensik’s life changed dramatically, and as a result he was in great danger for a few years. Thugs would jump from black limousines and shoot at his house. The man who at one time was known to eat ice-cream and laugh while his henchmen tortured someone, now wept over lost souls. He started a prison ministry and was able to lead many souls to Christ. The state of Illinois eventually completely cleared his criminal record. • Taken from “How Firm A Foundation” BJU Press Henry Ironside’s Debate Henry Ironside (1876-1951) was a famous pastor of Moody Church in Chicago. A famous story is told when he was invited to San Francisco and was asked to preach. While on the platform, Dr. Ironside was handed a card on which a well-known agnostic had written a challenge for a debate the following Sunday afternoon. The topic would be “Agnosticism versus Christianity.” Henry Ironside’s Debate After Ironside read the challenge out loud to the crowd, he agreed to the debate on one condition. The agnostic must bring with him one man who had been saved from a life of alcohol and one lady rescued from a life of prostitution due to their belief in agnosticism. For his part, Ironside would bring one hundred such converts to Christ from San Francisco alone. Henry Ironside’s Debate With a smirk on his face and a wave of his hand, the agnostic quietly slipped his way out of the cheering crowd. The Bible is powerful, able to transform the most wicked sinner! • Taken from “How Firm A Foundation” BJU Press In the Words of John Newton… “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see!”