Can I Trust the Bible?

The Question: If we are basing our lives on this text, how can I know I can trust it?

What is the Bible?

the Word of God

my Sword

What is it really?

Old & New Testament

OT - Ancient near-eastern next

NT - collection of Gospels and Letters

Written originally in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic

Thousands of manuscripts from around the world, discovered, translated, compared, and so on

From a historical perspective, we know this text has been around for a long time and have been carefully protected and treasured over the years

Inerrancy vs infallibility

Why do we even need to ask this question?

Do we just have faith in it alone?

self-fulfilling prophecy

Jesus loves me this I know… For the Bible tells me so...

The Bible is a dynamic, collection of literature, full of various genres, many authors, all declaring one primary message:

God is doing all God can to save God’s people

What caused them to write?

Paul - Letters for instruction/correction

Gospels - the “Good News”

Meaning behind Gospel

Luke tells us why he writes -

Luke 1:1–4 NIV

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

“That you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught”

There has been a significant change in the course of History - Luke writes to give us certainty of that account

But what do we do with the differing Gospel accounts?

Sara’s dad - crash scene investigation

Story of the elephant and blind men

If this is the case, if humans are so involved and broken, how can we trust it?

2 Peter 1:21 NIV

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

God is bigger than us - "Plenary” Inspiration

The Bible is not reliable because it is perfect, without error, grammatically sound collection of writings - the Bile is reliable because God has been at work in all things to protect, preserve, and speak in and through Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16 NIV

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

Inspiration

God-breathed - what else is God Breathed?

God has inspired the authors, the compilers, the translators, and even the readers

We have a role within the Scriptural narrative we must understand

When I read scripture, I not only read the breath of God, I am allowing God to breathe into me

The living bible - it’s alive!

God’s hand has been present and working to form the scripture we have today

See this through history - coincidences - manuscripts, thousands of copies, scattered around the world all saying the same thing

Are our Bible’s perfect? By no means.

Are they reliable? Absolutely.

Why? Because God has been at work.

Not only has the Bible been proved to be reliable archeologically with references within itself and references from other sources talking about these books

Not only is the Bible studied and academically sound in it’s translations

The Bible is a living, breathing movement of God’s activity in the world.

So what? What do we do with Scripture?

Is it just a good guide for how to be a good person?

2 Corinthians 3:2–3 NIV

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Scripture calls us into the narrative - we are the next chapter of Scripture

God is writing upon our hearts, displaying to the world how God is moving

Matthew 5:14–16 NIV

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

When is all said and done, how do we know scripture is the end-all be-all?

That is up to you. Can you trust it?

Give it a chance.

This living word we read and engage breathes new life into me every time I read it.

There is nothing special about these books themselves - it is special because we allow God to speak through the words, through the Holy Spirit

The Scripture has authority and changes this world when we live as if it mattes - when we take it serious and do something with it

We are God’s living words, breathing into this world new life.