130 likes | 266 Views
More than Words: The Significance of Scripture Part 1 Selected Passages. Logos Bible Fellowship 2/13/2008. The Significance of Scripture. It Carries the Proclamation of God It Captures the Portrait of God It Contains the Properties of God It Conveys the Power of God
E N D
More than Words:The Significance of ScripturePart 1Selected Passages Logos Bible Fellowship 2/13/2008
The Significance of Scripture • It Carries the Proclamation of God • It Captures the Portrait of God • It Contains the Properties of God • It Conveys the Power of God • It Communicates the Promises of God
The Significance of Scripture • It Carries the Proclamation of God • It Captures the Portrait of God • It Contains the Properties of God • It Conveys the Power of God • It Communicates the Promises of God
The Canon of the Bible • Primary criterion for a book to be considered as part of the canon and authoritative is propheticity • Three secondary criteria for canonicity • Apostolic authority • Conformity to the rule of faith • Continuous acceptance and use by the church • There was a high degree of unanimity of NT • The vast majority of the NT was unanimous by the first and second century • Note: The Apocrypha was added to Roman Catholic canon in 1546 at the Council of Trent
Objective Proof for the Bible • Internally consistent • Extremely consistent by ancient standards • Genealogies in Matthew and Luke • Has stood up to all scrutiny over time • Most authentic book in history • Library of 66 books penned by 40 authors over 1,500 years • From kings to prophets to tax collectors to ordinary fishermen – from every walk of life • Inclusion of embarrassing material and hard sayings • Ten of eleven disciples faced grisly deaths
Objective Proof for the Bible • Unprecedented multiplicity of copies • More manuscripts than any ancient work • Over 24,000 NT manuscripts • 643 of Homer’s Iliad • 9 manuscripts of Josephus’ The Jewish War • 1 manuscript of Tacitus’ Annals of Imperial Rome • Age of the documents and variety of languages allow for accurate reconstruction • Within a couple of generations vs. 5-10 centuries for many ancient writings
Objective Proof for the Bible • Reliably preserved • NT manuscripts 99.5% pure • Dead sea scrolls (OT) found in 1947 after 2,000+ year burial – over 99% accuracy to modern Bibles • Validated by Archeology • Sumerian king list & flood accounts around the world • The house of David, walls of Jericho, tower of Babel, pool of Bethesda, Jacob’s well
Objective Proof for the Bible • More historical documentation for Jesus than for any other religious founder • Corroborated by secular history • Josephus wrote of Christ’s crucifixion & resurrection • Tertullian and Phlegon corroborated the darkening of the sky in the 6th hour while Christ was on the cross • Tacitus wrote of the crucifixion and spread of Christianity • Pliny the younger corroborated the worship of Jesus as God • The Talmud speaks of Jesus’ healing and miracle work
Objective Proof for the Bible • Scientific knowledge in the Bible • The roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40:22) • The earth’s axis (Job 38:12-14) • Hydrological cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7) • Blood as the source of life (Leviticus 17:11) • Hygiene and disease (Leviticus 15:13) • Circumcision & clotting (Genesis 17:10-12) • Conservation of Mass (Genesis 2:1) • Entropy of universe (Hebrews 1:10-11)
Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy • Destruction of Babylon (Isaiah 14:23) • 70-year Jewish captivity (Jeremiah 25:11) • Destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD 70 (Luke 19:41-44) • Over 300 messianic prophecies fulfilled • Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) • Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) • Entry into Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25) • Death on the cross (Psalm 22) • Resurrection from the dead (Psalm 16:10) • Speaks accurately to every area of life
Divine Nature of the Bible • One story – Redemption from sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 5:37, 20:31; Luke 24:25-27, 44-49) • One author – God (2 Peter 1:20-21) • Over 2,000 times in the OT alone, the Bible asserts to have been written by God • OT called the Word of God (Mark 7:13) • What Jesus preached (Luke 5:1) • Subtle clues too – Moses said (Mark 7:10) versus God said (Matthew 15:4)
Group Discussion • What part of today’s material is most amazing to you? What did you learn? • What should be our response to the fact that God has given so much evidence that the Bible is His Word? • How can we apply 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Job 23:12, and Colossians 3:16? • The Bible carries the proclamation of God. Do you want to know what God has to say? If so, how is your life different than the world? • How much time do you spend reading the newspaper vs. God’s Word?