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Evidence for the Bible & why we can trust it!

Evidence for the Bible & why we can trust it!. Your Servant & Teacher De’Aries Andrews. The Kingdom’s Court. Plaintiff (The Critics/Skeptics) vs Defendant (The Bible). Intro:. If the Bible was on Trial, what would be the Plaintiff’s allegations against the Bible?

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Evidence for the Bible & why we can trust it!

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  1. Evidence for the Bible & why we can trust it! Your Servant & Teacher De’Aries Andrews

  2. The Kingdom’s Court • Plaintiff (The Critics/Skeptics) vs • Defendant (The Bible)

  3. Intro: • If the Bible was on Trial, what would be the Plaintiff’s allegations against the Bible? • You being the Jury in this case, and you wanted to have confidence the Bible is free from these accusations. But what would you wanted to know that would help you trust the Bible? • If Bible is the Defendant in this case. How do you think the Bible would defend itself against these allegations & questions?

  4. My SKINNY LAWYER • Defense Attorney/Apologist: De’Aries A. • Serving Atlanta for Christ since 2004 • 1800.777.JESUS (Not for Hire, but for Christ) • Helping the Skeptics to come from Facts to Faith

  5. Evidence for the Bible & Why we can trust it! • Evidences for Inspiration • Evidence for Reliability of the Scriptures • NT Canonization: Evidence against the Church deciding which Books belong in the NT

  6. Q: What Evidences point to the Bible being Inspired by God? • He gave this and the Prophecies of the OT, not to gratify men's curiosities by enabling them to foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled they might be interpreted by the event;… For the event of things predicted many ages before, will then be a convincing argument that the world is governed by providence – Sir Isaac Newton • 1 Peter 1:10-11 …the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you…trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christin them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow…they were not serving themselves but you…

  7. Evidence for Inspiration: Fulfilled Prophecy • If he Bible is from God, then it must be supernaturalin Nature. The Bible Predicts Jesus’: Miraculous Birth (Is. 7:14), Ministry (Is 61), Death (Daniel 9:25ff, Ps 22) & Resurrection (Ps 16). • The Bible even Predicts the coming & defeat of non-biblical historical figures: • King Cyrus (Is 44:28,45:13) – appx. 200 years in advance • Alexander the Great(Daniel 8, 11:3-4) – appx. 200-190 years in advance • Cleopatra & Marc Anthony (Daniel 2, 11:40ff) – appx. 500 years in advance • 70 AD prediction: Daniel 9:26 - 600 yrs., Luke 21 - 40yrs • Scientific Insight: Creation,Water cycle & Male Infant Circumcision.

  8. Evidence for Inspiration: Case for unity in Diversity • The Bible is rich in diversity: • The Bible is 3500 years old & counting • Written over a period of 1,500 years. 1446 BC-95 AD (?) • Written by total of over 40 different writers: Rabbis, Kings, Priests, Fishermen, Physician, Generals and etc. • Written in three different Languages: Hebrew, Aramaic & Greek • On three different continents: Africa, Asia & Europe. • The Bible is completely unified, especially when it comes to: Origin, Meaning, Identity, Morality, Destiny & etc. (This was accomplished without Cellphones, FB & Email). A diversity of writers, but one Divine Editor! • Try getting 40 different people such as Philosophers, Professors, Politicians, Lawyer or just the average Joe to agree on essential subjects of Origin, Meaning, Identity, Morality, Destiny. Would it be possible for them to be united?

  9. Evidence For Inspiration: The Bible Reveal the Thoughts & heart of God • An author’s thoughts are revealed by what an author has written. • Amos 4:13He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals His thoughts to mankind… • Is 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares Yahweh. “Foras the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” • Evidence from Authority: When God speaks, he speaks with authority by revealing & confronting our corrupted hearts (Mark 7). If the Bible was written by the will of Men, then you can see how the Bible would endorse our wickedness. • The Acts of the Sinful Nature is obvious. I, the Apostle Paul, also indulge in the Sinful Nature - follow my example & it will lead you to Christ. -Galatians 5:41 • You do not have to Commit your life to me or Share with Others about me, this is reserved for the Leaders, but blessed are those who find a comfortable Church! -Matt 28:21 • His thoughts is completely different from our thoughts. Therefore, the Bible is consist with the Nature of God, who call us to be to live holy, because he’s Holy. (Leviticus 19, 1 Peter 1).

  10. Evidence for Inspiration:Products of Inspiration • 2 Cor. 3:2-4: You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 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. • As the result of the Holy Spirit, we become products of inspiration. • John 7:16-17: Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own

  11. The Evidence Point to the Bible being inspired by God. • Q:But how do we know the Bible hasn’t been changed thought out history? • “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” Proverbs 30:5-6

  12. Evidence for Reliability: The Reliability of the O.T • The 1947 Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls Date: 250-200 BC. • Aleppo Codex -Was the oldest surviving OT Manuscript before the Dead Scrolls. Date: 950 AD. • We estimate a 1,000 year gap between Aleppo Codex & DSS! • What do you think can happen within 1,000 years to an ancient Manuscripts in the hands of Men? • We fast forward from 950AD to 1947 to see if our OT is has been Changed or Copiedaccurately! (Drum roll). • The DSS proved the OT has been copied accurately, and even the prophecy about Jesus is found in the DSS! • The evidence of archeological artifacts & the OT Manuscripts points to the Reliability of the OT. But the Evidence for the NT is even better.

  13. Evidence for Reliability: The Reliability of the N.T • Most historians accepts non-biblical ancient writings about historical figures to be Reliable! • Manuscripts from ancient times went through a test known as the Bibliographical testin order to test the reliability of any ancient document. • The Evidence show the NThas gained the reputation for being more reliable than any other book from antiquity - even the works of Julius Caesar! • Even if all the NT was collected & burned, we could reconstruct most of the NT, beside 11 verses from the citations of early Disciples who quoted 86,000 times from the NT. • How do we know the NT writers told the truth? • The overwhelming evidence from Archaeology & Geography confirms the NT to be reliable!

  14. Did the Catholic Church vote on which books that should belong in the NT at Council of Nicaeain the 4th century? • Canon comes from the Greek word Kanonwhich means measuring rodor standard.

  15. Evidence for Canonization:New Testament • “As a child identifies its mother, then later the church identified the books which was regarded as being inspired.” • Therefore, Inspirationis the books from God, while Canonizationis the collection of those inspired Books. • Evidence from the 1stCentury: • 2 Peter 3:15-16 ..Just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters…which ignorant & unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (In the mid 60s AD). Peter identified Paul’s letters as Scripture. • Clementquotes 13 out of 27. Ignatius quotes 8 out of 27 books & Polycarp quotes 17 out of 27 from our NT books . • “On Sundays in the Christian worship assemblies the memoirs of the apostles were read together with the writings of the prophets”- Justin the Martyr AD 150 • Before this time a “Canon list” hasn’t been developed, but only circulating Scriptures & oral traditions. • Marcion Canon:AD 140 – His heresy had prompted the Early Church to develop a “Canon list”. • Muratorian Fragment:150-180 AD list 22 out of the 27 NT books • We have evidence that indicate the early Church were already recognizing Inspired books before the Council of Nicaea. But Canonization took time to complete.

  16. Evidence for Canonization:New Testament Canonization criteria • Christ as Canon: Matt 7:29, Hebrews 1:3 • Apostolic Authorship: John 14:26, 16:13 (Apostles were given truth by the Holy Spirit) • Apostolic Connection: Ephesians 2:20 (the church is built on foundation of the NT Apostles & Prophets) these documents which were written in the 1st century AD. Ex: Luke • Theological consistency: John 17:17 (God’s word must be true) • Universal Accepted & Tested: This Depends on the first-three

  17. Evidence for Canonization: New Testament • It wasn’t voted on which books should be included, but rather giving recognition to such inspired books. • God’s Sovereignty: The Survivalof the Text (John 20:25, Paul’s letters to Corinth & etc.) • In 364 AD, a disciple by name of Athanasius of Alexandra. Quoted all 27 books we have today and he added “These are the springs of salvation…Let no one add anything to them or take anything away from them. • The Evidence for the Church not controlling the canon would be when you open the scriptures for yourself: Do you see what God has intended or do you see what man has intended?

  18. Conclusion • Evidences for Inspiration • Evidence for Reliability of Scriptures • NT Canonization: Evidence against the Church Controlling which books belong in the NT

  19. Here’s the verdict, TODAY we have sufficient amount of Evidence to trust the Bible!!!

  20. Practical Application: • Research the Evidence for yourself • Read your Bible from cover-to-cover, and commit to reading your Bible consistently. • With gentleness & respect share what youhave learned with your friends? Or someone you wish to help come to faith.

  21. Sources • The Bible: NASB, NIV, NET & NLT • The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook by J.Daniel Hays & Scott Duvall • How we got the bible- Neil Lightfoot • How we got the bible and why we can trust it-Mike Taliaferro • Truth and Reasonable – Dr. Douglas Jacoby • How we got the Bible MP3- Dr. Douglas Jacoby • A Prophet Among the Nation – Dr. John Oakes • More than a Carpenter – Josh McDowell • I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist – Frank Turek & Norman Geisler • Insight from the Holy Spirit • People Court’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6zwkcDKH6E • https://div.hds.harvard.edu/lettersofpaul/timemaps/app-4/index.html#/close

  22. Please go pickup your kids

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