Bible inerrancy · 4:19pm Jul 2nd, 2016

All too many people, even those who consider themselves Christians, often think that the Bible has flaws in it, or that somehow parts of it don't add up. Skeptics (perhaps the most polite term) scoff and mock at supposed errors they find, or that other people think they found. All too many websites have lists of these supposed errors.

Worthy of note is that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, translated into Greek, and from there into English. Many languages have words or phrases that cannot be translated directly into another. Take the German word schadenfreude; this word means, "laughter gained at the misery of others (or friends), yet has no English word that it can directly be translated into, hence the mouthful needed to describe its meaning. A number of supposed errors are the result of linguistic difficulties in translating properly from one language into another, which may be one reason why so many different English translations (ESV, NKJV, NASB, etc.) exist; to try to translate the original language into layman's terms so that everyone can understand. The very word "Bible" comes from the Greek words "Ta Biblia," or, "The Books;" it is literally a handheld library. Other supposed errors are the result of not properly understanding the meaning of the words in their day and time.

Another thing counteracting the skeptics is that the Bible is the fact of the interconnectedness of accounts hundreds of years apart, between authors who had no chance to collude on any project due to space, time, or other constraints. Some wouldn't have had any education; some would probably have been judged misfits. Some, such as Jeremiah, were thoroughly disliked for the messages they preached. Even so, none of them contradicted themselves or each other. Old Testament prophecies written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ testify to the fact that the Bible is divinely inspired;

1. The prophet Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem; we know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, even though he would, upon being brought out of Egypt, be raised in Nazareth.

2. Zechariah the prophet predicted that thirty pieces of silver would be the price by which the Messiah was sold; Judas sold Jesus out for exactly that amount.

3. Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would remain silent in the face of his accusers. Jesus remained quiet and did not answer his enemies' accusations during his trial.

Another thing to consider is how much of our culture today comes from the Bible. A seven day week, a multitude of phrases (bite the dust, skin and bones, good Samaritan, etc.) and most if not all of the things we consider virtuous (honesty, integrity, love, friendship, mercy, justice, kindness, etc.) come directly from its pages. Without the Bible, many of the things we take for granted, such as Christmas and Easter, would not exist, not in the forms they do today. How easy is it to imagine living a ten or twelve day week or a year without the holidays as such we have? Not very, unless I miss my guess. And many of them have their inspiration, whether directly or indirectly, from the Bible.

The Bible is God's Word - His gift, the tool by which we can understand him as much as our finite minds can - and cannot be casually thrown aside.

1. The Bible is trustworthy. God does not lie. His Word can be taken as truth no matter what. If this were not true, the whole fabric of what we believe would collapse, with people only believing and acting out what they wanted to take from the Bible and disregarding or ignoring the rest. Since the Bible backs up what it says with actions (particularly the actions of Jesus), it can be trusted to tell the truth.
2. The Bible is understandable. Admittedly, not everything is easy to understand, and we cannot completely understand an infinite, almighty, all knowing God. There are also things that are, at times, agonizingly hard to accept. However, the Bible is understandable; regardless of class or wealth, anyone can read the Bible, or have it read to them, and understand the overall message.
3. The Bible is necessary. Law is needed, or else there would be chaos. The Bible more than provides in that respect. As one Bible verse says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6)." And without the Bible, and therefore knowledge, spiritual growth is impossible.
4. The Bible is sufficient. While works like those of Charles Stanley, Randy Southern (from whose book The World's Easiest Guide to Understanding God most of this is coming from) and Max Lucado are nice, they merely supplement the Bible, helping to translate it. They do not add anything new other than maybe perspective. God has authored no other holy book other than the Bible. There is no other book that is necessary to read in order to understand Him.

Not all will accept this or other explanations offered by Christians, whether educated or not. In the words of an unknown author, "Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself but because it contradicts them." The issue, as usual, is rebellion against God, the desire to be master of our own lives, and to disregard the warning signs and go it alone. People point out what to them looks like an error and, often without bothering to research further, use, or attempt to use, the subject phrase against believers. Either one believes that the Bible has no error, in which case they should believe it, or they believe it has errors, in which case they do not believe or accept it. Once more, the division is made; between those who truly do believe and those who do not. It is the choice of the reader, as always, to decide which they put their trust in.

One more note; some people, even when they admit God exist, do so reluctantly, claiming Him to be a cosmic killjoy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus said that he came so that people "may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10)." What God does not want is people having "fun" in an inappropriate way. What father would allow his child to play in the middle of a road, after all, or allow them to harm someone else in their anger? Guilt, shame, regret, loss of respect (both self respect and respect from others), and negative consequences are the "rewards" for illegitimate "fun."

I won't waste your time any further. I hope everyone is respectful to one another in the comments, and that the love of God embraces all of you (Amen to that!).

Report Fireheart 1945 · 514 views · #Christian #must be said #etc.

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Summer Dancer

Summer Dancer #1 · Jul 2nd, 2016 · · 1 ·

Very nice Amen.

Fireheart 1945

Fireheart 1945 #2 · Jul 2nd, 2016 · 1 · 1 ·

4063043 Thanks

-AfterBurn-

-AfterBurn- #3 · Jul 2nd, 2016 · · ·

Absolutely.

I still think it's amazing that critics of the Bible can only find minor supposed errors in a text that is around 2000 years old.
One would think a normal text of that age would have numerous major errors

Fireheart 1945