Why the Bible is Important.

There are many diverse belief systems in the world today, some have many millions of followers and some only a few. There are of course many people who profess no particular faith or interest in spirituality at all.

Some of the faith groups proclaim and list very specific doctrines and beliefs about their god or gods, and some even present an account of the origin of man, his place in the world, and perhaps a view of the future. This may involve reincarnation, life on other planets, or a form of Heaven and perhaps an Eternity too.

A few though, are quite vague and circumspect in their beliefs, even welcoming the opinions, ideas or visions of their followers. Not all of course profess a particular deity, but may instead attribute their worship or perhaps ‘respect’, to the 'Natural World', or perhaps to the power or spirit which they believe is found within nature, which mankind is just one of its many creatures.

Modern Eclecticism.

Perhaps because of  today’s ‘pick-and-mix’, consumer orientated culture, especially manifest in the western nations, there are many people who while professing to be Christians, actually say they don't believe that the Bible is 'inspired' by The Creator, or has any authority in respect of what is right and wrong, about personal morality, or that Jesus is The Way to find personal salvation.   

It is sadly, no great surprise to me that western culture particularly, has become increasingly dismissive of spiritual and religious matters in general, and that the Judao-Christian doctrines in particular, are of any historical or modern relevance.

In fact, many people are quite indignant that there might be definitive truths expressed in the Bible, and they strongly reject what the Bible has to say concerning moral matters, life-style choices and what the God of the Bible says about sin, and even the definition of right and wrong.

But as the Hebrew Prophet Jeremiah said to the Jews...

“The heart of man is deceitful above all, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

In the wider society, there are a plethora of writers, philosophers, academics, and now 'Bloggers' who ‘evangelically’ reject the accuracy, and historicity of the Bible. Though to be fair, they do also generally reject the beliefs of the billions of adherents of the many other faith communities around the world, often calling them a form of superstition or delusion.

A brief search on the internet will readily yield literally thousands of websites, articles, publications and videos which assert that the Bible is filled with errors, inaccuracies and contradictions. Sadly, and all too often, many of the readers of these articles often accept these claims at face value, and rarely take the time to consider how those that defend the Bible, respond to the various critical statements and accusations.

It’s as if the 'doubters' and the sceptics are just looking for a ‘logical’ reason NOT to believe what is written in the Bible, and are personally unwilling to take the time to look a little deeper into the matters discussed, or read anything that is remotely ‘pro’ Biblical in anyway.

I would be the first to insist that we should use our brains and our reasoning to evaluate the assertions of Christianity, and not simply take them on trust. But real discussion should be a 'two way street'!

Sceptics might be somewhat surprised to learn that there are several examples of writers in the Bible, who challenged the people both then and for today, to examine and test its claims for themselves and to be convinced, or not, in their own hearts and minds. This is because the 'Author' and 'The Inspiration' of the Bible's writers, actually desires and encourages His 'readers' to not simply 'follow the crowd' or 'hedge their bets' concerning their future, so to speak, but to be genuinely willing to see if the Bible's assertions are true.

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the wold, rather than according to Christ.”  Colossians 2:8

What Makes The Bible Different?

The Bible, its origin, its history and the beliefs of Christianity should be open for examination, investigation and interpretation, and I would maintain that any sincere enquirer will not be disappointed if they take the time to study what it says, and if possible, share any questions they may have with a mature Christian they may know.

The Bible is unquestionably the world's all-time bestseller with an estimated 2 billion copies in print, and it has been translated completely into 469 different languages, and partially into many hundreds more!

It survives today as arguably the best-preserved literary work of all antiquity, with over 24,000 ancient New Testament manuscripts recovered so far. By comparison, the second best-preserved literary work of all antiquity is Homer's Iliad, with only 643 preserved manuscripts discovered.

And while the printing press was not invented and operational until the middle of the 15^th Century, archaeologists have discovered thousands of hand-written manuscript copies of the Old Testament, many which date back to before 200 BC.

Additionally, by way of example; the Apostle John, who lived alongside Jesus and learned from him as one of the twelve disciples, penned five of the New Testament books. He died in 100 AD, yet numerous fragments of John's Gospel have been preserved from between 110 and 130 AD.

Compared to other ancient works such as Plato, Homer or Tacitus, the discovery of these New Testament manuscripts, which had been produced within a short period of time between the author’s original manuscripts and their subsequent copies, is very significant.

So if you dispassionately consider the content of the Bible, you should observe that when you apply the generally accepted process of evaluating witness evidence, for use for example in a legal criminal case, the Biblical scriptures can be considered consistent and reliable. 

By way of an example; if you were to ask a dozen different people to recall and write about just one event that they collectively witnessed, such as a traffic accident or a High Street bank robbery, would you expect ALL the statements to be identical? 

Of course not!

You would reasonably expect some variation in the descriptions of the characters involved, or the order in which parts of the incident took place, and most likely, who said what to who. But you would not be sceptical about whether the event actually took place, would you? 

Consequently, rejecting 'out of hand' the Biblical account of events recorded in the New Testament for example, simply because there are some slight differences in the details,  often witnessed by hundreds of individuals in the towns and villages of Israel, just two thousand years ago, is unreasonable.

Would you not be more suspicious if you were told to believe that the whole of the New testament for example, was written solely by one man, without any reference to other individuals, and that there was only one copy available? 

Can we put our trust in what is written in the Bible?

People generally misunderstand what is meant by the phrase; ‘ 'Faith in the Word of God’, wrongly thinking it means trusting ‘blindly’ without question or consideration... 
Which it is not!

As I will examine more specifically in a future essay, Christians put their 'faith' in the Word as it is written in the Bible, but also in THE WORD, which the Bible 'reveals' is Jesus, The Christ.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from The Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14  

It is not my intent to list, visit or scrutinise the beliefs expressed in the writings of the many world religions or philosophies in this particular essay, but I would like to consider and demonstrate what I believe are the reasons that the Christian faith can be sourced, examined and consequently withstand logical criticism. 

I am also confident that Christianity can be considered a reasonable faith to uphold in the 21^st Century.

The Christian faith, I believe, can provide answers to the many questions that people have, which may include; mankind’s origin, his development down the centuries, his present moral condition and even his/our future destiny.

But before I get ahead of myself, I would like to go back to the start, or more specifically, to the origin of the 'first' Bible, and briefly examine some of the many reasons why it can be trusted as a source of historical record, instruction in life, as well as providing answers to our questions about the purpose of life, and death too.

As I have discussed in an earlier article, the beliefs, doctrines and conduct of someone who professes to be a Christian cannot be just an arbitrary matter of personal preference or simply what a person thinks or wishes to think they should be. It is the Bible that the Christian should be the foundation of truth and authority in regard to the Christian faith, because it is the source and the standard of Christian theology and teaching.

Perhaps surprisingly, polls carried out in the United States and the UK for example, consistently report that although professing Christians regard the Bible as very important for guidance on spiritual and moral issues, in reality, of the 60% of respondents who said they own one of more Bibles, only half of them actually read it more than four times a year. 

Furthermore, when it came to regular Bible reading or study, ONLY 25% of  those respondents said they read the Bible more than twice per week! 

Is this a poor endorsement of the Bible?

I would suggest that it is more tellingly, a terrible indictment of those people who say they are Christians, BUT are not willing to accept what the Bible clearly says, especially where it might 'impact' on their preferred 'life-style'.

It is therefore not surprising to learn, that of the many people who say they are Christians, a great many, as a statistical fact, cannot readily explain using Bible verses, either what a Christian is, or what the Bible actually has to say on many of the fundamental doctrinal, spiritual or moral issues about which it is clear!

The Apostle Paul wrote in his inspired letter to his friend Timothy leading the congregation at Ephesus;

“All scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” II Timothy 3:16

So if this statement is true, how can we begin to apply it to our lives?

To begin to answer this question, perhaps we should consider what people believe about the Bible, its origin, reliability, and even its infallibility.

In the case of the foundational Christian teachings, the source documents are contained in the Hebrew Old Testament and the later Greek New Testament, which have been combined to form the Christian Bible.

Accordingly, the texts and documents that form the canon, or the ‘accepted rules, principles and standard’ of today’s Bible, should reasonably have a provenance, accuracy and historicity that can be verified by independent academics.

As the Bible asserts to propound fundamental truths and doctrines that adherents are expected to agree with, should it not have by way of proof, a document or written record of an event, a meeting or a council where the foundational precepts originated?

Such ‘proof'  should be open to examination by impartial academic experts in the fields of manuscripts, languages and history.

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

This has most certainly been the case in respect of the Judeo-Christian Bible, which has been scrutinised and researched by experts from all the major respected academic institutions of the world, over a period of many hundreds of years.

The Bible…

By way of an overview, the Bible, as Christians acknowledge it, is a composite of historical writings on various ancient manuscripts, the oldest of which dates back to the period of about 1400BC. The word Bible is simply the English form of the Greek word: Biblia, which means ‘books’.

The Bible most widely used and translated today, is a collection of 66 formally individual ‘books’ or scrolls of which 39 form the Old Testament and 27 the New Testament.

The original manuscripts were written predominantly in the Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic languages

There was a total of 40 separate writers of the original manuscripts, and the documents were written between approximately 1400BC and 130AD.

Though the Bible today is a composition of the 66 separate ‘original’ documents, translation experts examined literally tens of thousands of ancient scrolls, manuscripts, partial documents and fragments, before agreeing on the reliability of the present canon or ‘composition’ of the manuscripts in today’s Bible.

There are sadly no original scrolls or fragments of parchment surviving from four thousand years ago, when the events about which they speak were taking place. Although archaeologists, historians and experts in ancient civilisations have made numerous 'other' discoveries of evidence supporting many Biblical references. 
Many years of study and research in and around the Middle East has confirmed the reliability of references to cities, places, cultures, events and even people that existed over four thousand years ago, and while papyrus and manuscripts may not have survived the long ages, there are numerous carvings, clay and stone tablets and hieroglyphic writings that make reference to the Hebrews and Israelites.

The Qumran Scrolls…

Additionally, the reliability of the duplication by ancient scribes of later Biblical scrolls, some still used in geographically isolated communities of Jews during the early period of the twentieth century, was unequivocally verified when thousands of ‘lost’ scrolls and other manuscripts were discovered in the Judean desert caves of Qumran, in Israel, in 1947.

These remarkably well preserved and isolated parchments, sealed in ancient clay storage jars, were dated to have originated around 150BC. This was over a century before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, and consequently provided verifiable proof that existing manuscripts already in general use in the 20th Century, had continued to be accurately copied from other earlier sources, quite independent from those that had been lying isolated in the desert caves of Judea for over a thousand years.

Using the Qumran and numerous other ancient documents gathered from all over the Middle East and Asia, translation and language experts have been able to compare the accuracy and consistency of separate texts from different periods and separate locations, and confirm their overall accuracy of copying and content, and consequently their historic continuity and reliability.

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through who also He made the world…”  

Hebrews 1:1

Interestingly, and despite ongoing criticism and scepticism, impartial academic experts point out that in comparison to various other ‘ancient’ written works, such as Homer’s Iliad or the writings of Euripides for example, the content on which people generally take for granted as history, there are many thousands of manuscripts available which provide the Bible with historical legitimacy too, more in fact than any other written work from mankind’s history.

The Bible: Composition… 

The Jews generally refer to the Bible as the Tanakh, which is an acronym of the first letters of the Hebrew words; Torah (Teaching and Law) Nevi’im (Prophets) Ketuvim (Writings)

Another name for the earliest parts of the Bible is the Pentateuch, meaning; ‘five scrolls’ and comprises the first five books of the Bible, also known as; ‘The Law of Moses’. These are; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, and all five are believed to have been written by Moses and his personal scribes during their forty years in the wilderness, during their exodus from Egypt in 1446BC, to the land of Canaan.

Additionally, another ancient volume; The Septuagint, meaning ‘seventy’, is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Torah. It is believed that during the rule of the Ptolemy II, the Greek king who ruled Egypt between the years 283 to 246 BC, sponsored the translation of the five books of Moses from Hebrew to Greek.

The New Testament, although now comprising 27 separate manuscripts, was not compiled as a single composite document until around 397AD although the composition of the Old Testament and at least 26 books of the ‘New’ Testament were being widely circulated by 300AD amongst the early Christian congregations.

Of course one must not overlook the fact that many manuscripts that were later to become integral to the New Testament were in general use by 50AD to 60AD, and many copies were in circulation among the early congregations. They became known as in the Epistles, a Greek word; Epistole, meaning ‘letter’, and were written by the Apostles Paul, Peter, John, Timothy, Jude and James, and explained the Christian faith and its doctrines, as well as teaching and encouraging the many Gentiles coming to faith in the Jewish Messiah; Jesus.

Luke, an educated physician and disciple of Paul embarked on a careful study of the life, teaching and significant events in the life of Jesus and his disciples, and wrote;

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the Word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught. Luke 1:1-4

If the Bible is to be accepted as the Christian’s supreme authority in respect of matters of 'belief, doctrine and practice', then we should be confident that the primary source is reliable, is consistent in its theology, and can withstand academic, linguistic and historical scrutiny of its accuracy.

 

The Bible has undergone a rigorous process of translation and study, where academics examined thousands of the earliest manuscripts as well as copies of these early texts, and was undertaken in order to verify that subsequent translations remained faithful to the originals. This has verified that the ancient and laborious process of letter by letter, line by line hand written copying process, that produced the thousands of documents and manuscripts we still have today, produced only a miniscule percentage of copying errors, none of which has had any significant doctrinal impact on the message conveyed or the facts presented.

Readers of the Bible can be reassured that despite the ongoing, incorrect and often dishonest criticism of the accuracy and trustworthiness of the scriptures, what is written in its pages can be trusted as accurately conveying the authors original message and intent.

There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women and children and the strangers who were living among them. Joshua 8:35

The Bible: Translated…

As important as provenance certainly is, there must also be a widely accepted means of interpretation of the original passages in their original languages. It is essential that interpretation is not what any or every reader simply ‘thinks’ or even ‘believes’ the words mean. But what a robust academic exegesis produces, that is; reading ‘out of the words’ what the original writer intended, and not the opposite type of interpretation; eisegesis, which is a reading ‘into’ a passage what the reader ‘thinks’ the author meant, or finding meanings that the writer never intended to convey.

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.  II Peter 1:20

There are certain general principles of language and of thought that underlie writings. These principles form the basis of the means of communication between intelligent beings. Consequently, the study of any ancient writing begins with the defining of the original meaning of words, which must have regard for the historical context, the cultural milieu and other known factors such as tradition or even superstition, that may bare on the information being presented in the particular writing.

This ‘Grammatico-historical’ approach is the recognised academic method of translating and understanding ancient texts.

A further generally accepted and applied method of interpretation may be described as; ‘The Plain Meaning Rule’, which says: “When the plain meaning of verse makes sense, seek no further sense”. But whilst the reader should never lose sight of the plain meaning of any text, there will be times when there is in fact ‘another meaning’ that the writer may wish to convey. Bible interpretation requires some background knowledge, a willingness to study, and much patience and wisdom. It is not a place for indulging the imagination.

You can of course look for deeper meaning in writings that specifically present spiritual and supernatural matters, but in seeking a deeper meaning in any text, one should not reinterpret or contradict what is clearly stated, because to do so may open the door to all manner of strange propositions and ideas that may result in ‘personal’ interpretations which basically become a form of sensual theology. 

Such ‘theology’ basically caters for an individual’s ideas, feelings or lusts, rather than what the writer of the original text meant. 

Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind… Colossians 2:18

Having said all the above, there is of course a plethora of individuals and groups, as there are books, media articles and internet sites that strenuously maintain that the Bible cannot be trusted, its content believed or its moral and spiritual advice heeded.

But as the earliest chapters of the Bible make clear, the consequence of the actions of the first two created humans, Adam and Eve, was the loss of innocence and the corruption of mankind, which has resulted in a generally doubting and rebellious heart that wilfully rejects the Biblical admonition to do good and resist what is bad, to the point that most people simply do what pleases them and says; “to hell with the consequences!”.

There has been no shortage of people who have taken liberties with the general rules of Biblical interpretation to write their own fanciful accounts of ‘spiritual encounters’ and experiences, and sought to legitimise them with ‘interpretations’ of passages from the Bible.

Sadly these books simply represent ‘personal’ interpretations of the scriptures and are basically a form of sensual theology. A theology that is little more than an expression of an individual’s ideas or feelings rather than what the Biblical text plainly says or the writer of the original text meant.

Such writings prove the warning of the Apostle Timothy when he wrote that people will:

“... who gather to themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and will turn their ears from the truth to myths.”  

 II Timothy 4:3

The Bible: Interpretation…

Below are a few basic rules or practices that one must employ in order to rightly interpret the Bible and arrive at a right and reasonable understanding of its content.

Definition and Etymology…

When studying the Bible, I hope you will agree that one must first consider what the words we are reading mean in their own right. Understanding the definition and origin of the words used will better enable the reader to determine what a passage and its co-text is seeking to convey to the reader. One must consistently apply the known plain meaning of each word used, and not attribute to it any other meaning, unless the style of writing has a particular intention, a may be found in Parables or Poetry for example.

Usage of Words…

As was explained earlier, the original biblical writings were predominantly in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. The writers were of a Middle Eastern culture where idioms and parables were common in discourse. Additionally, references to ancient practices and traditions requires the reader to avoid imposing their modern or western usage or interpretation of words onto the original text. 

The modern reader should also avoid pre-conceived notions and cultural bias against customs and practices from the ancient world, which may offend their 21^st century sensibilities.

 

Context…

It has been said, that a text read out of context which ignores its co-text can result in a pretext, that is, the wrong meaning or interpretation. Consequently, to gather a proper understanding of both the words, the passage and the whole text, one must consider the words before, after and those in the associated passage. Seeking the authors intended meaning necessitates interpreting verses in context.

Historical Background…

To arrive at a proper interpretation of a written document, and especially one that is ancient, requires the reader to have an awareness of what life was like during the time period the text was written. The language, customs, particular cultural norms and what can be learned of the prevailing conditions and development of society, will provide a background for considering what may have influenced the writer. An understanding of the prevailing beliefs and practices at the time of biblical writings may help the reader understand some matter that would otherwise be confusing.

Using the same criteria of 'reliability' with which we might judge other historical works, the Bible continues to be proved trustworthy because historical events, battles, ancient empires and kings, archaeology, customs and practices and even individual characters, have been academically verified.

Such reliability requires truthfulness and accurate copying over long periods of time, and content that is historically and factually correct, and which has been faithfully preserved.

Such verification engenders confidence, and by these standards we can regard the Bible as reliable.

Logic...

One should not overlook basic logic when interpreting ancient scriptures. Equally, we should not presume that the writers were either uneducated or ignorant of the principles of maths, science and of history. We also, should ask ourselves if the initial interpretation makes sense, because as words are used to convey information, then we should logically expect to be able to understand what the writer meant to say. 

The Bible conveys instructions, thoughts, ideas and great truths in written form, and it is logical that we should be able to comprehend the content by applying our human ability of reason.

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, King of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction. To discern the sayings of understanding, to receive instruction in wise behaviour, righteousness, justice and equity. To give prudence to the naïve, to the youth knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear the increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel… The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1: 1-5

Genre…

The Bible contains several types of writing styles or genre, such as; history, narrative, law and rules, prophecy, apocalyptic, poetry and songs, wisdom sayings and proverbs, gospels and letters.

Each literary genre has a different style and characteristics which must be recognised in order to interpret the text properly.

The reader though should not simply dismiss prophetic passages as imaginary by implying they are simply a form of poetry, or an historical account as if it were a proverb or myth. Additionally, there are portions of scripture that contain more than one genre within the passage, and so the reader must be diligent to consider the context when studying and interpreting.

The following word of caution should always be borne in mind when studying the scriptures: 

“Knowing this first; that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” II Peter 1:20.

Consequently, should anyone suggest that they have been 'given' some never before considered, special insight or personal revelation for the interpretation of a passage of scripture or a prophecy, such pronouncements should treated with much caution.

Biblical Authority? 

The Merriam Webster Dictionary Definition of the word ‘Authority’ says;

Power. Command. Mastery. Sovereignty. Supremacy. Jurisdiction. Rule...

‘The power to give orders or make decisions’.

‘The power or right to control or direct someone or something’.

‘A citation (as from a book) used as defence or support’.

‘The source from which the citation is taken’.

‘A person in command’.

Atheists have, and will no doubt continue to reject that the Bible has ANY Authority or place in the 'modern' world.

Agnostics and others will perhaps debate the integrity of various Bible passages, and followers of 'other' religions will too reject that the Bible is the Word of God.

Secularists in particular have an agenda, which has become somewhat obsessive, to cast doubt and 'pull-down' a book which expresses many unflattering things about the nature and heart of mankind. Especially when it accuses them of sinning, and challenges them to repent, change their ways, or expect severe eternal consequences.

The Bible 'chaffs' many atheists to the core.

The fact remains, that more than 90% of the text of today's Bible versions, is unanimously consistent with the earliest manuscripts. In passages where the wording is at all disputed, there is nevertheless no doctrinal contradictions and we can be assured, that the accurate, revealed words and thoughts of The Creator have been faithfully passed along to us for today.
Some critics also argue that leaders in the early Christian Church deliberately corrupted the Bible texts for their own greedy agenda, seeking to create a Cult where they had power and control over gullible people.

This argument though begs one serious question... 

Why would such a group of men and women be willing to suffer persecution and die horrible deaths in defence of the very scriptures they are accused of corrupting?

It makes no sense to falsify documents or perhaps allow others to corrupt or 'invent' stories, and then willingly suffer and die for a lie!

Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Acts 17:11

Willing to die for a lie?

From the First Century AD, many men and women were willing to lose their freedom and sometimes their lives, rather than deny what they personally witnessed concerning the life, death and resurrection of the Jew named Jesus. 

Either they actually saw the death and resurrection of Jesus, who they called The Christ, or they didn't. They certainly knew in their hearts whether or not their account was true!

Nevertheless, these men and women maintained their account even under the threat of torture and death at the hands of their persecutors.

Since those early days of the 'first' Christians, many millions of sincere souls have chosen to embrace death rather than reject what they read and believed in the Bible.

Why would so many men knowingly die for a lie if it was not true?

“And now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify of the Gospel of the Grace of God.” Acts 20:23-24

Would you?

Whilst it is right and reasonable that man should be free to question and test ALL things, in order to 'evaluate' if they are true, one must also be willing to accept that man is not all-knowing nor all-powerful. 
When we embrace the logical belief that there is a Creator God of the universe, and that He is intimately interested and involved in the future of individual men and women, then we can perhaps better understand that as the Creator of everything, He IS far above and beyond our own limited knowledge and abilities.

The professing Christian must submit their opinions about the nature of God The Creator to that revealed in the Bible. Because being willing to admit that we do not in fact know everything, and certainly cannot do everything. This attitude will enable us to begin to comprehend our relationship with the God of the Bible.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8

This concludes my comments on the importance of both understanding the early history of the Bible and also why you can trust that it is NOT an invention of man, as many critics insist.

In a later piece, I will explore further aspects of the Bible’s accuracy and what you can expect to learn if you explore it yourself, such as Prophecy, Inspiration, Wisdom Literature and the Apocalyptic writings too, which I believe provide overwhelming evidence of reliability, and its supernatural authorship.

In conclusion...

The Bible stands today as the best-preserved literary work of all antiquity, and its overall reliability is without serious question.

I do hope that you will consider my thoughts and acquire one, read it, and see for yourself… I did!

From Alan, in Jesus.