Everything that I post on this site assumes that the Bible is true. The following observations are provided to support that idea:
First, the Bible is a compilation of 66 books, written by forty (40) different authors. What is important here is that the Bible does not contain only one man’s opinion.
The Bible was written over a 1,500-year period. Portions of it were written on three different continents and in three different languages. Most of the authors did not communicate with the others, nor did they read what the other authors wrote. It is significant that the finished document tells one coherent story, without conflict.
The Bible contains predictions (prophecies) concerning events that will occur in the future. To date, these prophecies have been fulfilled exactly as they were predicted. And, while many of these prophecies were fulfilled during Biblical times, there is reason to believe that the remaining ones will also occur exactly as described in Biblical text. A recent example of fulfilled Biblical prophecy was the establishment of a Jewish nation state, Israel, in 1948. Through these instances of prophecy and subsequent fulfillment, Christians believe that God has incorporated a means of “authentication” directly into the Biblical text.
New Testament Biblical records were written relatively soon (within tens of years) after the events they describe. This recency reduces the chance of legends having developed, introducing error into the Biblical record.
Secular historians, writing about 100AD, validate the Biblical record. They confirm the existence of Jesus, they describe him as one who worked miracles (which they described as magic), they accurately described his crucifixion and speculated on what might have caused the darkness and the earthquake observed concurrent with his death. They also report “rumors” of his resurrection, and accurately describe the activities of his followers (the Christian church).
Having witnessed His resurrection, Jesus’ followers transitioned from a scattered and disillusioned group, to a group on fire for their beliefs. Christianity spread so rapidly that the Roman Empire, rather than being able to stop it, chose to incorporate Christianity as their “state religion.” These events are testimony to the power of the Biblical content. While I am not Catholic, you might note here that the Pope still sits in Rome.
The Bible has spawned thousands of archeological digs. The results have overwhelmingly confirmed the historicity (historical accuracy) of the Bible.
Now, strictly from the Christian believer’s perspective, it is obvious that Jesus held a literal belief in the contents of the Old Testament. He made specific reference to each of the following people and events:
Adam and Eve (man’s creation before woman)
Cane and Able
Lot’s wife turned to salt
Noah
Jonah
Moses
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
And more …
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A Note to My Readers:
The purpose of the Bible is to describe the entire history of man’s relationship with God. It begins with creation of our universe and ends at a new heaven and a new earth, which are to be inhabited by Christian believers. If you are a beginner, it is very difficult to begin reading at Genesis 1, verse 1, especially with the intent of soon understanding Christianity. The Old Testament contains some great stuff, but for now, I recommend that you start with the New Testament. I don’t recommend that you start with the book of Matthew either, because you will immediately encounter a lengthy genealogy, the purpose of which is to demonstrate that Jesus is a direct descendant of Abraham, as promised in the Old Testament. Start with the Gospel of John. And, while I appreciate the King James Version (KJV) for its translational accuracy, the KJV translates from the original Biblical text into seventeenth century English. Since we speak a more contemporary version of English, I recommend that you start with the more recent New International Version (NIV). The NIV was constructed specifically to make the Bible more understandable to someone who speaks and understands English in the twenty-first century.
Listen to the words spoken about Jesus and the words spoken by Jesus Himself. He claims to be God and He describes His mission as bringing salvation, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. You will note that His own people (the Jews) reject His claims as heretical. You will note too, that the reader’s personal forgiveness and an eternal spiritual life always hinges on a single idea, “believing.” The entire exercise of Christianity is to “believe” that Jesus was both God and Man, and that he came here to claim those who would “believe in him.” To me, the benefits of that belief are great, and the drawbacks are few.
Note: If you came here from the my page entitled Believe, follow this link to get back to your place: https://youmeandalifetime.net/believe/7/
