The Citizen
column – Feb.24, 2020
If
you were to be confined to a desert island for the rest of your life, and were
allowed to take only one book with you, which book would you choose? A lengthy
classic novel? An encyclopedia? Or maybe, How to Build a Sailboat?
Had the famous itinerant preacher and founder of
Methodism John Wesley been asked, we could likely guess what his answer would
be. He said, “I want to know one thing, the way to heaven – how to land safe on
that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way: for this very
end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that
book! At any price give me the Book of God! I have it. Here is knowledge enough
for me. Let me be homo unius libri [a man of one book].”
The
Bible has for many decades been a best seller, yet it has also been referred to
as “the book we dust and trust”. David Nygren observed, “If all the neglected
Bibles were dusted simultaneously, we would have a record dust storm, and the
sun would go into eclipse for a whole week.”
But
why bother with the Bible at all? How do we know the Bible is true?
I see
at least five reasons to trust the Bible. First, there’s the witness of the
earliest eyewitnesses, the original apostles. When a police officer’s
investigating an incident, who do they want to talk to most? The eyewitnesses,
those who were there and saw with their own eyes what happened.
The
Apostle Peter insists, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we
told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were
eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2Peter 1:16) Regarding prophecies of Scripture,
he adds, “...Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Consider
how the first eyewitnesses were martyred maintaining the factuality of what
they proclaimed. If it were a conspiracy based on fiction, someone would have
squealed! “People don’t die for what they know to be a lie.”
Second,
there’s the testimony of the church down through the ages. Documents such as
the Westminster Confession (1647) and our own denomination’s articles of faith
use such terms as “inspired”, “infallible”, “entirelly trustworthy”, “final
authority”, “supreme source of truth for Christian belief”. (EMCC.ca)
Besides
the corporate church, I’ve been impacted by the faith of my own family members.
Between the ages of 8 and 12 I received various versions of Scripture from my
parents, grandparents, the Gideons, and my home church. Today I have in my
possession a very old, antique family Bible dating from about 1892 which
belonged to my father’s grandfather. These tomes carry special emotional
attachment for me, in that they are a witness to the reverence and respect some
of my own relatives had for the Bible.
Third,
there’s the evidence of archeology and scientific study. Nicky Gumbel of ALPHA
fame does an excellent job in his little book Questions of Life showing
how research has demonstrated the reliability of the New Testament compared to
other well-accepted historic documents. There are over 5000 Greek manuscripts
alone. Textual critics use these to get back to what was probably almost
exactly the original version. Sir Frederick Kenyon, a leading scholar in this
area, writes: “...the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have
come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both
the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the
New Testament may be regarded as finally established.”
Some
might object that minor variances in details bring into question the
truthfulness of the accounts – such as, how many angels were actually at the
empty tomb? – but criminologists would tell you such minor variances actually
bolster the truthfulness of eyewitness accounts, because it shows the reports
weren’t simply “copycat” accounts: a variety of viewers were involved.
Fourth,
consider the authority of Jesus Himself – what was the Master’s attitude toward
Scripture? Jesus noted, “...the Scripture cannot be broken...” (Jn 10:35) and,
while praying, “...Your word is truth.”
(Jn 17:17) But even more remarkable is the way Jesus relies on Scripture
at crucial moments. In Matthew 4 He’s being tempted repeatedly by Satan; how
does He respond? By quoting memorized Scripture. “It is written...It is also
written...It is written...” (Mt 4:4,7,10)
At
key moments, when His earthly future is hanging by a thread, Jesus stakes His
life upon the reliability of Scripture. In Matthew 26 He’s being arrested, yet
blocks an attempt by His followers to fend off the mob with a sword. Why? “‘Do
you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal
more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be
fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Mt 26:53f) Apparently the Son
of Man had a tremendous respect for Scripture, relying on it from first to last
in His earthly journey. He understood His life to be a fulfilment of Scripture,
as evidenced by His quoting Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah.
Fifth,
there’s Scripture’s own self-authenticating, i.e. Scripture backs itself up. If
that sounds a little circular in reasoning, it is, due to an unavoidable
logical conundrum: if Scripture is God’s word (written) and ultimately
authoritative, what more authoritative thing could there be to back it up? That
would make that other thing more authoritative than Scripture.
Deep
conviction about the trustworthiness of the Bible comes in the reading of it,
by faith, through the work of the Holy Spirit. We encounter it as God’s living
word, speaking straight into our lives, kind of like the Holy Spirit standing
behind us reading it aloud to us as the Author Himself. Reformation leader John
Calvin wrote, “Our heavenly Father, revealing his majesty [in Scripture], lifts
reverence for Scripture beyond the realm of controversy.”
In
other words, as you read it, God Himself validates His word. After all, God’s
word is not like our mere human word: “For the word of God is living and
active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing
soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the
heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) The Apostle Paul describes it as, “...The word of God,
which is at work in you who believe.”
The
Bible is the book that reads us.
Jesus
concluded His famous Sermon on the Mount with a simple story of two builders
whose houses were subjected to a terrific storm of wind and rain. The foolish
man’s house fell with a great crash, because it was built on the sand; but the
wise man’s withstood the storm because it was built on the rock. Jesus likened
the latter to the person who hears His words and puts them into practice.
When
life’s storms come upon us, the truths and promises in the Bible can give great
consolation and hope. Billy Graham counseled, “Like Joseph storing up grain
during the years of plenty to be used during the eyars of famine that lay
ahead, may we store up the truths of God’s Word in our hearts as much as
possible, so that we are prepared for whatever suffering we are called upon to
endure.”
