In a world that is growing more and more hostile to Christianity, it is important that we, as believers, become more rooted and grounded in our faith. Furthermore, the opportunities to share the faith are endless–there are people from all walks of life that need to know Jesus. We at Sisters of the Faith asked the question, “Would I be able to give a defense of the gospel?” This is an important question to ask. Unfortunately, many unbelievers know the scriptures better than us and it leaves us in situations where we are left confused, dumbfounded, in agreement with them because we have not studied, or speechless. As we learn more, our desire is to share with you this information. Every week there will be a blog entry devoted to apologetics (does not mean “to apologize”, but “to give a defense”). We are definitely in the last days, or better yet the last hour, and people need to come to Christ. We see the signs all around us and Jesus can crack the sky at any moment–there are souls that need to be won. There will be various areas that we will discuss, such as: the reliability of the Bible, the Resurrection, Old Testament prophecies fullfilled through Jesus Christ, just to name a few.
The Bible Stands Alone
Compiled by Justin and Jordan Drake
Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105
1. It is unique in its continuity. If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about the same amount of money, and were asked to write on just one controversial subject, they would have trouble agreeing with each other. But, the Bible stands alone. It was written over a period of 1,600 years by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen; some were politicians. Others were generals or kings, shepherds or historians. They wrote on hundreds of controversial subjects yet they wrote with agreement and harmony. They were from three different continents, and wrote in three differnet languages. They wrote in dungeons, in temples, on beaches, and on hillsides, during peacetime and during war. Yet their words sound like they came from the same source. So even though 10 people today couldn’t write on one controversial subject and agree, God picked 40 different people to write the Bible–and it stands the test of time.
2. It is unique in its circulation. The invention of the printing press in 1450 made it possible to print books in large quantities. The first book printed was the Bible. Since then, the Bible has been read by more people and printed more times than any other book in history. By 1930, over one billion Bibles had been distributed by Bible societies around the world. By 1977, Bible societies alone were printing over 200 million Bibles each year, and this number does not include the many other Bible publishers. No one who is interested in knowing the truth can ignore such an important book.
3. It is unique in its translation. The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. No other book even comes close.
4. It is unique in its survival. In ancient times, books were copied by hand onto manuscripts which were made from parchment and would decay over time. Ancient books are available today only because someone made copies of the originals to perserve them. For example, the original writings of Julius Caesar are no longer around. We know what he wrote only by the copies we have. Only 10 copies still exist, and they were made 1,000 years after he died. Only 600 copies of Homer’s The Illiad exist, made 1,300 years after the originals were written. No other book has as many copies of the ancient manuscripts as the Bible. In fact, there are over 24,000 copies of New Testament manuscripts, some written within 35 years of the writer’s death.
5. It is unique in withstanding attack. No other book has been so attacked throughout history as the Bible. In A.D. 300 the Roman emperor Diocletian ordered every Bible burned because he thought that by destroying the Scriptures he could destroy Christianity. Anyone caught with a Bible would be executed. But just 25 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine ordered that 50 perfect copies of the Bible be made at government expense. The French philosopher Voltaire, a skeptic who destroyed the faith of many people, boasted that within 100 years of his death, the Bible would disappear from the face of the earth. Voltaire died in 1728, but the Bible lives on. The irony of history is that 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society moved into his former house and used his printing presses to print thousands of Bibles.
The Bible has also survived criticism. No book has been more attacked for its accuracy. And yet archeologists are proving every year that the Bible’s detailed descriptions of historic events are correct.
Source: The Evidence Bible, Ray Comfort, 2003
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