In the nineteenth century, academia was beginning to doubt the historical authenticity and even historicity of the Old Testament tradition. They even doubted that Jesus ever lived! They even doubted that Moses could've known how to write and that he was literate because they didn't believe people were in his day. The Holy Bible is dramatically different from the many (some twenty-six) books in the world claiming to be Scripture and deemed holy, such as The Qur'an or Koran, the Book of Mormon, the Bhagavad Gita, the Brahman Vedas, the Buddhist Canon of Sacred Scripture, et al.
Let's inspect the differentiation and how the Bible is unique:
None of these "bibles" or scriptures have a word of predictive prophecy that isn't self-fulfilling like when Muhammad said he'd return to Mecca and then did. The Bible, on the other hand, has over 2,000 fulfilled predictive prophecies, which are not a just random chance, but in great detail--shouldn't we trust it with the future, since it has proved worthy of our faith? To be specific, 456 details of Christ were fulfilled in his life, which would be an astronomical chance event, if one didn't believe in a God who used Providence and orchestrates all history at will.
The Bible's authenticity and veracity are backed up and verified by archaeology, with over 25,000 digs which confirm the Bible's records, and there are no contradictions that would be evidence against the accuracy of the writers and their integrity.
One need only peruse the Scriptures to notice they are dramatically different from all other books--over 3,000 times they claim to be a declaration from God and repeatedly claim to be the Word of God--no other book does this. Jesus spoke, not as the teachers of the Law, but with authority, and didn't footnote his pronouncements: His formula was not, "So and so say," but "Amen, amen, I say unto you." No man ever spoke like this man! You can take the miracles out of other scriptures and the religion remains intact, but not so with Christianity! He spoke as one having authority and if He had never performed miracles he would've only been a footnote in history and His movement wouldn't have amounted to anything, but His followers would have disbanded and become demoralized after His death--but He rose from the dead and changed history (this is either the most fantastic event in history or the biggest and cruelest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind).
Some say that the Word of God is inspired because it inspires them: Shakespeare, Bach, and Michelangelo were also inspired, but in a different sense--their works don't change lives and transform sinners! Some skeptics say they don't believe the Bible, but I don't believe you have to accept the Bible to be saved, but God will convict you afterward.
If they insist it's untrue and full of lies and modern man doesn't accept it anymore because it's pre-scientific, ask them what's the main message--chances are they don't even know what it's the main point is nor understand it (salvation in Jesus from our fallen nature) The Bible is one of those books that people are against but have never read it themselves. What you ought to tell them if they ask you to prove the Bible is that they can prove it themselves by just reading it--you don't defend a caged lion; it can defend itself!
Christianity is a religion of salvation and deals with the sin issue and problem--no other faith does; they may deal with enlightenment, or self-control, or legalistic rules, but not victory over sin, like Matt. 1:21 (NIV) says, "[Y]ou] are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." We need forgiveness from what we've done, and deliverance from what we are! This makes the Bible radically different, in that it deals with the issue that man is inherently evil and full of sin and needs salvation, not enlightenment or to just get religion to reform himself. Religion can change your life, but Christ transforms it and renews it!
What really makes the Bible stand out as unique is that it is a historical document, unlike those of all other religions (Buddhism is basically just philosophy because Buddha was agnostic and said that if there was a God, He couldn't help you find enlightenment--you must find it on your own as you are an island to yourself).
No historical fact in the Bible has ever been disproved or demonstrated as unreliable--but it seems like if a secular historian says something he is automatically assumed to be right and the Bible erroneous; the Bible has always ended up vindicated! History cannot be proved scientifically, but relies on the veracity of the witnesses and records, because history is nonrepeatable it takes faith to believe it. You cannot prove that Julius Caesar ever lived unless you accept historical evidence.
There are no scientific absurdities in Scripture, and where it does say something pertaining to science it is correct, such as describing the water cycle. But the Bible is not a scientific document but meant to show the way of salvation as Galileo said when put under house arrest for disagreeing with church dogma of his time. According to Paul Little, The French Academy of Science produced a brochure that cited fifty-one scientific facts that controverted Scripture in 1861; today none of these so-called facts are believed anymore! The Bible never changes but science is like a moving train--who knows what they'll believe in a thousand years?
Another fact that makes the Bible so unique is that there is so little "copyist error" found among some 5,000 Greek manuscripts that show that God has protected and preserved His Word from corruption and we have it largely unchanged from the original manuscript and has great integrity. The utmost fidelity of manuscripts examined has proved the texts reliable.
The main historical fact of the Bible, the Gibraltar that everything rests on, is the resurrection of Christ; this is arguably the most attested fact in antiquity, though, and has much circumstantial and historical evidence; Luke says it is given "many infallible proofs." The Bible has withstood attacks and attempts at abolishing it out many times throughout history, yet is survives by God's intervention. The books were written by eyewitnesses and are not fables, or cleverly made stories. They are not the creation of deluded madmen, nor consummate liars neither; these are not the rantings and ravings of madmen. All the apostles, except St. John the Elder, died as martyrs--one usually tells the truth in that type of situation, and these men were in a position to know the truth, they just didn't believe it and become fanatics (not knowing it as fact by personal encounter).
One fact that cannot be contravened is that the New Testament was written within a few decades (c. AD 50-90) of the events in question--all writing within the lifetime of living witnesses, by eyewitnesses. The Buddhist writings were not compiled till two centuries after Buddha lived. The Bible claims to be history, written by witnesses and it's veracity would be confirmed in a court of law looking at the evidence with an impartial jury examining the evidence.
The Bible is relevant to everyone in every culture and every age and language throughout history--it's never obsolete, outdated, nor passe. Truth is truly timeless! It doesn't need to be updated but speaks to everyone with a needy heart, an open mind, and a willing spirit. It doesn't need to be rewritten, just reread, as Billy Graham says. It has been translated into over 1800 languages and sells over 150,000,000 each year as the number-one bestseller of all time. It is the Highest Law of God and has been called the blueprint of the Master Architect. It has the solution to every ailment and problem or issue we face.
Rick Warren in, God's Power to Change Your Life, tells a story of an anthropologist in the South Seas who approached a cannibal reading his Bible: "What are you doing," he asked. "The native replied, "I'm reading the Bible." The anthropologist scoffed and said, "Don't you know that modern, civilized man has rejected that book? It's nothing but a pack of lies. You shouldn't waste your time reading it:" The cannibal slowly replied, "Sir, if it weren't for this book, you' d be in the pot!"
In the best-selling book, Through the Valley of the Kwai, by Ernest Gordon, chaplain at Princeton, American POW's in the Malay peninsula during WWII, discovered that their Bible reading dramatically changed their lives simply by reading it--they had resorted previously to becoming mere savages, and they decided to read the New Testament together, and became a loving fellowship.
The best proof of the inspiration of Scripture is its many testimonials of how it changes lives and sets people free form their sin and even civilizes pagans--Western culture has forgotten the paganism that the church saved them from. You don't make an AA pledge, nor reform yourself, nor turn over a new leaf, nor even make a New Year's resolution--you get exposed to the transforming power of God in the Word to change lives from the inside out.
Religions are all the same--your performance and good works ingratiating you. They all are based on lifting yourself up by your own bootstraps and are all a do-it-yourself proposition. You can be inspired to change your life yourself from other scriptures, but the Bible changes you by its own power to transform as the inspired Word of God. Soli Deo Gloria!
Let's inspect the differentiation and how the Bible is unique:
None of these "bibles" or scriptures have a word of predictive prophecy that isn't self-fulfilling like when Muhammad said he'd return to Mecca and then did. The Bible, on the other hand, has over 2,000 fulfilled predictive prophecies, which are not a just random chance, but in great detail--shouldn't we trust it with the future, since it has proved worthy of our faith? To be specific, 456 details of Christ were fulfilled in his life, which would be an astronomical chance event, if one didn't believe in a God who used Providence and orchestrates all history at will.
The Bible's authenticity and veracity are backed up and verified by archaeology, with over 25,000 digs which confirm the Bible's records, and there are no contradictions that would be evidence against the accuracy of the writers and their integrity.
One need only peruse the Scriptures to notice they are dramatically different from all other books--over 3,000 times they claim to be a declaration from God and repeatedly claim to be the Word of God--no other book does this. Jesus spoke, not as the teachers of the Law, but with authority, and didn't footnote his pronouncements: His formula was not, "So and so say," but "Amen, amen, I say unto you." No man ever spoke like this man! You can take the miracles out of other scriptures and the religion remains intact, but not so with Christianity! He spoke as one having authority and if He had never performed miracles he would've only been a footnote in history and His movement wouldn't have amounted to anything, but His followers would have disbanded and become demoralized after His death--but He rose from the dead and changed history (this is either the most fantastic event in history or the biggest and cruelest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind).
Some say that the Word of God is inspired because it inspires them: Shakespeare, Bach, and Michelangelo were also inspired, but in a different sense--their works don't change lives and transform sinners! Some skeptics say they don't believe the Bible, but I don't believe you have to accept the Bible to be saved, but God will convict you afterward.
If they insist it's untrue and full of lies and modern man doesn't accept it anymore because it's pre-scientific, ask them what's the main message--chances are they don't even know what it's the main point is nor understand it (salvation in Jesus from our fallen nature) The Bible is one of those books that people are against but have never read it themselves. What you ought to tell them if they ask you to prove the Bible is that they can prove it themselves by just reading it--you don't defend a caged lion; it can defend itself!
Christianity is a religion of salvation and deals with the sin issue and problem--no other faith does; they may deal with enlightenment, or self-control, or legalistic rules, but not victory over sin, like Matt. 1:21 (NIV) says, "[Y]ou] are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." We need forgiveness from what we've done, and deliverance from what we are! This makes the Bible radically different, in that it deals with the issue that man is inherently evil and full of sin and needs salvation, not enlightenment or to just get religion to reform himself. Religion can change your life, but Christ transforms it and renews it!
What really makes the Bible stand out as unique is that it is a historical document, unlike those of all other religions (Buddhism is basically just philosophy because Buddha was agnostic and said that if there was a God, He couldn't help you find enlightenment--you must find it on your own as you are an island to yourself).
No historical fact in the Bible has ever been disproved or demonstrated as unreliable--but it seems like if a secular historian says something he is automatically assumed to be right and the Bible erroneous; the Bible has always ended up vindicated! History cannot be proved scientifically, but relies on the veracity of the witnesses and records, because history is nonrepeatable it takes faith to believe it. You cannot prove that Julius Caesar ever lived unless you accept historical evidence.
There are no scientific absurdities in Scripture, and where it does say something pertaining to science it is correct, such as describing the water cycle. But the Bible is not a scientific document but meant to show the way of salvation as Galileo said when put under house arrest for disagreeing with church dogma of his time. According to Paul Little, The French Academy of Science produced a brochure that cited fifty-one scientific facts that controverted Scripture in 1861; today none of these so-called facts are believed anymore! The Bible never changes but science is like a moving train--who knows what they'll believe in a thousand years?
Another fact that makes the Bible so unique is that there is so little "copyist error" found among some 5,000 Greek manuscripts that show that God has protected and preserved His Word from corruption and we have it largely unchanged from the original manuscript and has great integrity. The utmost fidelity of manuscripts examined has proved the texts reliable.
The main historical fact of the Bible, the Gibraltar that everything rests on, is the resurrection of Christ; this is arguably the most attested fact in antiquity, though, and has much circumstantial and historical evidence; Luke says it is given "many infallible proofs." The Bible has withstood attacks and attempts at abolishing it out many times throughout history, yet is survives by God's intervention. The books were written by eyewitnesses and are not fables, or cleverly made stories. They are not the creation of deluded madmen, nor consummate liars neither; these are not the rantings and ravings of madmen. All the apostles, except St. John the Elder, died as martyrs--one usually tells the truth in that type of situation, and these men were in a position to know the truth, they just didn't believe it and become fanatics (not knowing it as fact by personal encounter).
One fact that cannot be contravened is that the New Testament was written within a few decades (c. AD 50-90) of the events in question--all writing within the lifetime of living witnesses, by eyewitnesses. The Buddhist writings were not compiled till two centuries after Buddha lived. The Bible claims to be history, written by witnesses and it's veracity would be confirmed in a court of law looking at the evidence with an impartial jury examining the evidence.
The Bible is relevant to everyone in every culture and every age and language throughout history--it's never obsolete, outdated, nor passe. Truth is truly timeless! It doesn't need to be updated but speaks to everyone with a needy heart, an open mind, and a willing spirit. It doesn't need to be rewritten, just reread, as Billy Graham says. It has been translated into over 1800 languages and sells over 150,000,000 each year as the number-one bestseller of all time. It is the Highest Law of God and has been called the blueprint of the Master Architect. It has the solution to every ailment and problem or issue we face.
Rick Warren in, God's Power to Change Your Life, tells a story of an anthropologist in the South Seas who approached a cannibal reading his Bible: "What are you doing," he asked. "The native replied, "I'm reading the Bible." The anthropologist scoffed and said, "Don't you know that modern, civilized man has rejected that book? It's nothing but a pack of lies. You shouldn't waste your time reading it:" The cannibal slowly replied, "Sir, if it weren't for this book, you' d be in the pot!"
In the best-selling book, Through the Valley of the Kwai, by Ernest Gordon, chaplain at Princeton, American POW's in the Malay peninsula during WWII, discovered that their Bible reading dramatically changed their lives simply by reading it--they had resorted previously to becoming mere savages, and they decided to read the New Testament together, and became a loving fellowship.
The best proof of the inspiration of Scripture is its many testimonials of how it changes lives and sets people free form their sin and even civilizes pagans--Western culture has forgotten the paganism that the church saved them from. You don't make an AA pledge, nor reform yourself, nor turn over a new leaf, nor even make a New Year's resolution--you get exposed to the transforming power of God in the Word to change lives from the inside out.
Religions are all the same--your performance and good works ingratiating you. They all are based on lifting yourself up by your own bootstraps and are all a do-it-yourself proposition. You can be inspired to change your life yourself from other scriptures, but the Bible changes you by its own power to transform as the inspired Word of God. Soli Deo Gloria!
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