Is the Bible Really Reliable?

FOUR ATTACKS ON THE BIBLE AND HOW TO ANSWER EACH:

• The Bible is filled with fable and myth.

• The New Testament was created long after Jesus’ life (by Constantine, etc.).

• The Bible endorses slavery, violence, genocide, and injustice.

• The Bible has been changed over many years.

1. The Bible is just fable and myth.

Answer: This claim is based on and a misunderstanding of what defines .

2. The New Testament was created long after Jesus’ life.

Answer: By the 4th century there were to hijack the faith.

Furthermore, the apostle’s insistence on    insured that authentic Christianity survived.

“If we accept 60 million as the total population at (300 A.D.) —which is the most widely accepted estimate —this would mean that there were 6 million Christians at the start of the fourth century.” – Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity

“Emperor Constantine had nothing to do with the formation of the canon of scripture: he did not choose which books to include or exclude, and he did not order the destruction of the Gospels that were left out of the canon.”      – New Testament Scholar Dr. Bart Ehrman

The Rule of Faith and the Gospels

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them…” – Matthew 28:19, 20

“If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15

The Rule of Faith and the Apostle Paul

• “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 11:1

• “Even if an angel should share a different gospel…” – Galatians 1:8

• “The things you have heard me say entrust to reliable witnesses…”

– 2 Timothy 2:2

3. The Bible endorses slavery, violence, genocide, and injustice.

Answer: The Bible is written 

To understand these challenging Old Testament passages accurately we need

• Not everything that the O.T. describes is what God prescribes.

• Often the language of war in the O.T. is hyperbolic.

• Beware anthropomorphizing the motives of God.

4. The Bible has been changed over many years.

Answer: More than any of the other ancient manuscripts the Bible has that demonstrate great continuity and   

“The overwhelming majority of variants are mistakes in spelling, differences in word order or the use of synonyms that have absolutely no effect on the meaning of the passage.” – Dr. Matthew Harmon

Additionally, can be reconstructed from the writings of the early church fathers.

“…the New Testament (is) the most reliably copied and handed down

document in the history of the world. With a high degree of confidence, we

can reconstruct the very words of the authors over 99% of the time…” – Dr. Matthew Harmon

Bibliography

● Mark Clark. The Problem of God. Zondervan. 2017.

● Dr. Matthew Harmon. The Bible Handout – Theology. 2022.

● Timothy Keller. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.

Penguin Books. 2009.

● Kenneth Kitchen. On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Eerdmans. 2006.