Believing an old book? A common objection to the Christian faith is that we base our lives on an ancient book written by men and this book hasn’t changed for thousands of years. I understand this uneasiness but I think it’s unfounded and based on a lack of information. When it comes to something as serious as reality, the meaning of life, and our eternal salvation or damnation we need to think this uneasiness through thoroughly. Something to consider is the fact that no matter what we believe or base our lives on we get it from a book(s). This is not a matter of opinion it’s a fact. For example if you believe “life is pointless”, and “there is no absolute right and wrong” (except that statement of course) then you’re directly or indirectly a disciple of Fredrick Nietzsche who read Sophocles, who read Homer, who read…etc If you believe man invented God, that mankind evolved from dead matter and will eventually return to dead matter then you’ve been reading or taught by someone who read Charles Darwin who read Lyell, who read Hutton, Hume, Locke etc. If you like the idea that “God is watching us from a distance” but is kind enough not to get involved in our “personal lives” then you’re a Deist and have been reading Voltaire who probably read Heraclitus. Now if you don’t care about truth, the point to life or what happens when you die and your interests revolve around having a good time, enjoying the moment, planning your next vacation, getting the bigger house, boat, car, etc then you’ve embraced Hedonism, and have been reading Epicurus who’s idea’s are appealing and popular but have a shelf life of 60-70 years then end in the back of a hearse. So just like a Christian your life is based on a book(s) written by men. The question is not “do you believe in a book” the question is “is the book(s) you base your life and death on true?”. The word “Bible” comes from the Greek word “Biblia” which means “Book”. Christian’s don’t believe in “a book” but in “the Book”. The Bible consists of 66 books written over a period 1500 years by 40 different authors, on 3 different continents, in 3 different languages. The Bible is historically accurate (confirmed by historians/archeologists) it’s geographically accurate, topographically accurate (location of rivers, mountains, sea’s) scientifically accurate, culturally accurate, prophetically accurate, textually accurate (25,000 manuscripts for the Bible compared with 555 manuscripts for ALL ancient history) together with all these facts the Bible contains NO contradictions. Professor M. Montiero-Williams, former Boden professor of Sanskrit, spent 42 years studying Eastern books and, in comparing them with the Bible says “Pile them, if you will, on the left side of your study table; but place your own Holy Bible on the right side – all by itself, all alone- and with a wide gap between them. For…there is a gulf between it and the so called sacred books of the East, which severs the one from the other utterly, hopelessly and forever….a veritable gulf which cannot be bridged over by any science or religious thought.” Christian’s base their lives on “the Book” because compared with all the books that address the questions of reality, the meaning of life, and our eternal salvation or damnation it’s supremely unique; from beginning to end it’s been found to be accurate. But this is not the only reason why we base our lives on the Bible. Christian’s build their lives on the Bible because from Genesis to Revelation it talks about God’s love for us seen in and through Jesus the Christ. The Bible contains the majority of our knowledge about Jesus and guess what…strangely enough…it’s accurate. Non-Christian sources including Rome historian Tacitus and various critical atheistic historians agree that the Bible is accurate when it tells us that Jesus of Nazareth lived, taught, was said to have performed miracles, died on a cross, was buried in a tomb, the tomb was empty and the disciples testified they saw Jesus physically resurrected from the dead sealing this testimony with their blood. This doesn’t prove that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God but it does say something about why Christian’s believe and follow the Bible. If even Christ’s enemies establish that the Biblical data is historically accurate up to and including the empty tomb why would we doubt Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? In light of this historical data, is Christ’s deity, the judgment of mankind, Christ’s offer of eternal life to you and I true? If the rest of the book is true why doubt the good news of life found in Jesus Christ? Here’s the facts, you have based your life on a book(s). Is the book you base your eternal life and death on true? That question will be answered in a matter of 40-50 years or maybe sooner.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 15:40:57 +0000
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