Christian Philosophy: Everyone Has a Philosophy. It's The Lens Through Which They View The World and Make Decisions. (7 page)

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The nearer in time to the original writing a copy is made, the more likely, in a purely natural sense, the work is to be correct. Also, the greater number of copies in existence, the easier it is to compare for accuracy. (It should be noted that, in addition to the Greek copies of the New Testament, there are thousands more copies of New Testament books which were produced in other languages during the same time frame. In fact, researchers have discovered more than 9,000 copies of New Testament manuscripts in other languages—bringing the total number of manuscripts to well over 14,000.) The abundance of ancient manuscripts and the nearness of their composition to the actual events, makes the New Testament the most verifiable document of antiquity.

Not only do we have copies of the scriptures themselves, but leaders in the early Christian church (often called the Church Fathers) wrote prolifically between 90 and 160 A.D. Their familiarity with the New Testament scriptures we still read today is proven by the fact that
all but 11 verses from the New Testament are quoted in their writings
!
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Non-Christians have also given evidence of Jesus as a historical figure in their writings. In 93 A.D., the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote, “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”
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Josephus also wrote about the persecution and death of James. He said that the Sanhedrin “…brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned.”
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The Roman historian Tacitus described how the emperor Nero set fire to Rome, and in an effort to deflect the wrath of its citizens, he blamed the fire on the Christians. Tacitus said:

“Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.”
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Without taking into account the evidence contained in the New Testament, we can still show from non-Christian writers that Jesus was a historical figure who lived in Palestine in the early years of the first century, that He gathered followers, and that He was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
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In fact, within 150 years of Jesus’ life, ten non-Christian writers mentioned Jesus. Over that same time span, only nine mention the Roman emperor who ruled during Jesus’ life—Tiberius Caesar. Not even considering Christian authors, Jesus is more documented than the Roman emperor!
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It is undeniable that Jesus was a man who lived and walked the earth precisely when Scripture says He did.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls between 1946 and 1957 in several caves on the shores of the Dead Sea has given us further evidence of the accuracy of the Scriptures that have been handed down to us. Among the Dead Sea Scrolls was an intact copy of the entire book of Isaiah (known as the Great Isaiah Scroll). It is dated at 100 B.C. and is 1000 years older than the copies that were used to compose the book of Isaiah we read in our Bibles today. After 1,000 years of being copied and recopied by hand, the number of differences between the Great Isaiah Scroll and our book of Isaiah is miniscule, with the variations consisting mostly of spelling mistakes and simple copying errors.
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The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls also proves that the Messianic prophecies we read in Isaiah were definitely written prior to the birth of Jesus, which reinforces the case that Scripture makes for Jesus as the Messiah.

The bottom line is that the Bible has been handed down through the ages with such accuracy that it can’t be just a human book. The different copies we have of ancient secular writings have significant differences in them because they were simply copied by men—they weren’t inspired and preserved by God. The Bible, on the other hand, has been supernaturally preserved by God and all of the evidence we have supports that it was written by the inspiration of God. The last words of David, king of Israel and author of the Messianic prophecies in Psalm 22, reveal how the Holy Spirit inspired the men who wrote Scripture:

The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

2 Samuel 23:2

“We still can’t trust the Bible,” some will argue, “because it’s only a translation, and translations aren’t inspired.” Well, Jesus didn’t share that opinion. Jesus quoted from the Septuagint, which was a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, and He equated Scripture with words proceeding from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Jesus’ use of Scripture throughout the Gospels also shows that He believed it was the final authority; particularly when the devil was challenging God’s commands.

Additionally, the apostle Paul hinged the thrust of his letter to the Galatians on the fact that God made His promise to the seed (singular) of Abraham, instead of to his seed
s
(plural) (Galatians 3:16). Paul made an argument for Jesus as the promised seed of Abraham based on the singular form of one word from a translation of the original Old Testament scripture—which shows that God is well able to preserve the truth in His Word for us, even through translations.

I spend nearly all of my time studying the Word. Scripture says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). We’re not told to hide historical information about New Testament manuscripts in our hearts. Nevertheless, scholarship and historical inquiry
do
support the claims of Christianity; ancient manuscript discoveries show that the Scriptures we read today are the same as the original inspired writings, and further research shows that the New Testament is completely unique among the books of antiquity. No other book in history is as verifiable as the Bible—which is exactly what you would expect from a book given to us by God.

But even if there was no evidence outside the Bible that the Word of God is inspired, I would still be fully convinced. I don’t have enough space to tell you every way that the Word of God has been proven true in my life. It has shown me how to deal with sickness, problems, and rejection. The Word showed me how to find a wife, and how to stay married after I found her! I couldn’t tell you how many times I have applied the truths from God’s Word in my life and watched God’s promises come to pass. I have verified for myself beyond all doubt that Scripture is the inspired Word of God, and it is accurate in all of its detail.

People sometimes don’t understand how the Bible can say things in different books that seem to be in opposition to one another. Atheists love to pick out scriptures meant to balance one another and pretend that the statements are mutually exclusive, and therefore—they say—the Bible is flawed and can’t be from God. But that isn’t true. Certain passages in the Bible might appear to be contradictions, but opposite statements are sometimes intentional. The Bible is its own commentary, and separate—apparently opposing—scriptures can hold a single truth in balance by presenting it in different ways.

For example, one scripture says “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Another says, “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20). Both statements are true, and each is a commentary on the other; they describe the balance of grace and faith.

Every Christian needs to come to the conclusion that the Word of God is accurate and inspired. The Word has to be the foundation of your worldview, or Satan is going to steal from you. The devil is roaming about looking to devour people who doubt God’s Word—just as he was able to spoil Eve because she wasn’t absolutely convinced that God’s command was true. The Word of God is 100% trustworthy. Personally, I doubt my little peanut brain before I question the accuracy of the Word. I haven’t figured everything out, but I know the problem isn’t with the Word—it’s with my inability to interpret and comprehend the depths of God.

Accepting God’s Word as being absolute truth and authority goes against cultural norms today. In most Western nations, the majority of people who say they believe the Bible is God’s Word do not seem to believe that it is accurate and trustworthy enough to base their lives upon it. The majority of believers are getting their philosophy elsewhere, and that’s why their worldview doesn’t line up with God’s perspective.

You will not prosper in the Lord unless you accept the Bible as God’s Word. You may have periods in your life where it looks like you are doing fine, but deviating from the Word of God leads to wrong ways of thinking and, eventually, those wrong thought patterns are going to cause you trouble. Eve was fine for a while too—until she began to question God’s Word, and then Satan gained a foothold into her life and plunged the entire human race into the destruction we see today.

The best thing you can do for yourself and for your relationship with God is trust that His Word is inspired and accurate in all of its detail. If the Word of God says something is okay, then it’s okay. And when His Word says something is wrong, then it’s wrong. Basing your worldview on the Bible will lead you to respond to life in a positive way and put you on the path to prosperity. It will also prevent the devil from gaining access to you through wrong philosophies, the traditions of men, or the wisdom and principles of this world. The Word of God is the only sure foundation to build your philosophy on, and it is your ticket to the blessed life.

How Do We Know the Bible Is Inspired?

I
nstead of looking to God for guidance, many Christians today are turning to science or the principles of this world to answer their questions—but that is exactly what the apostle Paul warned not to do (Colossians 2:8). The Word of God is a far more reliable place to look for answers, and a much more sure foundation for our worldview. Jesus didn’t go around citing the traditions of the Pharisees or the laws of the scribes; He quoted the Word of God as the final authority.

Science itself is not bad; it is merely the observation and interpretation of data. The problem lies in the interpretation, which is sometimes based on the assumption that God doesn’t exist—an obvious problem for Christians. Unfortunately, many people today have chosen to put their faith in science, which really means they are putting their faith in the interpretations and opinions of men rather than God. However, despite efforts by atheists to disprove the existence of God, not a single scrap of scientific evidence has ever been produced that invalidates Scripture.

The word “science” is used by many to imply “incontrovertible laws,” but nothing could be further from the truth. Throughout history, what was promoted as being unassailably true by science one day has often been disproven the next. Scientific theories are in a constant state of revision. The principles of this world are here today and gone tomorrow, but the Bible has stood the test of time. The Word of God remains unchanged. Jesus said,

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Matthew 24:35

The Bible is not a science textbook, nor does it attempt to answer questions of mathematics and natural science, but the Bible has always proven accurate in all of its prophecies and details. This is remarkable when you consider that Scripture was written during a time when the world was steeped in superstition and ignorance. This once again underscores the fact that the Bible was written by God, through men.

For instance, the Bible teaches that the universe had a beginning (Genesis 1:1), when the common ancient view was that the universe was eternal. Isaiah wrote that the earth was round in 800 BC (Isaiah 40:22), but Western society didn’t embrace that truth for another two thousand years. The Word teaches that no new matter is being created in the universe (Genesis 2:2), and the first law of thermodynamics states the same thing. The second law of thermodynamics claims that the amount of energy in the universe is decreasing, which is what the Psalmist declared: