How do we know that the Bible we read today is what was originally written? Has the text been corrupted? A recent discovery along with significant advances in imaging technology reveal the earliest known fragment of Leviticus (1:3). Here’s a short video explaining how this works. But the bottom line is that this should increase your confidence in the Bible.
(Photo credits WSJ and University of Kentucky)
On Saturday night America lost the greatest defender in a generation of the original meaning of the constitution in Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Those will be huge shoes to fill.
I also will miss his razor sharp whit and creative ability to turn a phrase along with the way he would go after whoever was arguing before the court to defend a point rationally. Every time an opinion was delivered from the Supreme Court, I always wanted to see what Scalia had written because I knew his opinions would be rooted in the text of the constitution (i.e., textualism or originalism) instead of the prevailing cultural winds of our day (sometimes refereed to the “living and breathing document approach”).
That is a lesson that Christians and non-Christian alike need to learn when it comes to the Bible. The approach of Justice Antonin Scalia to the constitution is the same one we need for interpreting the Bible.
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The meaning of a text does not change in every generation. It’s application can (more…)
Can the Bible be trusted anymore? Recently I was interviewed for CBN (along with Josh McDowell and Darrell Bock) on the reliability of the Bible in an age of skepticism. Here is a short segment that aired on the 700 club based on my latest book Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges to the Bible’s Authority. I hope you find it encouraging and helpful!
You can watch the rest of my CBN interview videos on the reliability of the Bible and learn more about recent exciting archaeological discoveries here.
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It is remarkable how often you hear the (false) claim that the Bible is historically unreliable. While it’s true we haven’t found everything the Bible mentions, we have found quite a lot!
In fact, did you know that all the major biblical cities and geographical features have been located? And to date, over 60 biblical figures in the Old Testament have been identified? I go into more details here about this, but there is solid historical and archeological evidence when it comes to the Bible (Check out this cool animated video).
This latest discovery is just another layer of evidence:
“Israeli archaeologists have discovered a mark from the seal of biblical King Hezekiah, who helped build Jerusalem into an ancient metropolis.
The circular inscription, on a piece of clay less than a centimeter (0.4 inches) long, may very well have been made by the king himself, said Eilat Mazar of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University who directed the excavation where it was uncovered.
Hezekiah ruled around 700 BC and was described in the Bible as a daring monarch – “There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him” (II Kings 18:5) – who was dedicated to eliminating idoltary in his kingdom.
“This is the first time that a seal impression of an Israelite or Judean king has ever come to light in a scientific archaeological excavation,” Mazar said.” (Read More)
As Christians we can be confident that is our faith is not blind. It is well placed!
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If you enjoyed this article, check out Is the Old Testament Reliable? (A Short Summary)
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As Christians we sometimes do things that don’t help our cause.
Sure, they are done from good intentions and with a sincere heart. But they actually take our legs out from under us in the long run.
Sometimes this happens with the way Christians talk about truth. Unfortunately we can be too spiritual for our own good. Let me explain what I mean.
There are two versions of how this plays out in our assumptions or conversations:
(1) Only the Bible gives us truth.
(2) Truth derived from the Bible is in a unique category.
Regarding (1) Only the Bible gives us truth. This is clearly false. There is general and special revelation.
To claim that the Bible is wholly true and without error does not entail that only the Bible gives us truth. I can learn truths about the city of Jericho from the book of Joshua and also other ancient historians / archaeologists.
The Bible does not reveal the elements of the periodic table. These are truths I can discover from outside the Bible.
Regarding (2) Only the Bible gives us truth. I like to ask a question which makes this clearer: Which statement is more true?
a.) Water is H20
b.) Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead
It’s not a trick question. Truth is not a “degreed” property. Meaning that you either have it or you don’t. Either a belief or statement corresponds to reality or it doesn’t. Period.
Whether that is in a laboratory or a ancient document, the standard is the same. Does the claim math up with reality? We must push through that little tug in our hearts and minds that wants us to put the Bible in a different category.
Authority is a different question because some sources are more authoritative than others. But truth is a “univocal” term. Whether you are a Christian, a Buddhist, a Hindu or an Atheist…Truth is truth. Why? Because it deals with reality.
As Christians we think that faith is rooted in history (cf 1 Cor. 15). We believe that the evidence best supports the Christian worldview. So we don’t need to put the Bible in a different category.
In fact it increases our credibility when we don’t have special rules when it comes to religion or spirituality. A level playing field is an opportunity for Christianity to really shine.
That’s why we need to define our terms like “faith” very carefully and admit that it’s possible that Christianity could be false (though I think there are very strong reasons to think it is true).
So no, something is not more true because it’s in the Bible. And it’s certainly not “unspiritual” to say this out loud.
If you found this post helpful, you would enjoy How to Respond to the “That’s Just Your Interpretation” Objection
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