1b-is the bible the word of god(b)€¦ · • can we know god’s will through nature? – we can...

Is The Bible The Word Of God?

By David Dann

• One of the most important questions ever asked–is the Bible God’s word?

• Everyone must come to a decision about the origin of the Bible.

• The Bible claims to be the word of God.

“All Scripture is given by

inspiration of God , and is

profitable for doctrine, for reproof,

for correction, for instruction in

righteousness, that the man of

God may be complete, thoroughly

equipped for every good work”

(2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Since God Exists:

• We must decide whether or not He has revealed His will to mankind.

Since God Exists:

Reveal– to uncover, to make known

Since God Exists:

• We have two choices:

Since God Exists:

1. God has not revealed His will to man.

Since God Exists:

2. God has revealed His will to man.

Since God Exists:

2. God has revealed His will to man.

Which choice makes more sense?

The Need For A Revelation

• Man is limited.

– In knowledge.

• Man is limited.

– In knowledge.

– In time.

• Man is limited.

– In knowledge.

– In time.

“…you do not know what will

happen tomorrow. For what is your

life? It is even a vapor that

appears for a little time and then

vanishes away”

(James 4:14).

• Man is limited.

– In knowledge.

– In time.

• Man is limited.

– In knowledge.

– In time.

• God is unlimited.

• Man is limited.

– In knowledge.

– In time.

– All knowing (Hebrews 4:13).

• Man is limited.

– In knowledge.

– In time.

– All powerful (Mark 10:27).

• Man is limited.

– In knowledge.

– In time.

– Eternal (Psa. 90:2).

• Man is limited.

– In knowledge.

– In time.

“Before the mountains were

brought forth, or ever You had

formed the earth and the world,

even from everlasting to

everlasting, You are God”

(Psalm 90:2).

• Man is limited.

– In knowledge.

– In time.

• Man is limited.

– In knowledge.

– In time.

The only way man can know God’s will is if God reveals His will to man!

Possibility & Probability Of Revelation

• There is a God who created the world and man (Genesis 1:1, 26).

• Would it be possible for an all-powerful Creator to reveal His will to His creation?

• Would it be probable that God would reveal His will to His creation?

• Would it be probable that God would reveal His will to His creation?– Would a father want to communicate with his

children?

– Would God want to correct man when man errs?

children?

– Would God want to correct man when man errs?

– Would God want to direct man to worship Him properly?

• It is both possible and probable that God would reveal His will to His creation!

How Has God Revealed His Will?

• Can we know God’s will through nature?

– We can know God exists through nature.

“The heavens declare the glory of

God; and the firmament shows His

handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

– We can see God’s power in nature.

“For since the creation of the world

His invisible attributes are clearly

seen, being understood by the

things that are made, even His

eternal power and Godhead, so

that they are without excuse”

(Romans 1:20).

– But man cannot learn how to worship and

serve God through observing nature alone

(Romans 1:21-23).

• Can we know God’s will through human intuition?

– Intuition is perception without reasoning, or

understanding that comes through feelings.

– Is every person’s intuition correct?

– Were the feelings of Hitler, Stalin, Charles

Manson, Jim Jones, etc. all correct?

– Obviously, man cannot learn God’s will

through intuition.

“O LORD, I know the way of man

is not in himself; it is not in man

who walks to direct his own steps”

(Jeremiah 10:23).

through intuition.

“There is a way which seems right

to a man, but its end is the way of

death” (Proverbs 14:12).

through intuition.

• Can we know God’s will through humanwisdom?

– Where has the wisdom of men taken us?

� Evolution.

� Humanism.

� Evolution.

� Humanism.

� Greed.

� Evolution.

� Humanism.

� Greed.

� Violence.

� Evolution.

� Humanism.

� Greed.

� Violence.

� Corruption.

� Evolution.

� Humanism.

� Greed.

� Violence.

� Corruption.

“For since, in the wisdom of God,

the world through wisdom did not

know God, it pleased God through

the foolishness of the message

preached to save those who

believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21).

� Evolution.

� Humanism.

� Greed.

� Violence.

� Corruption.

� Evolution.

� Humanism.

� Greed.

� Violence.

� Corruption.

“For the wisdom of this world is

foolishness with God. For it is

written, ‘He catches the wise in

their own craftiness’”

(1 Corinthians 3:19).

� Evolution.

� Humanism.

� Greed.

� Violence.

� Corruption.

• Can we know God’s will through words?

– This is the only possible way that man can

learn the will of God.

– God would have to communicate His

thoughts to man in words in order for man to

know the will of God.

“Even so no one knows the things of God

except the Spirit of God. Now we have

received, not the spirit of the world, but the

Spirit who is from God, that we might know

the things that have been freely given to us

by God. These things we also speak, not in

words which man’s wisdom teaches but

which the Holy Spirit teaches…”

(1 Corinthians 2:11-13).

• Can we know God’s will through human wisdom?

The only way man can know God’s will is if God reveals His will to man in words!

Can We Understand God’s

Revelation?

• If the Bible is God’s word, can we understand what it says?

Revelation?

• Many religious leaders claim that man cannot understand the Bible.

Revelation?

“We must therefore conclude that the Scriptures

alone cannot be a sufficient guide and rule of

faith because they cannot, at any time, be within

the reach of every inquirer, because they are

not of themselves intelligible even in matters of

highest importance, and because they do not

contain all the truths necessary for salvation”

(Roman Catholic Cardinal Gibbons, Faith of Our

Fathers, 94th Ed.; pp. 89-90).

Revelation?

• Why would God reveal His will to man in a way that man cannot understand?

Revelation?

• The Bible claims that the common person can understand it!

Revelation?

“Then Jesus said to those Jews

who believed Him, ‘If you abide in

My word, you are My disciples

indeed. And you shall know the

truth, and the truth shall make you

free’” (John 8:31-32).

Revelation?

“…by revelation He made known

to me the mystery (as I wrote

before in a few words, by which,

when you read, you may

understand my knowledge in

the mystery of Christ)”

(Ephesians 3:3-4).

Revelation?

“Therefore do not be unwise, but

understand what the will of the

Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17).

Revelation?

The Bible Claims To Be From God

• The Bible always claims to be a product of the mind of God.

– The phrase, “Thus says the LORD” is found over 400 times in the Bible.

“…knowing this first, that no

prophecy of Scripture is of any

private interpretation, for prophecy

never came by the will of man, but

holy men of God spoke as they

were moved by the Holy Spirit”

(2 Peter 1:20-21).

• Is this claim true??????

Evidence That The Bible Is From God

1. The Unity of the Bible.

– Is it likely that the Bible would present a consistent message?

A Consistent Message

1. Written over a 1,500 year span.

2. Written by over 40 different authors.

3. Written by men of diverse background (i.e. fishermen,

statesmen, kings, herdsmen, etc.).

4. Written in a wide variety of locations (i.e. prison,

wilderness, palace, etc.).

5. Written under various conditions (i.e. times of war,

times of peace).

6. Written on three continents: Asia, Africa, Europe.

times of peace).

7. Written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek.

times of peace).

7. Written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek.

8. Contains subject matter dealing with hundreds of the

most controversial issues.

– In spite of all of this diversity, the Bible still presents a consistent, unified message throughout and never contradicts itself.

2. The Fulfilled Prophecies of the Bible.

– The prophets who wrote the Bible were spokesmen for God.

– They often foretold future events hundreds of years beforehand.

Prophecy of the Fall of Babylon

Read Isaiah 13:19-22.

Read Isaiah 13:19-22.“And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of

the Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God overthrew

Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited, Nor

will it be settled from generation to generation; Nor

will the Arabian pitch tents there, Nor will the

shepherds make their sheepfolds there. But wild

beasts of the desert will lie there, And their houses

will be full of owls; Ostriches will dwell there, And wild

goats will caper there. The hyenas will howl in their

citadels, And jackals in their pleasant palaces. Her

time is near to come, And her days will not be

prolonged” (Isaiah 13:19-22).

• The prophecy was given about 725 B.C.

• Babylon became a dominant world empire about 626 B.C.

• Cyrus, the Medo-Persian king, conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. (see Isaiah 45:1-2).

“Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To

Cyrus, whose right hand I have held -- To

subdue nations before him And loose the

armor of kings, To open before him the

double doors, So that the gates will not be

shut: ‘I will go before you And make the

crooked places straight; I will break in

pieces the gates of bronze And cut the

bars of iron’” (Isaiah 45:1-2).

• The city of Babylon disappeared completely after 10 B.C.

What is Babylon like today?

“It is one of the most desolate

places that I have ever visited”

(Werner Keller, The Bible As

History, p. 299).

“A dead city…Not a column or an

arch still stands to demonstrate the

permanency of human work.

Everything has crumbled into dust”

(Dr. Edward Chiera, letter written

while excavating Babylon in 1927).

Prophecy Against Three Cities

Read Matthew 11:20-24.

Read Matthew 11:20-24.“Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His

mighty works had been done, because they did not

repent: ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!

For if the mighty works which were done in you had been

done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long

ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be

more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment

than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to

heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty

works which were done in you had been done in Sodom,

it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that

it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day

of judgment than for you’” (Matthew 11:20-24).

• The prophecy was spoken by Jesus about 30 A.D.

• The prophecy was recorded about 50 A.D.

• There were at least four cities surrounding the Sea of Galilee: Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Tiberias.

• Only Tiberias still exists as a thriving city.

• The other three cities were destroyed by an earthquake about 400 A.D.

How Could Jesus Fulfill These Prophecies????

Examples O.T. Prophecy Fulfilled

1. Born of virgin Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:22

2. Family of David Jeremiah 23:5 Matthew 1:1-2

3. Place of birth Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:5-6

4. Galilean Ministry Isaiah 9:1-2 Matthew 4:14-16

5. Purging the Temple Psalm 69:9 John 2:17

6. Triumphal Entry Zechariah 9:9 Matthew 21:4-5

7. Betrayed by friend Psalm 41:9 John 13:18

8. Price of betrayal Zechariah 11:12-13 Matthew 27:9-10

9. Deserted by disciples Zechariah 13:7 Matthew 26:56

10. Silent in trial Isaiah 53:7 Matthew 27:12-14

11. Mocked Psalm 22:7 Matthew 27:39-40

12. Vinegar & Gall Psalm 69:21 John 19:29-30

13. Words on cross Psalm 22:1 Matthew 27:46

14. Crucified w/Thieves Isaiah 53:12 Matthew 27:58

15. Nailed/Pierced Psalm 22:16 John 19:34-37

16. No bones broken Psalm 34:20 John 19:33-36

17. Cast lots for clothes Psalm 22:18 John 19:23-24

18. Grave w/rich Isaiah 53:9 Matthew 27:57-60

– The prophecies of the Bible never fail!

– Would it be possible for men to accomplish this without being guided by God?

3. Archaeology supports the Bible.

– Archaeology is the study of the people, life, and customs of ancient times.

– Archaeological discoveries always support the Bible.

� The existence of the Hittites (Winckler, 1906).

� The existence of King David (Biran, 1993).

“House of David” Inscription

� King Belshazzar of Babylon (Rawlinson, 1876).

Nabonidus Cylinder

– What do the experts say?

“There can be no doubt that

archaeology has confirmed

the substantial historicity of

the Old Testament tradition ”

(William F. Albright, 1953).

“It may be stated categorically

that no archaeological discovery

has ever controverted a Biblical

reference. Scores of

archaeological findings have

been made which conform in

clear outline or exact detail

historical statements in the

Bible” (Nelson Glueck, 1959).

“Over thirty names (emperors, high priests, Roman

governors, princes, etc.) are mentioned in the New

Testament, and all but a handful have been verified. In every

way the Bible accounts have been found accurate (though

vigorously challenged). In no single case does the Bible let us

down in geographical accuracy. Without one mistake, the

Bible lists around forty-five countries. Each is accurately

placed and named. About the same number of cities are

named and no one mistake can be listed. Further, about

thirty-six towns are mentioned, and most have been

identified. Wherever accuracy can be checked, minute detail

has been found correct—every time! (Jerry Moffitt, 1993).

– How can the Bible be so accurate?

4. Scientific accuracy of the Bible.

– The bible is over 1900 years old.

– Yet it doesn’t contain any geographical, historical, or scientific errors commonly found in other books.

– Science textbooks that are 50 or 100 years old are considered outdated and full of error.

– The Bible is ancient, yet it is correct whenever it deals with scientific subject matter.

4. Scientific accuracy of the Bible.� The earth is round (Isaiah 40:22).

� The earth is suspended in space (Job 26:7).

� There are channels and paths in the seas (Psalm 8).

� The life of the flesh is in its blood (Leviticus 17:10-16).

� The stars cannot be numbered (Jeremiah 33:22).

� The process of rain, evaporation, and condensation (Job 36:27-28).

– How did the writers of the Bible know this?

5. The Moral Standard of the Bible.

– Morals are principles of right or wrong conduct.

– The writers of the New Testament were surrounded by the immorality, corruption, and pagan religion of the Roman Empire.

– Yet the New Testament standard of morality is the highest standard man has ever seen.

– Compare the Bible’s standard of morality with the standards created by men.

“But what about spoken falsehood?

Is it not sometimes and on some

occasions useful, and not then

detestable? We can use it, for

example, as a kind of preventive

medicine against our enemies…”

(Plato, The Republic, p. 79).

“Therefore, putting away lying, each

one speak truth with his neighbor”

(Ephesians 4:25).

“These officers will take the children

of the better Guardians to a nursery

and put them in charge of nurses

living in a separate part of the city:

the children of the inferior

Guardians, and any defective

offspring of the others, will be

quietly and secretly disposed of”

(Plato, The Republic, p.182).

“And just as you want men to do to

you, you also do to them likewise”

(Luke 6:31).

“Men of understanding! In retaliation

you have a safeguard for your lives”

(The Qu’ran 2:178).

“If anyone attacks you, attack him

as he attacked you”

“But I say to you, love your enemies,

bless those who curse you, do good

to those who hate you, and pray for

those who spitefully use you and

persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

“Good women are obedient…As for

those from whom you fear

disobedience, admonish and send

them to beds apart and beat them.

Then if they obey you, take no

further action against them”

“Wives, submit to your own

husbands, as to the Lord…So

husbands ought to love their own

wives as their own bodies; he who

loves his wife loves himself”

(Ephesians 5:22, 28).

4. Scientific Accuracy of the Bible.

Is The Bible From God Or Man?

• We must make a decision about the Bible.

• We have only 2 choices:

1. Is it the product of an all-knowing, all-powerful God?

– If so, all of the evidence makes sense.

– This explanation fits the evidence.

2. Is it the product of mere men?

– These men would be liars.

– These men would be self-condemned.

– These self-condemned liars would have managed to devise the highest moral standard.

– A logical explanation would have to be given for the evidence.

• Which choice makes more sense?

• Which choice makes more sense?You Must Decide!!!!!!

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