Day 4: The Bible

The protestant Bible consists of 39 books in the “Old Testament” (following the Hebrew Bible generally canonized around the time of Christ's incarnation) and 27 books of the “New Testament” (written within a generation after Christ's death and resurrection).

Christians accept “Scripture” as those texts which are penned by men, inspired by God, and distinguished by the Church as being authoritative i.e., every word of the original writings is an exact representation of what God aimed to communicate. A significant discussion revolves around the undisputed fact that we do not have any of the original documents making up the Bible. Ironically, this increases our confidence that there was no tampering in the early years. If there was one alleged original, it would be a difficult thing to validate 2000 years after its creation. Our collection of evidence is actually more believable. We have thousands of snippets from varied parchments verified by hosts of 1st-2nd century believers (and even non-believers). The collection of evidence validating The Bible as the written word of God is expansive.

Though we can gather evidence of authenticity, there will always be some measure of faith in accepting The Bible as God's word.

Do you believe that there is a God of all creation?

Do you believe that He is willing to communicate with His creation?

Do you believe He is powerful enough to preserve His message over time?

If you answered yes to the three questions above, then you’re ready to read the Bible as more than just a collection of ancient literature. You can read it as God’s word for your life.

More than 35 “authors” (human scribes) contributed to the scriptures included in The Bible. They wrote over a period of 1500 years. These writings are internally consistent with each other and have remained unchanged for nearly 2000 years.

Claims that the scriptures have been altered through many translations are false. Modern translations are made from ancient texts in Hebrew and Koine Greek.

The claim that the scriptures are inconsistent with “science” is also false. We’ll make some important scientific connections along the way.

Claims that God's message of salvation was only relevant to past cultures are false…God created mankind with a specific goal in mind. Because that purpose remains unchanged, His invitation to participate in the “master plan” remains for us.

The Bible answers the most important question facing any person, “Why am I here?” Who better to provide insight into the meaning of life than the creator Himself? We'll explore the depth of God's message together through this study. But first, ponder seriously “what evidence do you require to believe that the Bible is the written word of God Almighty?”

Please note any part of today's text that you want to discuss more.

God has always communicated His will to His loved creatures. The fundamental message has not changed. However, the detail of the revelation has increased as we collectively mature and are ready to know more. The Holy Spirit has inspired godly men to pen universal parts of His message. God orchestrated decisions in the Church to collect inspired writings into a comprehensive book we know today as the Bible.

Life In His Presence