unit 1 session 4 - can we trust the bible - personal study guide (esv)

8/13/2019 Unit 1 Session 4 - Can We Trust the Bible - Personal Study Guide (ESV)

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WINTER 2013-14: Personal Study GuideEd StetzerGeneral EditorTrevin WaxManaging Editor

TM


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34 TGP Personal Study Guide

SESSION 4

CAN WE TRUSTTHE BIBLE?

In case you havent heard, the publishing industry has dealt with

the problem of people writing fake memoirs in recent years.

While literary forgery is nothing new, this particular form draws a

great deal of attention. People present details from their lives that

simply are not true. Readers believe the stories and are sometimes

personally affected by them. Then, when the lies are revealed, there is a

public outcry.

In a similar way, there are some today who question the integrity

of the Bibles historical accounts. They may see the Gospels as

exaggerated fables based on a true person (in this case, Jesus) who

would never have sanctioned the authors portrayal of His life and

ministry. Or perhaps they see apparent contradictions in the Gospel

accounts and use these to question the truthfulness of the authors. If

we are to embrace a biblical view of the world, its important that we

answer the question: can we trust the Bible?

This week we will examine three common questions about the

Bibles truthfulness. First, we will consider the claim that there are

contradictions between the biblical accounts. Then, we will examine

the claim that historical or scientific research has proven the Bible

untrue. Finally, we will look at several reasons why we can and should

trust the Bible as truth without any mixture of error.


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READY YOUR HEART

3WINTER 2013-14

Matthew 4:4 But he answered, It is written,Man shall not live by bread alone, but byevery word that comes from the mouth of God.

MY BEST FRIEND AND I WERE IN THE CAR headed to grab some dinner. We were out of

town working as camp counselors for the summer. Because the camp was in the middleof nowhere, and since we were not familiar with the area, we looked around for a signto lead us into town. We didnt have a GPSin fact, we couldnt even rely on cell service

happening either. He was driving, and I was on the lookout for a place to eat. As we weredriving, I spotted a sign with an arrow pointing up, showing that the town was just ahead.

We kept driving and driving, but no town was in sight. After about 30 minutes, I was prettysure we were about to be in another state, but I was positive that the sign said it was just

ahead. Something was clearly wrong. In my mind, either the town disappeared or thesign was wrong. We backtracked. When we got back to where the sign was, I looked andcouldnt believe it. The arrow wasnt pointed upit pointed left.

At first I was sure that it was pointed up. What changed? The sign didnt. Themistake was mine. I had only glanced at the sign and thought it said something that it

really didnt. On a closer examination, I found out that the sign wasnt wrong.Sometimes, a first glance can be deceiving. Thats what happened to me. With a

quick glance, I thought the sign said one thing, but it really said something else. As wecome to differences in the Bible, at first glance it seems there are contradictions. After

a more in-depth look and studying, we find out that its not a contradiction after all. AsJesus tells us in Matthew 4:4, Scripture is the very word that comes from the mouth of

God. Since God doesnt contradict Himself, we can be sure that neither does His Word.

AT FIRST GLANCE

PAUSE AND REFLECT Recall a time when you have had a mistaken first glance.

Why is it important to work through differences in the Bible? Why is it important to be able to explain through apparent

differences with others who may ask? Do you think youare equipped to explain someones questions? Why orwhy not?


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READY YOUR HEART

Luke 2:1-3 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the worldshould be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

MY GRANDFATHER HAD THE HOBBY of making wood furniture. He would craft

dressers, toy chests, and rocking chairs. You name it, he could build it. When I wasyounger, I would be his helper in the workshop. I was really into it because he would

often let me use the power tools. (Who doesnt want to play with a power saw?) Onone particular occasion he was making a chair. I helped cut the wood and sand it. I even

helped in joining it together. The chair was finished except for the painting of it. We wereplanning on doing it the next day since it was late in the afternoon and time for me to go

home. The next morning when I got to his house, I went straight into his workshop. Thechair was there, but he had already painted it. At that point, I assumed that he did it thenight before because it looked dry. I wanted to try the chair out, so I plopped down in the

chair and realized that my assumption was seriously wrong. He hadnt painted the chairthe night before. He painted it earlier that morning, and the paint was still quite wet. My

grandfather laughed at me the rest of the day when we saw white stripes of paint downthe back of my shirt and shorts.

My mistake was making the assumption that something was true before I examined

it. Sometimes that happens with the Bible as well. Some people make the assumptionthat the Bible is untrue and then begin their examination and search for reasons to justify

what they already believe. Because of their prior worldview beliefs, they are unwilling to

evaluate all of the evidence and follow it wherever it may lead. Luke 2:1-3 is a case inpoint, as further explained in the lesson. The point is that it is helpful to recognize yourown assumptions before coming to the Bible and having the honesty and integrity to lay

those assumptions aside if they are unbiblical in order to weigh the evidence properly.

PAUSE AND REFLECT Whats wrong with making assumptions? Have you ever made an assumption that turned out to be

untrue? Explain. Why would it be a mistake to make false assumptions

about the Bible without really fully examining the issuesfor yourself?

WET PAINT


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READY YOUR HEART

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Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I havenot come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

MOAB, UTAH has some of the greatest mountain-bike trails in the world. The trails have

everything from smooth dirt to extremely rough rocks. Theres a very inspiring story of afather and son who traveled there to spend the week camping and riding the trails. Thetrip was going great until the third day. They were riding one of the more difficult trails

and the dad crashed. When he got up, his front wheel was bent (in fact, it looked morelike a taco than a bike wheel). There was no way they could ride out. They decided that

the best way to get out was to hike directly over Deadmans ridge. The ridge is steepwith loose rocks. Its hard to get a foothold and easy to dislodge huge rocks that can

fall on anyone further down the ridge. To add to it, there isnt much of a path to follow.For most people, its hard enough to hike, and here was two people carrying bikes up it.During the ascent, the dad would constantly guide his son to step in the same places he

had stepped so that his son would not fall down the ridge. After all, one misstep couldhave resulted in serious injury. Fortunately, they made it out without incident.

How did the son make it out safely? He trusted where someone elsehis Dadhadhiked and made it out safely. When you think about it, we do the same thing with the

Bible. One of the reasons we can trust the Bible is because Jesus did. Take a look at John10:35. Jesus says, Scripture cannot be broken. It is clear from His life and teaching that

Jesus believed that. He trusted that. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus trusts that Gods Word willnot perish. Since Jesus believed the Bible, shouldnt this give us confidence that we can

trust it as well?

FOLLOWING TRAILS

PAUSE AND REFLECT Have you ever trusted in something because someone else

first demonstrated trust in it? Give an example.

How does knowing that Jesus trusted in the Bible changethe way you view Scripture? How does your personal levelof trust in the Bible show itself in the way you think, speak,and interact with others?


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We Can Trust TheBible Because...In this lesson, we will examine three common questionsabout the Bibles truthfulness. We will consider the claimthat there are contradictions between the biblical accounas well as the claim that historical or scientific research h

proven the Bible untrue. Afterward, we will look at severareasons why we can and should trust the Bible as truthwithout any mixture of error.

Its Internally Consistent

As Christians, we believe the Bibleis the inspired Word of God. Webelieve the Old Testament and NewTestament authors wrote under thedirection of the Holy Spirit (2 Sam.23:2, Matt. 22:43). The apostle Pauldeclared: All Scripture is breathedout by God (2 Tim. 3:16). JesusHimself described the Scripture asthe very word that comes from themouth of God (Matt. 4:4).

While there have been manyattempts on the part of some tohighlight contradictions in the Bible,all have failed or been explained awayby further investigation. Because theBible is inspired, it will be consistentand unified in all that it says.

While the Bible attests to being Gods Word, not

everyone believes it is truly from the mouth of Godor that it is true in all it teaches. People claim thereare contradictions or errors in the Bible. For instance,there are, at times, sections in the Bible that appearat first glance to contradict each other. A case inpoint are the birth narratives of Jesus.

Have you ever wrestled with doubts over theBibles truthfulness or talked about theseobjections with someone who has?

To understand this issue, its important toremember the purpose in the mind of eachauthor. In considering the intention ofeach author, as well as the audiencethey are addressing, the accountsmake perfect sense.

How does understanding theauthors purpose help us makesense of apparent differencesbetween biblical accounts?


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Its Historically ConfirmedEven if the Bible doesnt contradict itself, what about apparentcontradictions in the matter of science? Or history? For instance,one common objection is that science has disproved the Bible anthe miracles described there. But this objection begins with theunproven assumption that God does not exist or that miraclessimply cannot occur. In other words, the starting point is one

that declares the Bible to be false in its testimony regarding theexistence and power of God.

When we come to the Bibleand try to listen to its claimswe can easily misjudge thosclaims if we hear them onlyfrom within the framework oour own modern assumptioLetting the Bible speak for

itself, that is, letting it speakin its own terms, includesletting the Bible speak fromwithin its own worldviewrather than merely our own.

Vern Poythress

What we have discovered fromthese types of objections is thatthere are multiple perspectivesby which we can approach atext. How we approach the Bibleaffects what we see and howwe understand what the text

is saying. Have you ever been temptedto question the authorityand truthfulness of theScriptures? What was yourview of God during that time? How does your view of God

affect the way you approachthe Scriptures?

Jesus Trusted It.But the biggest reason we as Christians trust the Bible is because Jesus did.Because Scripture is the Word of God, Jesus honored and cherished it. Hesaid it was imperishable (Matt. 5:17-18). He claimed it would not fail in itspurpose and could not be broken (John 10:35). He held up its supremacy ovehuman tradition (Matt. 15:3, 6). And He considered the Bible to be historicalreliable (Matt. 12:40, 24:37-38).

How does Jesus perspective on the Scriptures reliability help us trust theBible in places we dont understand?

Conclusion Trusting the truthfulness of the Scripture is first a matter oftrusting that God is there and He is not silent. While we may stumble over certainthings we read, we humbly seek to understand what is being said because we believit comes from God Himself and for the empowerment of our mission. The longer westudy and the deeper the depths we go in the Word, the more we realize that theBible is unique and unlike every other book. We realize that it displays the internalconsistency and unity we would expect of an overarching story about God and Hisrelationship to His creation. We realize that it can be trusted, that Jesus Himselftrusted it, serving as a model for us to follow.

Why is the answer to the Bibles truthfulness and authority one of the mostimportant questions for you life?


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ENCORE

1. ITS INTERNALLY CONSISTENT (MATT. 1:1-18; LUKE 3:23-38).

As Christians, we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. We believe the Old estament andNew estament authors wrote under the direction of the Holy Spirit (2 Sam. 23:2, Matt. 22:43).Te apostle Paul declared: All Scripture is breathed out by God (2 im. 3:16). Jesus Himselfdescribed the Scripture as the very word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).

While the Bible attests to being Gods Word, not everyone believes it is truly from the mouth ofGod or that it is true in all it teaches. People claim there are contradictions or errors in the Bible.For instance, there are, at times, sections in the Bible that appear at first glance to contradict eachother. A case in point are the birth narratives of Jesus. Lets take a look at the genealogy of Jesus.Both Matthew and Luke trace the line of Jesus through history. Matthews account traces the lineof descent from Abraham to Jesus, while Lukes account follows the ancestry from Jesus and worksbackward all the way to Adam. Matthews Gospel traces the lineage from Abraham to Jesus in 41generations, while Luke records the ancestral line from Adam to Jesus in 76 generations. Why arethere differences? o understand this issue, its important to remember the purpose in the mind ofeach author. Matthews genealogy is concise. It is organized in three groups of 14, connecting theline to three time periods. Te first group lists the patriarchs, the second names the kings, and thethird contains ordinary citizens. Te intent was not to give a strict record but rather to present thehistorical progression. It begins by highlighting the family origin, then the rise to power throughDavids throne, and eventually the decline from royalty to the humble birth of the Messiah. By

relating Jesus to David and Abraham, Matthews genealogy shows the relationship of Jesus to allJews: He is their Messiah. Tis coincides with the overarching theme and purpose of the book ofMatthewto prove that Jesus is, in fact, the long-awaited Messiah. Lukes account, however, beginsin a unique way for a genealogy. It begins with Jesus and moves backwards through history to

Adam. Some suggest that Lukes purpose in ordering the genealogy in this way is to emphasis thegrand significance of Jesus. Perhaps another purpose in Lukes order is to highlight that the Messiahis a fully human Savior. His genealogy of Jesus is traced all the way back to Adam, demonstratingthe relationship of Jesus to all of mankind.

2. ITS HISTORICALLY CONFIRMED (LUKE 2:1-3).

Weve looked briefly at the charge that the Bible contradicts itself. What about apparentcontradictions in the matter of science? Or history? Biblical authority is challenged today from everyconceivable perspectivefrom scientific, to religious, to historical objections.

What we have discovered from these types of objections is that there are multiple perspectivesby which we can approach a text. How we approach the Bible affects what we see and how weunderstand what the text is saying. No one should ignore the questions that are sometimes raised.But we must be careful to not examine the questions from a perspective that limits us from seeingpossible ways to resolve the issues. What weve discovered time and again with these objections is

CAN WE TRUST THE BIBLE?

we can trust the Bible because...

by Keith Whitfield


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ENCORE

that these criticisms often arise from a set of commitments, a set of preconceived notions about theworld that are in conflict with the biblical view of the world. Often times objections begin with theunproven assumption that God does not exist or that miracles simply cannot occur. In other words,the starting point is one that declares the Bible to be false in its testimony regarding the existence

and power of God.But what if we start with the Bible? Tere we see the world was designed with a purpose and

was created by an all-powerful, personal God. Gods personal nature makes a difference in howwe understand our world. A personal God acts with purpose. He is loving. He provides. He makesHimself known to his creation. He is all-powerful. He can do whatever He wants to do, andnothing stops Him. In addition, if the Bible comes from a personal, all-powerful God, then possiblecontradictions within the biblical stories or with historical documents cannot easily be dismissed aserrors. Instead, we ought to see how the Bible coheres and, when in doubt, give the Bible the benefitof the doubt.

3. JESUS TRUSTED IT.

Why trust the Bible? Troughout the Scriptures, the biblical authors recognized that their writing wasunder the direction of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21, 2 Sam. 23:2, Matt. 22:43). But the biggest reason

we as Christians trust the Bible is because Jesus did. Because Scripture is the Word of God, Jesushonored and cherished it. He said it was imperishable (Matt. 5:17-18). He claimed it would not failin its purpose and could not be broken (John 10:35). He held up its supremacy over human tradition(Matt. 15:3, 6). And He considered the Bible to be historically reliable (Matt. 12:40, 24:37-38).

Te Bible is a historical book. Te biblical story is one grand story from Genesis to Revelation.Tis story unfolds through multiple plots and subplots. In the midst of all of the themes, all thepeople, and all the stories, there is one central theme through the Scriptures: the promise and

fulfillment of a Messianic King who is establishing an eternal kingdom for God. Tis grand storypoints to one person, Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27). In the Old estament, Christ is promised tothe people of God. In the New estament, He arrives (Matt. 5:17-18). Te detailed nature of theprophecies fulfilled in Jesus is one of the clearest signs that the Bible is no ordinary book. Te Bibletells a story that through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, God can change a heart of stoneinto a heart that loves and worships our Creator.

CONCLUSION

rusting the truthfulness of the Scripture is first a matter of trusting that God is there and He is notsilent, as Francis Schaeffer liked to say. Tese two beliefs not only help us explain how God speaks,

but they also guide us as we seek to understand and engage the questions that come up in readingthe Bible. We may stumble over certain things we read, but we humbly seek to understand what isbeing said because we believe it comes from God Himself and for the empowerment of our mission.Te longer we study and the deeper the depths we go in the Word, the more we realize that the Bibleis unique and unlike every other book. We realize that it displays the internal consistency and unity

we would expect of an overarching story about God and His relationship to His creation. We realizethat it is historically verified in its details, giving an accurate portrayal of true people and events. Werealize that it can be trusted, that Jesus Himself trusted it, serving as a model for us to follow.

unit 1 session 4 - can we trust the bible - personal study guide (esv)

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