Calvary Chapel Auburn Questions And Answers
(with Pastor Greg)


“WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT PEOPLE HAVE A HARD TIME WITH AND HOW SHOULD THEY RESPOND TO THEM?”
Jesus did say that you will have tribulation in life. So, having difficulties will certainly be a part of life that we will all face. But I think that one of the particular challenges that we’re all going to experience at one time or another is finding ourselves in a rut. A rut is when you do something over and over again without making progress. And this can be particularly demoralizing if we do not respond to it correctly and get out of it. You can be in a rut in your personal life, a relationship, a business, or even a ministry. Evidence of this is when you find yourself spinning your wheels and not making the progress that you would like. In order to help a person respond properly to this difficulty, I begin with encouraging people to identify the chief priorities of their life. A lot of people go through life living by default, rather than by design. They live aimlessly, without godly purpose in their life. The good news is that as Christians we have been given the correct understanding of what the right priorities of life are to be, and furthermore, we have been given the Holy Spirit who helps us focus upon them!

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“AND WHAT SHOULD BE THE TOP PRIORITIES OF OUR LIFE?”
It begins with having a right relationship with God, and growing in that relationship with Him! Remember, the Ten Commandments start with God introducing Himself and telling us that He designed our life to have Him as our master passion. And the truth is that deep down inside we all long for a relationship with our Maker! It’s the thirst of our soul. But sadly, people try to fill that thirst, that hunger, that vacuum –that need (that is really for God) with something else that was never designed to “scratch the itch”. The worst case scenario is that they can end up driving their life in a ditch! Think of it this way, we all live for something, right? Some live for the weekend, others are living for their own self-interest. The Bible identifies the right purpose for living! Paul nailed it when he wrote, “To live is Christ!” But he did not end there, he followed it by saying, “to die is gain”. Make your chief aim knowing Christ. Those who do can then say like Paul, “to die is gain!”

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“IF A CHRISTIAN IS IN A RUT, HOW CAN THEY MAKE ‘NEW GROUND’ AND GROW?”
That’s a good question, and as I mentioned earlier it begins with identifying what the right priority of life is — which is having a right relationship with God in Christ and growing in that relationship. But ultimately, this means that we grow in faith. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God,” and that there is a “substance to faith”. In other words, there is an experience or substance that someone who exercises genuine faith has. If you are in a rut, ask yourself if you are trusting God, embracing His promises and living for Him. You will discover that the more you choose to, “rest your whole weight” on God’s promises, that your emotions and feelings will increasingly be inspired by a greater reality than what you experience in your present circumstances. You’ll discover that if you trust God’s Word, ultimately you will feel the reality of what God’s Word promises. The Bible says in effect that, “God loves you!”, “God’s favor is being poured out into your life right now!”, “God is the God of 2nd chances!”, “God forgives and when He forgives He forgets!”, “That our best days are ahead in Christ!” Ask yourself if you feel the realities of these truths. The good news is that it’s possible that you can — and it’s God’s will that you do. But first you must believe God’s Word! In this way you can see that real faith is a choice to believe the truth about God as revealed in Scripture.

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“ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR GROWING IN OUR FAITH IN CHRIST?”
Yes, I have found that verbalizing the promises of the Bible encourage me and energize my faith! It’s similar to what David did when he faced the giant Goliath! Do you remember what he said? He spoke the words of faith and the truth about God! I have learned that there is something wonderful and encouraging about verbalizing God’s truth! Like, “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!” (1 John ) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” (Phil 4:13) “No weapon formed against me shall prosper!” (Isaiah 54:17) “God is faithful” ( I Cor 1:9)

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“SPEAKING OF CHALLENGES, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE LIFE AND DEATH CHALLENGES WE ARE FACING WITH REGARD TO TERRORISM?”
A few thoughts come to mind. For one, history tells the story that lawlessness and terror have been around for a long time, and that it has been used for political and religious reasons. Yet, having said that — major world terrorist attacks have increased in our generation and they are packing more of a “terrorizing punch”, than ever before. And yet, I don’t know if people really want to face what is happening! Did you know that on the morning of September 11, 2001, in a time zone six hours to the east, in a Palestinian newspaper it stated, “The suicide bombers of today are the noble successors of the Lebanese suicide bombers of who taught the U.S. Marines a tough lesson in Lebanon (where 243 were murdered in an attack on the Marine Barracks). It went on to say, “These suicide bombers are the salt of the earth, the engines of history … the most honorable people among us.” Later that morning, on September 11th down came the Twin Towers!

But this is not a new terror. The fact is, that the terrorism that we see today is linked to a 7th century turning pointing in history. I am specifically referring to the Muslim conquest by “Jihad” warriors whose message was “submit or die!” We have all heard the phrase “Arab Nations”, right? But the reality is, that while there are Arabs all throughout the Middle East, the Lebanese, the Syrians and Iranians are not Arabs — nor are the Iraqi’s, the Egyptians, Libyans, and Moroccans, to name a few. It is only the Saudi’s that are Arab’s! What connects Saudi Arabia in identifying the other nations in the region as “Arab”, is the religion of Islam which is an Arab religion that originated on the Arabian Peninsula and was forced upon these people and their nations. It is Islam that is the common thread that unites these nations. For example, Muhammed said, “The last day will not come until the Muslims confront the Jews and the Muslims destroy them. In that day Allah will give a voice to the rocks and the trees and they will cry out, “O Muslim, O Abdullah, there is a Jew hiding behind me. Come and kill him!” No wonder why these supposed “Arab nations” have such hatred toward Israel. In 1990, at a conference of the Islamic Committee for Palestine, in Chicago, Illinois, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Oudeh, one of the leaders in the Islamic Jihad movement, declared, “Now Allah is bringing the Jews back to Palestine in large groups from all over the world to their big graveyard where the promise will be realized upon them, and what was destined will be carried out!” Ever since Islam’s 7th century conquest the world has seen chaos, confusion and corruption caused by “Islamic Extremists”. And we still see this today as “Islamic Extremists” work toward a second “world conquest”. But, sadly, it seems that a great deal of the world doesn’t get it right with who these people really are and what their true intentions are. This is clearly seen in the resolution voting of the United Nations. Isn’t it strange that from 1967 through 1989, out of 865 resolutions in the Security Council and General Assembly of the UN, 526 were against Israel. The last anti-Arab vote was fifty eight years ago, in 1947. Not once has the U.N. reprimanded those who, beginning in 1948, have — without provocation — waged five wars against Israel while openly declaring their intention of annihilating her. Nor have the terrorists ever been condemned by the UN. In November 2002, Israel introduced its first request for a resolution since 1976, asking for a prohibition against “Arab” terrorists who deliberately target Israeli women and children. Its request was rejected and the UN instead adopted a resolution demanding protection of Palestinian children from Israel. Earlier, I mentioned that terrorism is packing a more “terrorizing punch” than ever before! There is a reason for this. Our world is becoming an increasingly global community. Think about it, if there is a terrorist attack in a foreign country, even though it is 10,000 miles away, today’s technology brings the terror right into our homes through the television or Internet — raising the blood pressure and tempting us with fear! The fact that terrorism is more terrorizing than ever before reflects what the Bible says the world will be like before the return of Christ. The Bible tells us that we are headed for a one world government and one world religion. It is because our world is becoming more interdependent than ever, that one “bad guy” can bring a whole lot of disruption and that’s what makes, terrorism’s – terror – so terrifying! Ultimately, the Bible tells us that there is a coming world leader known as the anti-Christ who will bring a false peace and security by uniting the world economically and religiously, but ultimately under his leadership he will bring the world to the point of self-destruction. Jesus said, that “unless those days are shortened, no flesh would survive!” But thank God those days are shortened by the return of the “Prince of Peace” — the Savior — the Lord Jesus Christ!

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“YOU OBVIOUSLY BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD, BUT NOT ALL DO BELIEVE THAT, HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THOSE WHO SAY THE BIBLE IS A BUNCH OF FAIRY TALES?”
I would ask the person whether they have even read the Bible. Seriously. It’s been my experience that people can pass on untrue statements without checking them out for themselves. Like, for example, someone hears the statement that the “Bible is a bunch of fairytales” — and having never read the Bible themselves, — they pass onto the next guy, “Hey, the Bible is a bunch of fairytales!” The Bible does record miraculous events in history but think about it, if you can get past the reality of the first verse in the Bible, you should not have a problem with the rest of the Bible. The Bible begins with, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth!” If you believe in a Creator of the universe, then the idea of miracles are not a “hard-sell”! And reality is the Bible is far from a work of fiction — it is a solid account of history — with its main focus upon the history of the nation of Israel and the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter wrote “we did not follow cunningly devised fables (or fairytales)”. Then he noted that he was an “eyewitness” to the majesty of Christ. You could not have a stronger witness in a court of law — because Peter was willing to die for his belief that Jesus was a miracle worker, and that He resurrected from the dead. Ultimately, I believe in the divine authority of the Bible because Jesus said it is true and there is not a higher authority than the one who gave His life on the cross and rose from the grave!

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“WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE BEST SELLING BOOK THE “DA VINCI CODE” THAT TELLS A DIFFERENT STORY ABOUT JESUS THAN WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS?”
As they say, “It’s Hollywood, baby!” The Da Vinci Code is a fictitious novel that is being made into a movie which will be coming to theatres soon. The core of the story is based upon the premise that Jesus was married to Mary of Magdela, more commonly known as, Mary Magdalene. It is pure imagination. Think about it, if Jesus married Mary, why wouldn’t the Gospel writers — two of whom died for their faith – say so? What is there to hide? Why would they want to? After all, the first institution God created was marriage and the family! But this imagination gets worse. The author of the Da Vinci code states that famed artist Leonardo Da Vinci was a part of a secret society that perpetuated this ‘secret’ about Jesus. He says that Da Vinci’s portrait of the last supper reveals the relationship Jesus had with Mary. He says that Mary is actually portrayed in the portrait, even though most people who see the portrait, see a young apostle John, not Mary! But even if Da Vinci portrayed Mary sitting at the last supper, (which he did not), you’ve got to ask yourself, how would Da Vinci know this when he was not even present at the last supper? On the other hand, the Gospels provide eye-witness accounts of the life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ. Look, we live in a time when image and suggestion is given way too much power. There are so many fads and trends in life, and the Da Vinci Code is one of them. Even if Da Vinci intentionally placed Mary into his painting that does not make it a historical fact, right? Throwing out an idea that Jesus was just married and His life line continued does not make it a reality! The Da Vinci Code is conjecture and theory inspired by imagination, nothing more. And at worse it attempts to undermine the reliability of the Bible.

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“HOW WAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED?”
In some ways it began when my older brother told me the words of Jesus that “you are either for Me or against Me!” It was definitely a wake up call for me. Like anyone else, I had a God-shaped hole in my life and when I was told about who Jesus is and what He accomplished, it clicked for me. I did not have confidence that I was right with God and I did not have the assurance of the forgiveness of my sins. Simply, I was not ready to meet my Maker! Look, in some ways the issue of Jesus is very simple because He is either who He claimed to be, or He is not. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through Me!” He did not say that He was “a way”, or “a truth”, or “a life” — you see what I am saying? Christianity is all about the identity of Jesus. It’s true. The main reason Jesus came was not to preach a message! Christianity is not about a creed or a set of teachings. No, the main reason Jesus came was to give His life on the cross, and demonstrate He is the Son of God in His resurrection, so that there would be a message to preach! And by the way, He promised to return. In fact, when I learned that the Bible foretold of the life and work of the Lord Jesus, it totally blew me away. The Bible is the only religious book that has prophecy — which identifies events in the future before they happen, and only God knows all things. Prophecy is one of the unique evidences that the Bible is inspired by God! You asked how my life was changed … well, in a lot of ways it changed when I came to know the truth about Christ and what the Bible says. I believe that there are a lot of people who would like to really know Christ but they just don’t know how to make the connection. In a lot of ways that was me many years ago, until others told me how Christ could come into my life!

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“WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT KNOWING GOD IN A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP?”
Let me answer that by first giving some framework. Certainly, what the life and work of Jesus teaches us is that, ‘knowing God’ means that we come to Him on His terms, not our own! I know that is obvious, but I think it’s important to state it! Having said that, making the connection with our Creator could be summarized in the following way. First, you need to, “Recognize” your need for God’s help, and your need for forgiveness before a Holy God! It’s essential to admit it. The worse thing is to live in denial or to blame others for your condition. You need to be willing to say, ‘I need your help and forgiveness!’ Second, you need to, “Realize” what Christ has done for you. He gave His own life on the cross to pay the debt of your sin. He conquered death and rose from the grave and will return to reign as King! Third, you need to “Receive” Christ in your life. God’s love, and His gift of 2nd chance, His forgiveness, and a ticket to Heaven, is a gift that you must receive. The Bible teaches in essence, that if you say, “No” to God now; he will say, “No” to you when you stand before Him. But if you say “Yes” to Him now; He will say “Yes” to you then. Fourth, you need to “Repent” or change the direction of your life. Jesus said, “Follow me …”. Many people know ‘of God’, and ‘of Christ’, but do not follow Him! Fifth, it is important that you take a ‘public stand’ for Christ. Jesus said, “If you confess me before men …” In many ways, that is what baptism is all about! Finally, make a decision today, don’t put if off! The Bible says, “Today is the day of salvation …” “Now, is the acceptable time …” God will meet you where you are at. Come to Him! Come with your problems, addictions and questions. The Lord will forgive, and help, and heal you!

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IS THE BIBLE THE WORD OF GOD?
“A thousand times over, the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, the inscription cut on the tombstone, and the committed read. But somehow the corpse never stays put. No other book has been so chopped, knifed, sifted, scrutinized, and vilified. What book on philosophy or religion or psychology or belles letters of classical or modern time has been subject to such a mass attack as the Bible? With such venom and skepticism? With such thoroughness and erudition? Upon every chapter, line and tenet? The Bible is still loved by millions, read by millions, and studied by millions…It still remains the most published and most read book in the world of literature.” (Dr. Bernard Ramm)

The Bible is a compilation of 66 books, written over a period of 1500 years and penned by forty different authors. Is the Bible God’s Word to man? If it is true, that some 4000 times in the Bible God spoke directly to men, then the Bible is inherently the highest authority.

But how can we be sure that the Bible is God’s Word to man? If the most respected historian in the world stated that the Bible is true would that convince you? How about the fact that the Bible has remained the best selling book for 500 years not to mention it has been applauded by persons of unique stature such as Abraham Lincoln who said, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.” Immanuel Kant wrote, “The existence of the Bible, as a book for the people, is the greatest benefit the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity.”

Would some of these unique facts and recommendations tell us that the Bible is the Word of God? Not necessarily! We all have a base of authority that becomes the ground for our thinking and judgments. There are many unique evidences that identify the Bible as God’s Word to man. But the main reason the Bible can be trusted, is not because men of renown have testified of the Bible’s uniqueness and authority. Rather, it is because Jesus said the Bible is true, and there is not a higher authority than Jesus, the One Who demonstrated His authority by resurrection from the grave. Putting it another way, the Bible is not infallible ultimately because it says it is, but because Jesus says it is! In one statement Jesus authenticated the three-fold division of the Old Testament (i.e., the Law, the Writings, and the Prophets) as the Word of God, saying “These are the words, which I spoke to you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning Me.”

(Luke 24:44)

Jesus also made numerous historical references to the Old Testament and in doing so authenticated the reality of their existence in history. Matthew 19:5 refers to creation and marriage; Luke 17:26, 27 to Noah’s ark; Luke 17.28 to Sodom & Gomorrah; Matthew 7:19 to the Law; Matthew 12:40 to Jonah; Matthew 24:15 to the prophecy of Daniel; Matthew 26:2 to the Passover and many others.

The Bible is authoritative because it is true and the One who gave His life for us and rose from the dead authenticates its authority! Jesus said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

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IS THE BIBLE TRUSTWORTHY?
You have heard it said at one time or another – “The Bible is a bunch of fairy tales!” Usually such comments come from those who have never read the Bible. The Bible is far from a work of fiction; it is a solid account of history. Its main focus is upon the history of the nation of Israel and the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah of Israel, our Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 2:1 offers a mere sample of the rich historical detail inherent within Scripture. In just one verse there are 15 noted historical references. Luke 2:1 reads. “In the fifteenth year (1) of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (2) – when Pontius Pilate (3) was governor (4) of Judea (5), Herod (6) tetrarch (7) of Galilee (8), his brother Philip (9) tetrarch (10) of Iturea (11) and Traconitis, (12) and Lysanias (13) tetrarch (14) of Abilene (15).”

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BUT IS THE BIBLE RELIABLE?
There are basically three tests historians use to analyze a historical document. The first test is known as a “bibliographic test” which studies how the original text reached us. If the document in question is not an original text but a copy of that text, then certain questions are asked to determine its authenticity.

One of the most important questions to answer is, “What was the space of time between the original text and the time a copy was written? Below is a chart that shows the results of this test on notable historical writings and how they compare to the text in the New Testament.

Aristotle wrote his poetics in 343 B.C. The first copy of Aristotle’s writings was made in A.D. 1100. That means there was nearly a 1400-year gap between the original documents of Aristotle’s first copy of writings; and we only have 5 copies! Plato’s work was written in 400 B.C., and the first copy was written A.D. 900. That means there was a 1300-year span between those writings with seven copies of his work in all. Julius Caesar’s work was written in 100 B.C. and its first copy was A.D. 900, which is a 1000-year span, and we have 10 copies. Finally, 100 B.C. was when Caesar’s work was completed. 1000 years later, in A.D. 900, the first copy was completed. We have 10 copies of this work.

Author

Date of Original Writings

Date of First Copies

Time Difference Between Writings

Number of Copies Made


Aristotle


343 B.C.


A.D. 1000


1400 years


5


Plato


400 B.C.


A.D. 900


1300 years


7


Caesar


100 B.C.


A.D. 900


1000 years


10

The New Testament on the other hand was finished by A.D. 100. Its first copies were available immediately during the first century A.D. written on papyrus, the writing material of the first three centuries A.D.

Today, over 5500 copies of the original text in the Greek language are available for our study and use. Another 1000 copies are in primary languages. Over 10,000 copies are in Latin – all completed by hand before the invention of printing.

Sir Fredric Kenyon, a director and principal librarian at the British Museum, offered this perspective on the text of the New Testament: “The interval between the dates of the original composition and the earliest existing evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has not been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established.”

The second test is the “internal test” which examines the accuracy of the text itself. One way to accomplish this is to identify any witnesses of the information in the text that is in question. How close, in other words, were the witnesses geographically and chronologically to the text that is under review.

In regard to the New Testament, individuals who were either eyewitness to the events recorded, or who had personally interviewed witnesses of the events recorded in Scripture wrote it. In fact, for a book to be considered “canonical,” it had to be written by a prophet or an apostle or one who had a close relationship and was under the guidance of an apostle (Mark to Peter, Luke to Paul). Only those who had witnessed the events or had recorded eyewitness testimony could have their writings considered as Holy Scripture. The gospel writer, Luke, begins his narrative, “Most honorable Theophilus: Many people have written accounts about the events that took place among us (Luke 1:2).” They used as their source material the reports circulating among them from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses of what God had done in fulfillment of his promises.

Peter tells us that he was a first-hand eyewitness to the account he describes: 2 Peter 1:16 – “For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and His coming again. We have seen His majestic splendor with our own eyes.” Consider the detail of John’s description in 1 John 1:1, 3a – “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life…that which we have seen and heard we declare to you…”

The New Testament writings were in circulation in the generation that they were penned. This means that there was ample opportunity for the Scriptures to be challenged or refuted! Furthermore, the witnesses of the life of Jesus and many of the authors who penned the New Testament were martyred for their faith. Granted, dying for a belief is nothing new, nor is it necessarily convincing that the cause is right. After all, people have given their life for causes both good and bad throughout history. However, no one knowingly gives his or her life for a lie! This is what made the deaths of many of the original followers of Christ so powerful. The apostles knew whether or not Jesus had resurrected! The fact that they were willing to give their lives in a martyr’s death tells us they were convinced that Jesus had conquered the grave and was alive!

The great historian Will Durant, in his momentous work, “The Story of Civilization”, offered this perspective on the credibility of the New Testament writings: “…they record many incidents that mere inventors would have concealed – the competition of the apostles for high places in the Kingdom, their fight after Jesus’ arrest, Peter’s denial, the failure of Christ to work miracles in Galilee, the references of some auditors to his possible insanity…his despairing cry on the cross. No one reading these scenes can doubt the reality of the figure behind them. That a few simple men should in one generation have invented so powerful and appealing a personality, so lofty an ethic, and so inspiring a vision of human brotherhood, would be a miracle far more incredible then any recorded in the gospels. After two centuries of higher criticism, the outlines of the life, character, and teaching of Christ remain reasonably clear, and constitute the most fascinating feature in the history of Western man.”

Thirdly, historians also analyze historical writing using what’s called the “external test.” This test is meant to identify whether there are outside sources apart from the writings being analyzed that substantiate the accuracy, reliability, and authenticity of the documents in question! The Bible has a few outside sources that substantiate its accuracy. The historian Eusebius quotes Hierapolis (A.D. 130) affirming the writings of John. Iranaeus, Bishop of Lyons in A.D. 180, was a student of Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna. Both Iranaeus and Polycarp affirmed John’s writings! Dr. Clark Pinnock, professor of Interpretation at McMasters University in Canada, rightly observes: “There exists no document from the ancient world witnessed by so excellent a set of textual and historical testimonies, and offering so superb an array of historical data on which an intelligent decision may be made. An honest man cannot dismiss a source of this kind. Skepticism regarding the historical credentials of Christianity is based upon an irrational basis!”

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WHAT IS INSPIRATION?
2 Timothy 3:16 tell us that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” The word for “inspiration” means, “God-breathed.” 2 Peter 1:20-21 tells us “…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!” The word “moved” by the Holy Spirit is a word in the original language that gives a picture of a ship carried along by the wind.

Men, of course, wrote the books of the Bible. God did not “literally” write the Bible, but rather He controlled men to do so. He used human instruments to “pen” His Word! It would be like a mother using a pen to write a note to her children. We wouldn’t say that it was the pen that wrote the note but rather the mother who is the inspiration behind the pen. Similarly, God used unique individuals (which included their personality, background, and experience) as instruments to communicate His Word to man. Inspiration refers to the accuracy and reliability of that which is written. The writers were not inspired – the writing is inspired!

HOW INSPIRED IS THE BIBLE?
Inspiration means that the Bible is authoritative in all areas that it addresses; from theology to history, to science; and all other disciplines of knowledge. Obviously it is not an Algebra book or a medical book, or a manual on how to change the oil in your car. What it is, however, is divine revelation telling us who God is; His plan for man, and answering the big questions of life such as, “Why am I here?” “Where did I come from?” “Where am I going?” Questions that without the divine revelation of Scripture we would all be left without answers.

John Montgomery, attorney and author, offered this insightful perspective, “The Plain consequence is that the only possible answer to modern man’s quest for the ultimate meaning of history and for an absolute ethical standard would have to lie in a revelation from outside the world. If such a revelation does not exist, man will of logical (not merely practical) necessity remain forever bound to his cultural relativities forever ignorant of life’s meaning. But if such a revelation should exist, it would explode the world – turn it, as men said the early Christians did, upside down!”

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IS PROPHECY UNIQUE TO THE BIBLE?
Bible prophecy is one of the great evidences that the Bible is divinely inspired. Prophecy is the identifying of what will take place in the future and only God knows the future. Isaiah 41:4 tells us, “Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, am the first; and with the last I am He.” This means that God sees all of human history at any one moment of time. Everything is before Him: the beginning of creation; to the new Heaven and Earth! The Bible is totally unique in this regard. It is because it is God who has inspired Scripture. There are no prophecies in the Islamic Quran, the Book of Mormon, or the Hindu Vedas, because God did not inspire these books.

In regard to the life of Jesus: over 300 Bible prophecies were fulfilled at His first coming. Prophecies foretold details of His birth, life, death and resurrection! It has been figured that the odds of someone coming along and fulfilling only 6 of the messianic prophecies would be one times ten to the twentieth power. These are the same odds of someone trying to find a marked silver dollar among silver dollars stacked two feet high over the whole state of Texas while blind-folded. Consider some of the examples of prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus:

His Birthplace

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).

His Betrayal

“Then I said to them, “’If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.’ So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ – that princely price they se on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter. Then I cut in two my other staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel” (Zech 11:12-14).

His Crucifixion (Psalm 22:6-18)

His Lineage (Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-38)

His Dying Between Two Criminals (Isaiah 53:12)

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JUST HOW UNIQUE IS THE BIBLE?
Here’s a quick “bio” on just how unique the Bible is! In a book by Don Stewart entitled “The Ten Wonders of the Bible,” he offers the following matchless tenfold description:

1. The Bible offers an intelligent faith.

2. It offers unique harmony.

3. It has survived the test of time and examination.

4. It is historically accurate!

5. It is scientifically respectable.

6. It possesses the ability to predict the future.

7. It is brutally honest with its subjects.

8. Its teachings are unique.

9. It focuses upon the main character of the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

10. It carries a proven life-changing message.

Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God!” (Matthew 4:4)

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HOW WAS THE BIBLE COMPILED?
When we consider how the Bible was compiled, we are introduced to the term “canon,” which means measurement. If a body of literature – or scripture – is considered “canonical,” then it means that it has “measured up” to the authoritative word of God.

Flavius Josephus, a Jewish writer of the fist century, made references to the “Old Testament” saying, “We have but twenty-two (books) containing the history of all time, books that are justly believed in: and of these, five are the books of Moses, which comprise the law and earliest traditions from the creation of mankind down to his death. From the death of Moses to the reign of Artaxerxes, King of Persia, the prophets who succeeded Moses wrote the history of the events that occurred in their own time, in thirteen books. The remaining four documents comprise hymns to God and practical precepts to men!”

By the end of the second century A.D., all but seven books (Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude and Revelation,) were recognized as “canonical” in the “New Testament.” By the end of the fourth century A.D., all the churches of the west recognized all 27 books in our present canon.

But who decided what books were “canon”? J.I. Packer put it into perspective: “The church no more gave us the New Testament canon than Sir Isaac Newton gave us the force of gravity. God gave us gravity by His work of creation and similarly He gave us the New Testament canon by inspiring the individual books that make it up!” (God Speaks to Man, p..81).

F.F. Bruce writes: “One thing must be emphatically stated: The New Testament books did not become authoritative for the Church because they were formally included in a canonical list; on the contrary, the Church included them in her canon because she already regarded them as divinely inspired, recognizing their innate worth and generally apostolic authority, direct and indirect. The first ecclesiastical councils to classify the canonical books were both held in North Africa – at Hippo Regis in 393 A.D. and at Carthage in 397 A.D. But what these councils did was not to impose something new upon the Christian communities but to codify what was already the general practice of these communities!”

Don Stewart notes: “For a book to be considered canonical, it must be written by a prophet or apostle or by one who had a special relationship to such (i.e. Mark to Peter, Luke to Paul). Only those who had witnessed the events or had recorded eyewitness testimony could have their writings considered as Holy Scripture.”

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WHAT ABOUT THE CATHOLIC BIBLE?
Compared to the King James version of the Bible, the Catholic Bible contains fourteen extra books called the Apocrypha. The Catholic Church was responsible for canonizing these extra books that supported their extra Biblical views – such as praying to the dead – that were already being taught by the Catholic Church. These books were canonized during a period when thousands were leaving the Church of Rome. A time period known as the “Reformation!”