Friday, January 30, 2009

Is the Bible Reliable? (Part 2)

In the 5th century B.C., a mathematician by the name if Pythagoras discovered that the earth was round and not flat, that the earth did not have edges. Explorers set out in the 15th century to prove this theory. However, the Bible discusses the earth and its shape before Pythagoras or these explorers ever figured it out. The book of Job is considered to be the oldest book in the Bible. Job writes in chapter 26, verse 7, “He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.” In this verse, Job is talking about how God has positioned the earth and what the earth sits on (nothing; Space). Isaiah, a prophet of God wrote around 700 B.C., “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (Isaiah 26:7). We are seen here as tiny compared to everything outside of our planet. And isn’t that what we are? How often do you sit outside and realize how big the universe is and how tiny we are? The verse also points to the fact that God has placed a “curtain” around our planet. There is a canopy embracing our planet, “like a tent to dwell in.” This canopy protects us against the sun and the elements of space. Isaiah also writes that “God sits above the circle of the earth.” There was no way for people to possibly know that the earth was a circle, and there was no way anyone could know that we were so tiny compared to the big universe out there, unless God let them in on what He had done in His creation.


The writer of Hebrews writes in chapter 11, verse 3, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” The book of Hebrews was written in approximately 60 A.D. The writer (no one knows who exactly wrote the book of Hebrews, though people have guesses) describes God creating the world here; and not only does the author discuss one world, but “worlds,” a universe/planets. The author also talks about “the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” The author was recognizing the particles and atoms that make up matter, not only within the universe but in them and the objects around them. The author was recognizing the complexity of everything that God created. How can someone, who has no telescope (because the telescope had yet to be invented), possibly know about the existence of a universe or other planets? And how would they know that particles and atoms, things invisible to the eye at that time, made up things?


References: Gideon’s Three Hundred//Tactical Guide; The Bible, NKJV

Monday, January 26, 2009

Devotional

1 Peter 3:15: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…"

When we are living our lives or answering questions about our faith, we should always remember to do it “with gentleness and respect,” demonstrating the love of Christ. We must also “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you” about what you believe. This means to study up! Read the Word of God. It is one of His ways of talking to us. And in reading it, we can better understand and learn about the One Who loved us so much that He would die in our place.

Is the Bible Reliable (Part 1)?
Many people think that the Bible is fallible because it has many translations and it was written by men. It is true. There have been many translations of the Bible and the Bible was written by men, Godly men. We don’t have the original manuscripts of the New Testament. However, about 5,600 completed manuscript copies exist, some that were copied less than 100 years after the original. Compared to other historical documents, this is outstanding! People think Plato’s work is reliable, yet we only have 7 copies of his work, the earliest being copied over 1,200 years after the original. Homer’s Iliad has 500 years between its original and its copy; it has 643 copies.

How do you view the Bible? Has your opinion of the Bible changed?

Resources: Gideon’s Three Hundred//Tactical Guide, The Bible, New King James Version