Why all this talk about Scripture? 

There’s the historical scope of Scripture, the inspirational and instructional value of God’s Word, and insight into the various translations that abound .  .  . now what?  Is that it?  Actually, no . . .

^{Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.   Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”1  God’s Word tells us how we got here, who we are, who we are purposed to be, how to live life, and even how to attain eternal life; it tells us about our great God, who he is, and what he is like—a holy God, three in one.}

Yes, the Bible is what it purports to be . . . truth.  It is the word of God, regardless of what you or I may think about it.  The veracity of it is supported by archaeological evidence, fulfilled prophecy, historical evidence, and the fact that those who read it and seek to apply it, are radically changed by it!

A couple years back, I had the privilege of viewing the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, which I found to be captivating.  Why?  Well, this discovery of the scrolls proved to be invaluable . . . “In February or March of 1946, a Bedouin shepherd boy named Muhammad was searching for a lost goat.  He tossed a stone into a hole in a cliff on the west side of the Dead Sea, about eight miles south of Jericho.  To his surprise, he heard the sound of shattering pottery.  Investigating, he discovered an amazing sight.  On the floor of the cave were several large jars containing leather scrolls, wrapped in linen cloth.  Because the jars were carefully sealed, the scrolls had been preserved in excellent condition for nearly 1900 years.” 

Before the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest complete Hebrew manuscripts in possession were from A.D. 900.  The Scrolls demonstrate the unusual accuracy of the copyists of Scripture spanning a 1,000-year period.  For example of the 166 words in Isaiah 53, there is only one word (three letters) in question after a thousand years of transmission—and this word does not significantly change the meaning of the passage.2  Now, that’s incredible!

And this is just one small piece supporting the reliability of Scripture . . . here’s another: when Jesus Christ was born, He was the fulfillment of about 60 major prophecies concerning the Messiah.  These were promises given to God's people.  Christianity rides on the fulfillment of these prophecies in our Lord.  Is Scripture reliable? See for yourself.

Fulfilled prophecies are evidence that the Bible is trustworthy.  God himself said, “I have declared the former things from the beginning; they went forth from my mouth, and I caused them to hear it.  Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, and my carved image and my molded image have commanded them.’"  Isaiah 48:3,5

And then Jesus said: Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. Matthew 5:17

Look at just eight of the prophecies about Jesus:

--that He would be:

Born in Bethlehem  prophecy:  Micah 5:2           fulfillment: Matthew 2:1, 2:4-8, Luke 2:4-7; John 7:42

Preceded by a messenger (john the baptist)    Isaiah 40:3             Matthew 3:1-2, 11:10, Luke 1:17;

                                                                                                John 1:23

Would enter Jerusalem on a donkey       Zechariah 9:9           Matthew 21:6-11, Luke 19:35-37a

Betrayed by a friend                     Psalm 41:9                                    Matthew 10:4

Sold for 30 pieces of silver              Zechariah 11:12                            Matthew 26:15

Money thrown down, used to buy       Zechariah 11:13                            Matthew 27:5, 27:7

      a potter's field

Dumb before His accusers               Isaiah 53:7                                  Matthew 27:12

Hands and feet pierced                  Psalm 22:16                                    Luke 23:33

 **The chance that any man might have lived and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 10

 to the 17^th  --  1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000        Science Speaks, Peter Stoner

Yes, Friends, God’s Word is true; it can be trusted.  Psalm 1 talks about the joy of the man who finds delight in the Scripture . . . “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.”

That’s why there is all this talk about Scripture!

Christine

1       John 8.31-32

2       From The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell  Archaeological Study Bible  Zondervan, www.allaboutthe journey.org,  The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.