To the Editor:
A July 19 letter to the editor was about the supposed unreliability of the Bible. I’d like to offer a different perspective in this letter.
Bible scholars have written many books validating the Bible’s reliability, but with space limitations here, my goal is to present just some key points; with just a bit of investigation (resources follow), each point can be amply supported by data and examples:
– Fulfilled prophecies are convincing proof that the Bible is divinely inspired (e.g., 1 Kings predicts the reign of King Josiah three centuries before his kingship, many OT prophecies predict Jesus as the Messiah, etc.).
– Internal coherency: Although the Bible was penned by 40 different men from various walks of life over the course of 1,500 years, it has an astonishing internal coherency (e.g., the trajectory of God’s redemptive plan from Genesis to Revelation, consistent moral codes, etc.).
– Archeology has repeatedly validated the Bible, even years after skeptics decried the “error” of certain historical references (e.g., the Pool of Bethesda referred to in John 5).
– Reliable manuscripts: Our wealth of Bible manuscripts is far superior (in scope and in chronological proximity of copies to originals) to other ancient documents whose reliability is virtually unquestioned. Ancient writings of Tacitus, Plato, Herodotus, and others have a paltry number of extant copies. Copies are separated from the originals by 1,000 years or more and yet such documents are readily accepted by scholars and laymen alike. Compare this to the more than 5,000 copies of the New Testament accounts that were written just about 100 years after the originals.
Finally, it is fashionable among atheists to caricature the Bible by taking a passage out of context to prove its supposed illogic and undermine it. For instance, Bill Maher famously stated that if we believe in the Bible, we have to stone people who work on the Sabbath (referring to Old Testament Mosaic Law). But this comes from a misunderstanding of the historical context and purpose of the Mosaic law. Christians are no longer under the civil and ceremonial aspects of Mosaic Law, which is why Maher’s statement and others like it are anachronistic.
People often challenge the Bible by saying “it was written by fallible human beings” or that it is “outdated” or “self-contradicting.” When I’ve questioned those who say this to me, they usually admit they’ve never read the Bible nor done any research on its reliability. Rather, they just repeat what they’ve heard others say.
Considering the life-altering implications of the Bible being “God breathed” (1 Timothy 3:16), what better way could you spend your time than investigating whether that claim is true?
If you’re interested in learning more, a great resource is the Bible Thinker podcast series entitled “Has God Spoken?” Other useful resources are ReasonableFaith.org, GotQuestions.org, and ColdCaseChristianity.com.
VICKIE MELOGRANO
Cape May Point
