Bible Accuracy & Impact: Birth Certificate

The following is the next lesson in a historical and faithful study
beginning at 7:00 pm on Wednesdays.
at the church of Christ in Carthage, Missouri, south of the Ford dealership
PLEASE JOIN US!

The Big Questions
​
Our focus for this study hinges on answering these two big questions.  The goal is to get closer to the answers each week in our class.

How did we we get the Bible?
Is the Bible accurate and dependable?

Birth - Certifiable

​Introductory Questions:

What kind of information do we find on a birth certificate?
What does a birth certificate establish?
Why is a birth certificate important?

---

To serve as the president of the United States of America, there are three major requirements:  that you live in the U.S. for a minimum of 14 years, that you are at least 35 years old, and that you are a natural-born citizen (that is, born inside the country).  Every one of the presidents, extending all the way to George Washington, has fulfilled these three basic requirements.

However, these requirements were challenged for a long time before Barack Obama's birth certificate from Hawaii was finally exposed.  Before that point, it was said that he was born in his dad's native land of Kenya.  Even now, there are some among us who question Obama's birth certificate.  Theories abound about the document being a forgery, and people are automatically labeled as "birthers" when they question its authenticity.  It is one of just a handful of requirements to being president and one that must always be confirmed and authenticated in order for trust and honor to be maintained in the office of the "most powerful leader in the world".

President Obama's Birth Certificate

That authentication is always a question that emerges for our English Bible as well.  We want to know that what we are reading is what was intended by the Holy Spirit.  We want to confirm that our driving Document is true and that we may trust its ability to lead.  No one wants to be deceived.

Chapter Two of Neil Lightfoot's book, How We Got the Bible, the author makes us wonder about the origin of the Bible.  He makes us question the authenticity of the text, the organization of the text, and the preservation of the text.  This chapter is a natural companion to the previous chapter, but it extends beyond the form that the text assumes. In other words, there is more here than the writing technology that we discussed in the first chapter.

Guiding Questions:

• Who birthed the Bible?
• Who was the assisting Doctor?
• What was the result?

The Originals

Of course, we don't have the original texts of Scripture.  Those writings were preserved in ancient times by various methods.  The Book of the Law, for example, traveled inside the Ark of the Covenant (Deuteronomy 31:9, 24).  The Old Testament grew gradually as inspired writers recorded history and prophecy.  Incredibly, according to Lightfoot, "The Jewish authority, Josephus, sad that no book was added to the Hebrew Scriptures after the time of Malachi.

The New Testament came about in much the same way, over a short period of time (AD 50-100).  The letters, written by inspired men, were passed from church to church to be read in assemblies.  More information about all of this is shared within the text of How We Got the Bible​.

The preservation of such is an incredible process.  If the materials could not be protected and preserved, at least the words could be.  

More from our Text

Our book has something to say about how our Bible is arranged and in what languages it is presented, mentioning that in regards to the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible groups books differently than that with which we are accustomed, but the text is all the same:

• Law:  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
• Prophets:
  • Former Prophets:  Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings
  • Latter Prophets:  Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the Twelve (what we more commonly know as the twelve minor prophets)
• Writings:  Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles

Likewise, the New Testament is also grouped into three sections:

• History
• Doctrine
• Prophecy

Refer to the book for more details.

We heard samples of the three languages in which the original text was presented.  Lightfoot has some things to say about those three languages on pages 27-29, providing more information about which sections are written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

---

In Praise of the Scribes

Those workers who worked laboriously to make copies of Scripture are called scribes.  They often worked in a special location called a scriptorium.  The video here describes some of the tools and methods that the ancient scribes (and their medieval counterparts) used.

Important to note is an added practice of some scribes.  They took it upon themselves at times to write in the margins or on the backs of pages.  We would understand these notes to be uninspired, but that does not mean that they are useless.

Their notes, known as colophons, tell something about their work.  Sometimes, the scribe would include his name, the location of his work, and the date.  Lightfoot's book mentions a scribe telling of the completion of a manuscript and adding the commentary, "with great sweat and toil".  Others, the book reports, exclaim, "The end of the book - thanks be to God!"

They were unbelievably precise in their recording of the text, and very few minor differences can be detected in their work - perhaps due to the grave importance of getting the holy text correct.  To say the least, this job was tedious from start to finish.  The video here describes the preparations and the processes expected from one who held the position.  Understanding the process and care that was used brings us to the conclusion that our Scriptures are accurate and reliable.  God, using the right technology at just the right time, puts His real words in our hands today!

​Application Question

​How important is it?

Is it important to you that the Bible comes from reliable sources, or is it just a collection of wise sayings and advice for living?  Many atheists agree that there is wisdom in the teachings of Jesus Christ, but they do not believe that Jesus is a Messiah, that He performed miracles, that He walked out of His own grave, or that He prepares a place where His faithful disciples will be rewarded for eternity.

We contend that the Bible and everything it contains is supported by:

• textual claims
• origins of the text
• extrabiblical history
• the faith of martyrs​
• logic

• ​archeology
• geography
• geology
• astronomy

• ​biology
• chemistry
• physics
• mathematics
• and more

So how important is it to you that the Bible can be proven true?  Do you believe there is irrefutable evidence to its validity?  Is proof something that strengthens your personal faith in the existence of God?

Should faith alone be enough to drive you to drive you to your knees?  Is "blind" faith a stronger kind of faith?  If so, then why did God provide so much evidence?

​Go forward with us - or in this case, back to the beginning - as we continue our study next time.