1. Twelve Points That Show Christianity is True
Owning Your Worldview Considers:
By: Dr. Norman Geisler

2. Building Foundations Apologetics Logical Foundation (Points 1 and 2)
Supernatural Foundation (Points 3 through 5)
Historical Foundation (Points 6 through 12)
Point 12: Therefore, it is True that The Bible is the Word of God (and Anything Opposed to it is False)
This session will cover point 1 of 12.

3. Review:
We established a logical framework for evaluating the exclusivity claims of the Christian worldview.
We defined what miracles are and how God uses them to confirm His message and messengers.
We determined that we can be confident the NT is the most accurate ancient document in existence.
We saw that Jesus is God based on His claims, His life, and confirming miracles.
We saw that Jesus states that The Bible is God’s word and therefore cannot be in error.

4. If The Bible is True…What are the Implications
Can truth exist outside of The Bible?
What do we do with “truths” from other religions?
How do we deal with Christianity being the only completely “true” religion?
If The Bible is true, does that lead us to believe that Christians are always correct?
If Christians fail to live out the truths taught in The Bible, what is the impact on the world around them?

5. What does this conclusion DOES NOT mean?
Does not mean: There is no truth outside of The Bible.
The OT references several other works that are outside itself.
Joshua 10:13 references The Book of Jasher.
1 Chronicles 29:29 references The Book of Nathan the Prophet, The Book of Gad, and The Book of Samuel the Seer.
Since The Bible cannot be in error, it cannot reference something in a book that is in error…so their must be some truth in the referenced books.

6. What does this conclusion DOES NOT mean?
Does not mean: There is no truth outside of The Bible.
The NT references several other works that are outside itself.
Jude references The Book of Enoch.
Acts 17:28 Paul quotes the pagan author Aratus.
Titus 1:12 Paul quotes the pagan author Epimenides of Crete.
1 Corinthians 15:33 Paul quotes the pagan author Menander.

7. What does this conclusion DOES NOT mean?
Since The Bible cannot be in error, but it references works outside itself.
To reference an erroneous statement or book would be continuing the error.
The information being referenced must also be true.
If an entire book is referenced then it is safe to say the entire book must be true.
If only part of a book (or teaching) is quoted then we can only be sure that the specific reference is true.

8. What does this conclusion DOES NOT mean?
It doesn’t mean we don’t find truth outside of The Bible in our daily lives.
There are other human pursuits for truth:
Physical Sciences
Mathematics
Social Sciences
History
Your Personal Experiences
The key point here is that these areas may contain errors or partial truths. We can never be 100% certain they are correct.

9. What does this conclusion DOES NOT mean?
It doesn’t mean we don’t find truth outside of The Bible in our daily lives.
There are other human pursuits for truth:
Physical Sciences
Mathematics
Social Sciences
History
Your Personal Experiences
The key point here is that these areas may contain errors or partial truths. We can never be 100% certain they are correct.

10. Sola Scriptura
Sola Scriptura: means that scripture (The Bible) alone is the sole infallible source for truth for living out your faith (Rom. 1:1-4).
The Bible comes from God to tell us about Jesus.
The Bible is the only infallible source of truth.
The exclusivity statement is the infallible nature of The Bible.
It does not state that there is no truth outside of The Bible…only that other sources may contain errors.

11. What About Other Religions?
Other religions have made morality statements that contain truth.
Ancient Egyptian: “I have not slain men”.
Hindu: “Utter not a word by which anyone could be wounded”.
Roman: “Men were brought into existence…that they might do one another good”.
Ancient Chinese: “He whose heart is in the smallest degree set upon goodness will dislike no one”.
Greek: “Natural affection is a thing right and according to nature”.
Old Norse: “I saw in Nastrond (Hell)…beguilers of others’ wives.”

12. Theological Truths in Other Religions
A Theistic God exists - Judaism, Islam, and many primitive pre-literate religions.
Humans have a soul - most religions.
Immortality / life after death - most religions.
Basic moral laws and precepts - most religions.
Prayer or meditation - most religions.

13. The Christian Worldview on Religion
Mankind started out in direct relationship with God.
Sin entered into the relationship and started a distancing in the relationship.
This distance made the relationship take the form of monotheistic religion.
Sin continued to impact our understanding of God and so we continued to change out religious views.
Eventually the relationship became dysfunctional (on our end) and religions became warped and faulty.
Most still contain some elements of their original beliefs.

14. So, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, instinctively do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.
–Romans 2:14-16 (HCSB)

15. What does this mean?
EXCLUSIVITY CLAIM: Everything taught in The Bible is true.
Through this study we have shown that secular sources have shown The Bible to be a trustworthy historical document.
The teachings and miracles of Jesus have shown the Bible to be inerrant and infallible.

16. What does this mean?
Inerrancy and infallibility in the strictest sense applies to the original autographs written by each author.
We must be careful that we diligently translate The Bible into our modern languages.
We must be careful that we come to The Bible from the proper point of view and consider it in totality.
While The Bible may be infallible our interpretation of it can be wildly incorrect…one only needs to look around to find poor thinking about The Bible.

17. What does this mean?
EXCLUSIVITY CLAIM: Nothing opposed to what is taught in The Bible is true.
Assuming that truth corresponds to reality.
Assuming reality corresponds to the Law of Non- contradiction (since opposite ideas cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense).
Assuming there is Absolute Truth (since relative truth is self-defeating).

18. Exclusivity Claims Other Religions Oppose
God is Triune.
While on Earth, Jesus was fully God and fully Man.
Humans are sinners by nature.
Jesus died and rose from the dead.
The Bible is infallible.
Salvation is not by works.

19. What does this mean?
EXCLUSIVITY CLAIM: Christianity is the only “true” religion.
Christianity’s teachings are superior.
They are the highest teachings known to man.
They are the most comprehensive know to man.
They are the most wide-spread teaching in the world (The Bible is the all-time best seller).
They are the most enduring teachings.

20. Sufficient for Faith and Practice
All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
–2 Timothy 3:16-17 (HCSB)
And if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, written in this book.
–Revelation 22:19 (HCSB)

21. Conclusion The case has been built.
You may need answers to further questions…seek them.
You may still have doubts…confront them.
You may be confident in what you know…share it.
The journey continues for eternity.

22. Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
–John 14:6 (HCSB)