1. More than Words: The Significance of Scripture Part 1 Selected Passages Logos Bible Fellowship 2/13/2008

2. The Significance of Scripture 1.It Carries the Proclamation of God 2.It Captures the Portrait of God 3.It Contains the Properties of God 4.It Conveys the Power of God 5.It Communicates the Promises of God

3. The Significance of Scripture 1.It Carries the Proclamation of God 2.It Captures the Portrait of God 3.It Contains the Properties of God 4.It Conveys the Power of God 5.It Communicates the Promises of God

4. The Canon of the Bible Primary criterion for a book to be considered as part of the canon and authoritative is propheticity Three secondary criteria for canonicity –Apostolic authority –Conformity to the rule of faith –Continuous acceptance and use by the church There was a high degree of unanimity of NT –The vast majority of the NT was unanimous by the first and second century Note: The Apocrypha was added to Roman Catholic canon in 1546 at the Council of Trent

5. Objective Proof for the Bible Internally consistent –Extremely consistent by ancient standards Genealogies in Matthew and Luke –Has stood up to all scrutiny over time –Most authentic book in history Library of 66 books penned by 40 authors over 1,500 years –From kings to prophets to tax collectors to ordinary fishermen – from every walk of life –Inclusion of embarrassing material and hard sayings –Ten of eleven disciples faced grisly deaths

6. Objective Proof for the Bible Unprecedented multiplicity of copies –More manuscripts than any ancient work Over 24,000 NT manuscripts 643 of Homer’s Iliad 9 manuscripts of Josephus’ The Jewish War 1 manuscript of Tacitus’ Annals of Imperial Rome –Age of the documents and variety of languages allow for accurate reconstruction Within a couple of generations vs. 5-10 centuries for many ancient writings

7. Objective Proof for the Bible Reliably preserved –NT manuscripts 99.5% pure –Dead sea scrolls (OT) found in 1947 after 2,000+ year burial – over 99% accuracy to modern Bibles Validated by Archeology –Sumerian king list & flood accounts around the world –The house of David, walls of Jericho, tower of Babel, pool of Bethesda, Jacob’s well

8. Objective Proof for the Bible More historical documentation for Jesus than for any other religious founder Corroborated by secular history –Josephus wrote of Christ’s crucifixion & resurrection –Tertullian and Phlegon corroborated the darkening of the sky in the 6 th hour while Christ was on the cross –Tacitus wrote of the crucifixion and spread of Christianity –Pliny the younger corroborated the worship of Jesus as God –The Talmud speaks of Jesus’ healing and miracle work

9. Objective Proof for the Bible Scientific knowledge in the Bible –The roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40:22) –The earth’s axis (Job 38:12-14) –Hydrological cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7) –Blood as the source of life (Leviticus 17:11) –Hygiene and disease (Leviticus 15:13) –Circumcision & clotting (Genesis 17:10-12) –Conservation of Mass (Genesis 2:1) –Entropy of universe (Hebrews 1:10-11)

10. Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy Destruction of Babylon (Isaiah 14:23) 70-year Jewish captivity (Jeremiah 25:11) Destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD 70 (Luke 19:41-44) Over 300 messianic prophecies fulfilled –Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) –Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) –Entry into Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25) –Death on the cross (Psalm 22) –Resurrection from the dead (Psalm 16:10) Speaks accurately to every area of life

11. Divine Nature of the Bible One story – Redemption from sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 5:37, 20:31; Luke 24:25-27, 44-49) One author – God (2 Peter 1:20-21) –Over 2,000 times in the OT alone, the Bible asserts to have been written by God –OT called the Word of God (Mark 7:13) –What Jesus preached (Luke 5:1) –Subtle clues too – Moses said (Mark 7:10) versus God said (Matthew 15:4)

12. Group Discussion 1.What part of today’s material is most amazing to you? What did you learn? 2.What should be our response to the fact that God has given so much evidence that the Bible is His Word? 3.How can we apply 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Job 23:12, and Colossians 3:16? 4.The Bible carries the proclamation of God. Do you want to know what God has to say? If so, how is your life different than the world? 5.How much time do you spend reading the newspaper vs. God’s Word?