If this is what you believe as "evidence" then I am really not surprised that we can't agree on anything.
Let's look at the "pearls" this articles says.
Right from the start, it is obvious that this will be a dogmatic blather void of any documentation or valid references.
The opening sentence says it all:
"There can be no doubt about the fact [sic] that the Bible does claim to be the very Word of God. This is clearly seen in verses like 2 Timothy 3:15-17, which say , “. . .from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God..."
Goodness, so much nonsense in one sentence! First, it is not the Bible (how misleading!) but one book in the Bible written by one man (Paul) who has no witnesses who says that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God..."
That constitutes a "proof?" Maybe to someone with a reptilian-sized brain, FK. To make things even worse, the author quotes (who is the author, by the way?) verse 15 which says "from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
What scriptures pray tell? All they had (from their childhood no less) when Paul was still around was the Old Testament, and the Old Testament does not teach salvation through faith (let alone in Christ Jesus!), but through works (of keeping all of God's commandments, the mitzvot). And to the best of my understanding, Paul does not call his Epistles scriptures.
If this is the strongest argument the author has to present, then the whole article is intended for reptilian-sized brains to marvel; it would be laughable were it not an insult to intelligence.
His "proof' is in the "fact" that the Bible says so (in his mind)! He even confirms this by saying that
But, let's forge on with this "masterpiece." The author states:
"One of the first internal evidences that the Bible is truly God’s Word is seen in its unity. Even though it is really sixty-six individual books, written on three continents, in three different languages, over a period of approximately 1500 years, by more that 40 authors (who came from many walks of life), the Bible remains one unified book from beginning to end without contradiction."
Of course, this is a matter on "internal" interpretation, and nothing could be further from the truth. The author then leaps to this conclusion:
"This unity is unique from all other books and is evidence of the divine origin of the words as God moved men in such a way that they recorded His very words."
This "unity," which is in dispute except by those who blindly accept it as such, magically becomes "evidence" of the divine origin of God's very words! There is absolutely no valid cause and effect in this conclusion. The conclusion is based on a presumptive and subjectively claimed "unity," facts to the contrary notwithstanding.
He then moves on to the next internal "evidence," the prophesies:
"Another of the internal evidences that indicate the Bible is truly God’s Word is seen in the detailed prophecies contained within its pages."
Needless to say, even here is there a no consensus of opinions, and opinions are not "evidence.
To continue:
"A third internal evidence of the divine origin of the Bible is seen in its unique authority and power."
LOL! This is true of any "holy book." Very "unique" indeed.
"While this evidence is more subjective [sic] than the first two internal evidences, it is no less a very powerful testimony of the divine origin of the Bible."
How much "more subjective" can you get then this? By his logic any holy book is of divine origin because it holds unique authority and power over those who believe! The Bible has no authority or power over those who don't already believe.
"This authority and power are best seen in the way countless lives have been transformed by reading the Bible."
I am sure the mullahs say the same thing about the Koran—countless lives have been changed by it! In fact Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Using the Jurassic Park logic of this author, the Koran would definitely qualify as being of divine origin just based on that!
"Besides the internal evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word there are also external evidences that indicate the Bible is truly the Word of God. One of those evidences is the historicity of the Bible."
I was waiting for this one, LOL!
"Through both archaeological evidences and other written documents, the historical accounts of the Bible have been proven time and time again to be accurate and true. In fact all the archaeological and manuscript evidence supporting the Bible makes it the best documented book from the ancient world. "
A little false, and a little deceitful, but cleverly said. The first sentence is patently false. The second sentence cleverly states that all archeological evidence supporting the Bible makes it the best documented book from the ancient world. Of course, he doesn't say anything about the archeological evidence contradicting or not supporting the Bible. And there is plenty of that. Take the alleged Exodus and the alleged 40-years being lost in Sinai, or the alleged 460 years living in Egypt for openers. Biblical archeology was a colossal failure; it failed to prove a preconceived outcome.
"Another external evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word is the integrity of the human authors."
Oh, boy!
"God used men from many walks of life to record His Words to us."
Now that he has "proven" this to himself, then author writes about it as a "fact."
"In studying the lives of these men, there is no good reason to believe that they were not honest and sincere men. Examining their lives and the fact that they were willing to die (often excruciating deaths) for what they believed in, it quickly becomes clear that these ordinary yet honest men truly believed that God had spoken to them."
Sounds positively jihadist! Bin Laden could have written that paragraph! Being honest and sincere doesn't mean you are right! One can be honestly and sincerely wrong!
"The transformation of seeing the Risen Christ had a tremendous impact on these men. They went from hiding in fear, to being willing to die for the message God had revealed to them. Their lives and deaths testify to the fact that the Bible truly is God’s Word."
Actually, the Bible tells us that even after He rose form the dead some of his own disciples doubted (Mat 28:17), but he is correct in stating that at one point they changed form scared disciples to zealous Christians. But it wasn't the Risen Christ, or the miracles He performed, or what He preached. It was the Holy Spirit, or so the Bible says, and not the Scriptures. So, there is no cause and effect he claims here, namely that their death and lives testify that the Bible is truly God's word. It wasn't the Bible (the OT), it wasn't the Risen Jesus, and it certainly weren't the miracles and sermons, but whatever they understood to be the "Spirit of God" (which in Judaism was understood to be the power of God), His will.
"A final external evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word is the indestructibility of the Bible. Because of its importance and its claim to be the very word of God, the Bible has suffered more vicious attacks and attempts to destroy it than any other book in history...
The Bible remains intact, not because there is something magical about the Bible, but because the Jews and Christians and even Muslims hold on to it to various extent. When and if these religions disappear, so will the Bible, as a word of God at least.
"Throughout time, skeptics have regarded the Bible as mythological, but archeology has established it as historical"
To a very small and insignificant degree. But it has failed it to a much greater degree. Lack of any evidence of Exodus or Hebrew presence in Egypt makes a large portion of the Five Books of Moses highly questionable historically speaking.
"No matter how its opponents try to attack, destroy, or discredit it, the Bible remains just as strong, just a true, and just as relevant after the attacks as it was before"
If someone has decided that no matter what evidence they see contradicting their belief they will stick to their belief this is not a proof that the Bible remains just and true. It simply means that some people will hold on to a flat-earth belief no matter what.
"It should not surprise us that no matter how the Bible is attacked, it always comes out unchanged and unscathed."
Nothing could be farther form the truth. The Bible is a mumb-jumbo of disconnected, copied, plagiarized, and what not books written over a period of many centuries. It incorporates a pagan-like proto-Judaism, Davidic Judaism, Judaism of the post-Babylonian era (messianic and apocalyptic), the various sects (Sadducees, Pharisees, Essens, etc.) whose beliefs were incompatible with each other, and dozens of sects which had nothing in common, some of which were not even considered "Jewish" by the Pharisees (i.e. Samaritans) because, get this, they didn't believe the Temple should be in Jerusalem!
Now, add to all this the fact that God's Church HAS accepted the Bible as God's word, and I think one should have enough evidence
God's Apostolic Church believes in the message of the Bible as being the source of eternal truth, which reveals God as He wished us to know Him through Jesus Christ. We don't reads the Gospels to read history but to get a message to take home with us and live by it, imitating Christ.
I just showed you the scripture where Jesus says that a man LIVES by the word of God. Do you think it is such a wild stretch to take that as meaning that a man should know what the word of God IS?
And I showed you that the original language doesn't speak of any "words."
Now, outside the church, in the mission field of the whole world, ALL believers are called upon to be Christ's ministers of His Gospel
Where does the Bible say that?
I think the REAL faith of "limo-riders" would have to be yours since apparently you get to sit back and let other people do all of God's work
No, just those who have been appointed teachers in the Church through Holy Orders and ordination, just as I sit back and let the lawyers do the talking, and lay on the operating table and let the surgeon do the cutting, and just sit and sip my coffee and let the pilots do the flying.
Where does the Bible say that
It comes from the Great Commission.
Have you ever considered exercising faith alone in Christ alone, even for a slight moment?
Goodness, so much nonsense in one sentence! First, it is not the Bible (how misleading!) but one book in the Bible written by one man (Paul) who has no witnesses who says that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God..."
So your best criticism is that it is not the Bible which says anything, but rather a book of the Bible? And, that what Paul says is no good unless there are some number of witnesses sufficient for you? I have no idea what to say to that. :)
To make things even worse, the author quotes (who is the author, by the way?) verse 15 which says "from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." What scriptures pray tell? All they had (from their childhood no less) when Paul was still around was the Old Testament, and the Old Testament does not teach salvation through faith (let alone in Christ Jesus!), but through works (of keeping all of God's commandments, the mitzvot). And to the best of my understanding, Paul does not call his Epistles scriptures.
It is certainly fair to ask about the author. It doesn't say and these questions apparently are answered by various staff. Here is the explanation:
".... Our writing staff includes pastors, youth pastors, missionaries, Biblical counselors, Bible/Christian College students, Seminary students, and lay students of God's Word. All of our answers are reviewed for Biblical and theological accuracy by our President and Founder, S. Michael Houdmann. He possesses a Master's degree in Christian Theology from Calvary Theological Seminary and a Bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies from Calvary Bible College."
Of course if I post it in my answer you may assume I agree with it, unless otherwise indicated. Anyway, I disagree with you about whether the OT teaches salvation by faith. The first Jew is a primary example, and David is another. Many Jews did misinterpret the OT and believed in a works-based salvation model. Jesus criticized those types of Jews for their false beliefs. Paul of course correctly understood the OT teachings and explained them in his writings. For example:
Rom 4:1-10 : 1 What then shall we say that Abraham , our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about — but not before God. 3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7 "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven,whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." 9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!
Paul goes on, but you get the idea. This is what the OT REALLY teaches. And finally, I don't know if Paul calls his own writings scriptures, but Peter did:
2 Peter 3:15-16 : 15 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
And, if you want to throw out Peter's epistles because you think he didn't write them, as you have before, that is up to you. Scriptures are my highest written authority, so I'm going to quote them for anyone who wants to see what the Bible says. :)
But, let's forge on with this "masterpiece." The author states:
Of course, this is a matter on "internal" interpretation, and nothing could be further from the truth.
Naturally, the author understands that those who are actively hostile to what the vast majority of Christians believe about scriptures will not buy any of his arguments. Of course it wasn't the scope of the article to predict the hundreds or thousands of contradictions that you see in the scriptures and then refute them all. That would take years, as it has taken me so far. :)
This "unity," which is in dispute except by those who blindly accept it as such, magically becomes "evidence" of the divine origin of God's very words! There is absolutely no valid cause and effect in this conclusion. The conclusion is based on a presumptive and subjectively claimed "unity," facts to the contrary notwithstanding.
Hundreds of millions of Christians around the world know exactly what the author is talking about here. They have lived it. They know it to be true. It speaks to them. No other book like the Bible has ever been written.
[Continued on next post]
He then moves on to the next internal "evidence," the prophesies:
Needless to say, even here is there a no consensus of opinions, and opinions are not "evidence.
I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean that it is not clear that Biblical prophecies have come true? Obviously, men for many hundreds of years have been trying to show that, but they have all failed, haven't they, since Christianity is still going strong? Do you think you have evidence showing a Biblical prophecy to be false? I mean, I'll bet you could really make some money from some interested parties in that sort of thing.
By his logic any holy book is of divine origin because it holds unique authority and power over those who believe! The Bible has no authority or power over those who don't already believe.
Well, I remember well that when I really first read into the Bible I was by no means a believer and I remember to this day the power it had over me. It wasn't anything like I expected, and it just rang absolutely true to me in very simple terms. I know that's just my testimony so it doesn't count as "proof" for you, but I'd bet anything that a lot of other Christians would say something very similar.
Of course, he doesn't say anything about the archaeological evidence contradicting or not supporting the Bible. And there is plenty of that. Take the alleged Exodus and the alleged 40-years being lost in Sinai, or the alleged 460 years living in Egypt for openers. Biblical archeology was a colossal failure; it failed to prove a preconceived outcome.
If you are right I would think that Christianity would have been severely damaged because so many people would be on board with your view of the facts. Yet, this has never happened. I mean, you have to remember that you are not the first here. There have been countless THOUSANDS of men who even spent their whole lives trying to discredit the Bible. Yet they all failed. Perhaps this means something. :)
Now that he has "proven" this to himself, then author writes about it as a "fact."
Sounds positively jihadist! Bin Laden could have written that paragraph! Being honest and sincere doesn't mean you are right! One can be honestly and sincerely wrong!
Sure one can be honest and sincere and be wrong. However, look at what the Biblical authors taught. They didn't teach murder, etc., as the jihadists do. No, they taught what has well passed the test of time for an effective and fulfilling way of life. They taught things that hit directly home to ME. It's no contest. After God had opened my eyes, there is no way the jihadist message could ever be for me. The Biblical message, though, fit everything perfectly.
The Bible remains intact, not because there is something magical about the Bible, but because the Jews and Christians and even Muslims hold on to it to various extent. When and if these religions disappear, so will the Bible, as a word of God at least.
Ah, so we have the Jews and the Muslims to partly thank for our Bible still being around and relevant today. I see. And as for your opinion of the weakness and fleetingness of God's word, God obviously disagrees:
Isa 40:8 : The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
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Nothing could be farther form the truth. The Bible is a mumb-jumbo of disconnected, copied, plagiarized, and what not books written over a period of many centuries. It incorporates a pagan-like proto-Judaism, Davidic Judaism, Judaism of the post-Babylonian era (messianic and apocalyptic), the various sects (Sadducees, Pharisees, Essens, etc.) whose beliefs were incompatible with each other, and dozens of sects which had nothing in common, some of which were not even considered "Jewish" by the Pharisees (i.e. Samaritans) because, get this, they didn't believe the Temple should be in Jerusalem!
Well, I think your response goes to prove the truth of what the author says. Certainly among other Christians, almost NO ONE agrees with you. :) And among the atheists, etc., who make these types of arguments, their views have not seemed to have had any effect on how true believers view the Bible. Now, certainly they and liberals in general have done some damage in fooling SOME people (those who have never believed), but I am unaware of very many who called themselves true believers, but then became atheists because the "lies" of the Bible had somehow been revealed to them by science or logic or the arguments that we have been discussing.
FK: Now, outside the church, in the mission field of the whole world, ALL believers are called upon to be Christ's ministers of His Gospel.
Where does the Bible say that?
The Great Commission says that, but I know that you believe that is someone else's job. Following God's commands really isn't so hard when so few of them apply to you. :) If it was possible to know, I would be interested in knowing if the average Apostolic spent more time following the extra-Biblical commands of the Church or the Biblical commands of God. A hunch says I would be disappointed in the answer.