One of the more common questions we are asked is, “How do you know the Bible is true?”  Actually, it is more frequently, “The Bible isn’t true!”  Well, we do have plenty of evidence to support that it is indeed the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of the living God.  Far too many people’s faith has been completely derailed due to inaccurate information on this topic.  Every single Christian needs to be able defend the Word for when (not if) the question arises.  Simply claiming to believe in it by faith is neither sufficient nor responsible.

     Even in this culture that is defiant and rebellious against the authority of the Bible, we need to always remember that their position is simply taken from a poor representation of the facts.  Just last week we talked with an agnostic that spoke quite aggressively against the Bible being a man made book.  Toward the end of the night, I spoke with him further for about 15 minutes in the frigid tundra (that is downtown Grand Rapids).  He held his position, but he wouldn’t leave.  When this happens, inside I wonder, ‘Why is this person even hanging around talking about this?’  But I know why.  It’s because they really truly don’t know… they want someone to tell them the real Truth regardless of how much they appear to know about it.  This guy left at least considering the alternative to his faulty world view.

Below is an article by Hank Hanegraaff on Biblical reliability along with a few links to better prepare yourself to defend the Word. 

M-A-P-S to Guide You through Biblical Reliability
by Hank Hanegraaff

Use M-A-P-S to guide you through Biblical reliability:
Manuscripts, Archaeology, Prophecy, Statistics
 
Have you tried to show someone the historical reliability of the Scriptures, and not known where to start? A quick trip to your local well-stocked Christian bookstore likely will overwhelm you. Where among the dozens of impressive, comprehensive reference books should you start?
 
Fortunately, while there is a wealth of information available to support the reliability of Scripture, you don’t have to burn, the midnight oil to give a reasonable answer to those who ask, “How can we know the Bible is reliable?” Four basic principle chart your way to understanding basic biblical reliability.
 
To help you remember, I’ve developed the simple acronym “MAPS.” Remember the word MAPS and you will be able to chart Bible reliability.
 
Manuscripts
 
Manuscripts relates to the tests used to determine the reliability of the extant manuscript copies of the original documents penned by the Scripture writers (we do not possess these originals). In determining manuscript reliability, we deal with the question: How can we test to see that the text we possess in the manuscript copies is an accurate rendition of the original? There are three main manuscript tests: the Bibliographic, Eyewitness, and External (a second acronym — BEE — will help you remember these).
 
The bibliographic test considers the quantity of manuscripts and manuscript fragments, and also the time span between the original documents and our earliest copies. The more copies, the better able we are to work back to the original. The closer the time span between the copies and the original, the less likely it is that serious textual error would creep in. The Bible has stronger bibliographic support than any classical literature — including Homer, Tacitus, Pliny, and Aristotle.
 
We have more than 14,000 manuscripts and fragments of the Old Testament of three main types: (a) approximately 10,000 from the Cairo Geniza (storeroom) find of 1897, dating back as far as about AD. 800; (b) about 190 from the Dead Sea Scrolls find of 1947-1955, the oldest dating back to 250-200 B.C.; and (c) at least 4,314 assorted other copies. The short time between the original Old Testament manuscripts (completed around 400 B.C.) and the first extensive copies (about 250 B.C.) — coupled with the more than 14,000 copies that have been discovered — ensures the trustworthiness of the Old Testament text. The earliest quoted verses (Num. 6:24-26) date from 800-700 B.C.
 
The same is true of the New Testament text. The abundance of textual witnesses is amazing. We possess over 5,300 manuscripts or portions of the (Greek) New Testament — almost 800 copied before A.D. 1000. The time between the original composition and our earliest copies is an unbelievably short 60 years or so. The overwhelming bibliographic reliability of the Bible is clearly evident.
 
The eyewitness document test (“E”), sometimes referred to as the internal test, focuses on the eyewitness credentials of the authors. The Old and New Testament authors were eyewitnesses of — or interviewed eyewitnesses of — the majority of the events they described. Moses participated in and was an eyewitness of the remarkable events of the Egyptian captivity, the Exodus, the forty years in the desert, and Israel’s final encampment before entering the Promised Land. These events he chronicled in the first five books of the Old Testament.
 
The New Testament writers had the same eyewitness authenticity. Luke, who wrote the Books of Luke and Acts, says that he gathered eyewitness testimony and “carefully investigated everything” (Luke 1:1-3). Peter reminded his readers that the disciples “were eyewitnesses of [Jesus’] majesty” and “did not follow cleverly invented stories” (2 Pet. 1:16). Truly, the Bible affirms the eyewitness credibility of its writers.
 
The external evidence test looks outside the texts themselves to ascertain the historical reliability of the historical events, geographical locations, and cultural consistency of the biblical texts. Unlike writings from other world religions which make no historical references or which fabricate histories, the Bible refers to historical events and assumes its historical accuracy. The Bible is not only the inspired Word of God, it is also a history book — and the historical assertions it makes have been proven time and again.
 
Many of the events, people, places, and customs in the New Testament are confirmed by secular historians who were almost contemporaries with New Testament writers. Secular historians like the Jewish Josephus (before A.D. 100), the Roman Tacitus (around A.D. 120), the Roman Suetonius (A.D. 110), and the Roman governor Pliny Secundus (A.D. 100-110) make direct reference to Jesus or affirm one or more historical New Testament references. Early church leaders such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, Julius Africanus, and Clement of Rome — all writing before A.D. 250 — shed light on New Testament historical accuracy. Even skeptical historians agree that the New Testament is a remarkable historical document. Hence, it is clear that there is strong external evidence to support the Bible’s manuscript reliability.
 
Archaeology

Returning to our MAPS acronym, we have established ,the first principle, manuscript reliability. Let us consider our second principle, archaeological evidence. Over and over again, comprehensive field work (archaeology) and careful biblical interpretation affirms the reliability of the Bible. It is telling when a secular scholar must revise his biblical criticism in light of solid archaeological evidence.
 
For years critics dismissed the Book of Daniel, partly because there was no evidence that a king named Belshazzar ruled in Babylon during that time period. However, later archaeological research confirmed that the reigning monarch, Nabonidus, appointed Belshazzar as his co-regent while he was away from Babylon.
 
One of the most well-known New Testament examples concerns the Books of Luke and Acts. A biblical skeptic, Sir William Ramsay, trained as an archaeologist and then set out to disprove the historical reliability of this portion of the New Testament. However, through his painstaking Mediterranean archaeological trips, he became converted as — one after another — of the historical statements of Luke were proved accurate. Archaeological evidence thus confirms the trustworthiness of the Bible.
 
Prophecy

The third principle of Bible reliability is Prophecy, or predictive ability. The Bible records predictions of events that could not be known or predicted by chance or common sense. Surprisingly, the predictive nature of many Bible passages was once a popular argument (by liberals) against the reliability of the Bible. Critics argued that the prophecies actually were written after the events and that editors had merely dressed up the Bible text to look like they contained predictions made before the events. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. The many predictions of Christ’s birth, life and death (see below) were indisputably rendered more than a century before they occurred as proven by the Dead Sea Scrolls of Isaiah and other prophetic books as well as by the Septuagint translation, all dating from earlier than 100 B.C.
 
Old Testament prophecies concerning the Phoenician city of Tyre were fulfilled in ancient times, including prophecies that the city would be opposed by many nations (Ezek. 26:3); its walls would be destroyed and towers broken down (26:4); and its stones, timbers, and debris would be thrown into the water (26:12). Similar prophecies were fulfilled concerning Sidon (Ezek. 28:23; Isa. 23; Jer. 27:3-6; 47:4) and Babylon (Jer. 50:13, 39; 51:26, 42-43, 58; Isa. 13:20-21).
 
Since Christ is the culminating theme of the Old Testament and the Living Word of the New Testament, it should not surprise us that prophecies regarding Him outnumber any others. Many of these prophecies would have been impossible for Jesus to deliberately conspire to fulfill — such as His descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 12:3; 17:19; Num. 24:21-24); His birth in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2); His crucifixion with criminals (Isa. 53:12); the piercing of His hands and feet at the crucifixion (Ps. 22:16); the soldiers’ gambling for His clothes (Ps. 22:18); the piercing of His side and the fact that His bones were not broken at His death (Zech. 12:10; Ps. 34:20); and His burial among the rich (Isa. 53:9). Jesus also predicted His own death and resurrection (John 2:19-22). Predictive Prophecy is a principle of Bible reliability that often reaches even the hard-boiled skeptic!
 
Statistics

Our fourth MAPS principle works well with predictive prophecy, because it is Statistically preposterous that any or all of the Bible’s very specific, detailed prophecies could have been fulfilled through chance, good guessing, or deliberate deceit. When you look at some of the improbable prophecies of the Old and New Testaments, it seems incredible that skeptics — knowing the authenticity and historicity of the texts — could reject the statistical verdict: the Bible is the Word of God, and Jesus Christ is the Son of God, just as Scripture predicted many times and in many ways.
 
The Bible was written over a span of 1500 years by forty different human authors in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), on hundreds of subjects. And yet there is one consistent, noncontradictory theme that runs through it all: God’s redemption of humankind. Clearly, Statistical probability is a powerful indicator of the trustworthiness of Scripture.
 
The next time someone denies the reliability of Scripture, just remember the acronym MAPS, and you will be equipped to give an answer and a reason for the hope that lies within you (1 Pet. 3:15). Manuscripts, Archaeology, Prophecy, and Statistics not only chart a secure course on the turnpikes of skepticism but also demonstrate definitively that the Bible is indeed divine rather than human in origin.
 

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

NIV
 

     Once again we are blessed to announce some new members of the Truth Tank team – Jason and Valerie Porter.  They have been a joy to watch, as we’ve gotten to know them better, growing in their faith and stepping forward boldly proclaiming the Gospel.  There is no doubt that God will continue to use these two in amazing ways.  Valerie went through the Ambassador’s Academy in California last year (www.ambassadorsalliance.com), and her and Jason (and some others from the Grand Rapids area) are planning to go back this April.  This training is put on by friends of ours at the Living Waters ministry, and is a completely life changing experience.  I would highly encourage anyone interested in growing as an evangelist to make the investment for this event put on throughout the year.  Contact us if you would like more information.  We ask too that you pray for this local ministry as we expect to continue to add more team members this year.  Maybe one of them is you!   Take a look at the team member requirements here, and please feel free to come out for any event to just check out what God is doing.  
 

by Kris Zoerman

     Last night I spoke to a couple of young men who had been discussing God most of the afternoon with one another. They had multiple unanswered questions about what God wants from them, and although they had both grown up in Christian homes, they clearly realized they were not right with God. I realized these guys could have been me just a few years ago so I shared with them my testimony in detail; how God had showed me not only my hypocrisy, but how my sin, my ungodliness, my deserved punishment was paid for by Jesus Christ when he was crushed by the Holiness of God…that God opened my eyes to the Truth of my what Christ actually did for me on the cross. Christ became precious. They got it.

     There is something very cool happening right now. Many people are waking up to the reality that the things of this world are a weak foundation. That possessions, government, jobs, money, etc., are an unstable place to put your hope and trust. God is using the local and global instability to rock belief structures. In the past few months we’ve been very blessed to have many divine encounters with people who are searching for a firm foundation.

Carm.org Bible Answer Page
I’m a big fan of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry website.  This is a link to their Bible page that deals with OT & NT manuscripts, scientific evidence, etc.

http://www.carm.org/bible.htm

How was Canon of Scripture adopted?
This is a helpful site for better understanding how the books of the Bible are considered God’s Word.  Be sure to check the other links at the bottom of the page.

www.gotquestions.org/canon-of-Scripture.html

Dead Sea Scrolls
Some basic information on the Dead Sea Scrolls:

www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a023.html

Gnostic Gospels
Remember all the DaVinci Code hype?  It was really nothing new, just a resurfacing in the interest of the Gnostic gospels.  Here is a site dealing with the topic.

www.thetruthaboutdavinci.com

Errors?
People often cite that the Bible is full of errors.  Interestingly, they can’t usually name any.  I found this site recently, and there is a lot of info in there.  This page in particular gives a drop down for different books of the Bible with apparent contradictions and an answer for each.  There are quite a few great books out there that deal with this issue as well.  I highly recommend doing some digging on this topic… it is sure to strengthen your faith in the Bible.

http://www.tektonics.org/index2.html

Church History
This is a great little site regarding Church history.

www.chinstitute.org

     A friend sent me a youtube link recently of Penn from the Penn & Teller show.  If you don’t know, these are guys that have a magic/comedy show in Las Vegas, and a TV show on Showtime called Bulls***, which basically attacks pretty regularly things like Christianity, the Bible, etc.  I have had the unfortunate opportunity to watch clips of their TV program online.  It is highly blasphemous and chock full of really bad information.  I thought the clip this friend sent was going to be one of the episodes.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a little clip of Penn basically venting online.  In this clip, he was talking about a man that went to his show in Vegas that met him afterwards, was very complimentary and brought him a Gideon pocket Bible.  Penn, an avowed atheist, was really moved by this act.  What was particularly interesting to me in this segment was that as Penn was commenting about the Bible, he mentioned that he thought Psalms was part of the New Testament.  That statement made it pretty clear to me that the programs he presented on the Bible certainly weren’t built from his own research.  It seems to me that he just has a pre-disposition against the Bible, and was likely spoon fed the information to be presented against it.   He also mentioned that he doesn’t respect people that don’t proselytize, if they really believe that hell is real or if eternal life is attainable.  He also wondered how much do you would have to hate someone not to tell them.  So, the point for sharing?  If I had a list of guys that I had zero respect for, Penn would probably be right up near the top.  It’s important to remember that anyone can get saved, and that even the biggest jerks are human beings too… and maybe there is someone out there just waiting for you to share the Gospel with them.  I’m pretty sure he hasn’t converted as of yet, so he could use some prayer too.  You can view the clip here.  I wouldn’t recommend clicking on the associated links…

"Didn’t men write the Bible?" 

     Absolutely. When you write a letter, do you write the letter, or does the pen? Obviously you do; the pen is merely the instrument you use. God used men as instruments to write His "letter" to humanity. They ranged from kings to common fishermen, but the 66 books of the Bible were all given by inspiration of God. Proof that this Book is supernatural can been seen with a quick study of its prophecies. 

Excerpted from The Evidence Bible
 

    Other than the freezing cold, we have really been enjoying our time out at the Van Andel Arena for the Griffins games.  We would love to have some visitors come and check out what is happening!  We will be out on Friday nights through the end of February for anyone interested.  We also have a concert coming up on the 13th which should be pretty wild as usual.  This one features 80's rock band Motley Crue.  Email us (tom@truthtank.com) to let us know if you'd like to come for any date. 
 

“He whose head is in heaven need not fear to put his feet into the grave”    

 Matthew Henry