THE BIBLE IS GENUINE AND AUTHORITATIVE

 

Dan Flournoy

 

Is the Bible reliable?  Can we rely on its statement of fact?  Must we bow to its claims of authority?  What evidence is there to demonstrate that the Bible is genuine?  That is, how can we be sure that men like Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, Peter and Paul actually wrote the books ascribed to them?

 

Briefly, let us observe that the Scriptures were authoritative from the time of writing.  As Moses wrote the Pentateuch, the Israelites accepted his writing as being from God.  They observed the numerous signs which demonstrated that God was with him.  Even the magicians of Egypt said, "This is the finger of God." (Exodus 8:19).  Thus, as each Old Testament book was written, is was accepted, copied, preserved and placed in the collection of books that eventually became the 39 books of the Hebrew Bible.

 

Likewise, the apostles and prophets of the New Testament wrote and confirmed their word by signs and wonders (Hebrews 2:4; Mark 16:17).  Paul said “truly the signs of an apostle were worked among you” (2 Corinthians 12:12).  Early Christians kept, copied, collected and preserved the New Testament document with such care that we can say that the New Testament is the best attested document in all of ancient literature!

 

There are about 1,000 Hebrew manuscripts (copies) of the Old Testament in existence.   Over 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament are available today.  In addition to these, there are thousands of early translations of the Bible.  For example, the New Testament was translated into Syriac, Egyptian, and Latin between the end of the first century and end of the fourth century AD.    Furthermore, early Christians often quoted from the New Testament letters as they wrote to one another.  By taking the quotations of New Testament books in the writings of Christians up through about 325 AD, scholars have been able to reproduce the entire New Testament with the exception of fewer than a dozen verses.

 

In comparing the documents which support the genuineness of the Bible with those that support other ancient literary works, one can be certain of the Bible’s authenticity.  F.F. Bruce, professor of biblical criticism and exegesis in the University of Manchester, has said:

The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning.  And if the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt. (The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?, p. 15).

 

We stand amazed at the abundance of evidence for the genuineness and authenticity of the Bible.  God in His providence has preserved the sacred text.  We need have no doubt as to its reliability.  The Bible indeed is from God, its authority is unquestionable and its statements are infallible.  Therefore, we must obey its commands and may derive hope from its promises.