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Usually, when someone writes a book, they do a ‘rough draft’ and then
go back through it changing, polishing and perfecting the text, until they are
happy with the way it is written. Some authors write their entire book several
times, making changes and re-writing whole chapters, and even then they may have
more work to do if the publisher has some further suggestions.
The same could be said about anything which humans do. It is almost
impossible for any human to produce a major work perfect in every detail first
time. Music, dance, painting, acrobatics, ice-skating, sport . . . in every
pursuit there is an initial process of learning and practise, with many mistakes
and finally there comes a performance which is reasonable, but not perfect.
Perhaps it is this built-in ‘imperfection’ problem shared by all
humans, which leads some people to transfer what they have experienced in their
own life (and seen in other lives) to the Bible? After all, to the believer and
unbeliever alike, the Bible appears to be a book just like any other
book, made of paper, ink and glue. On what basis may anyone decide that the
Bible alone, in the midst of all the millions of other books in the world, is
totally free of errors?
And when the Bible is heard (on tape or CD), it appears to be made
of words, just like any other written document, so why should the story as heard
in the Bible be any different from say a very accurate history book, or a
medical dictionary? True, there are claims that the Bible ‘speaks’ like no
other book, but there are many other religious or ‘spiritual’ books which
also inspire and move their hearers with much the same effect. Is it all, in the
end, just a matter of faith?
It would be very unsettling for millions of Christians if it turned out
that their faith ‘caused’ the Bible to be inspired. We would then have a
situation where the believers were the foundation on which the inspiration of
Scripture rested, rather than the other way round. In other words “The Bible
is God’s Word because I believe it is”. If this was true, then any
book could be considered “inspired” if someone believed it to be. Logically,
if people believed any book was inspired, it would be inspired, and
conversely, if people believed a book was not inspired, it would not be.
In other words, the charge is made that inspiration is therefore a
subjective thing, and that there is no way we can base the inspiration of the
Bible on objective examination.
This, of course, is like a lolly scramble for the sceptic, who has
already made the subjective decision that the Bible is not inspired by God.
Armed with this preconceived view the sceptic goes looking for ‘mistakes’ in
the Bible, and usually finds them - plenty of them.
One reply to the charge that the Bible is “full of mistakes” is that
the original Greek and Hebrew was perfect. This is very difficult for most
Christians to take much further because most Christians do not speak either
Hebrew or Greek, and even if they did they would still need to do a great deal
of study.
Faced with these problems it may seem that there is very little one can
do to prove that the Bible is inspired, but there are several objective
methods which most Christians can use to test the inspiration of the
Bible.
One method is the Historical examination. Armed with a pile of
history books any Christian can read the Bible and then compare what it says
with the history books. There is always a perfect match, provided the history
books are objectively written. Furthermore, any Christian can compare the words
of the prophets with the actual history and see a perfect match. What the
prophets said would happen to Babylon, Nineveh, Jerusalem and so on, has all
come true exactly as foretold. A second ‘arm’ of confirmation is Archaeology,
which also confirms the details as recorded. Other branches of science also
confirm the details, and many of the details – such as Customs, Fashions,
Languages, Idioms, Commerce and so forth are regularly being confirmed.
What we are trying to say, when we appeal to the methods of examination
listed above, is that the inspiration of Scripture is not just a matter of
faith. If the Bible was a car, we would be saying ‘Hop in and drive’, or if
it was a meal we would say ‘Pick up a fork and start eating’, because the
Bible is open to examination. It can be tested. Unlike some mystical book which
relies on the vague interpretations of those who read it, the Bible deals with
real-time events, in geographical locations, and it is peopled with names,
nations and customs which can be examined. If any glaring, obvious mistakes in
any of these areas show up, then obviously the Bible cannot be trusted anywhere
else.
Causes
of scepticism.
When I was a child I had a friend who liked to tell me ‘tall tales’.
He enjoyed testing my credulity, and on one occasion he ‘stretched the
truth’ so far I was full of admiration at how much he knew. I went home and
told my mother what my friend had told me. She then laughed and told me the
truth, which I never forgot. I was thereafter more cautious about what my friend
told me, and as I recall he never ‘caught me out’ again. I had developed a
healthy scepticism, which worked to my advantage from then on, i.e. I didn’t
believe everything I was told.
In some cases, healthy scepticism works against a person’s best
interests. At other times it helps to keep us alive. It is a part of our normal
reasoning process. It is not a bad thing to be sceptical, but it can be an
advantage lost if the facts point one way and our scepticism points the other.
When it comes to the inspiration of the Bible, the sceptics and critics
do not seem to give it a fair and equal opportunity to prove itself one way or
the other. Sceptics, in my experience, are usually already decided before they
examine the Bible, and even when they do examine it, they come with an
assumption which they will not be set aside. It is as if they actually want to
find mistakes in the Bible, and it is a evident that people tend to find
whatever they look for.
1.
Self-imposed
ignorance.
This is probably the most important reason for Bible scepticism. As Roman
1:18-23 says “(they) suppressed the truth . . . . because, although they knew
God, they did not glorify him . . . and
they became futile in their thoughts . . .” The word ‘suppressed’ has the
same sort of meaning as ‘holding down’ something, such as an eager puppy,
which keeps trying to jump up and lick your face. With great annoyance, sceptics
hold down the truth as it tries to get their attention.
2.
Pride.
As Jesus said “You are not willing to come to me that you might have
life . . . how can you believe, who receive honour from one another, and do not
seek the honour that comes from the only God?” John 5:40-44. Many, but not
all, sceptics are unwilling to accept the evidence which points to the
inspiration of Scripture, because to do so would mean they would have to admit
they were wrong. It is always hard to admit error. In the case of the text just
quoted, the Jewish leaders were faced with the prospect of admitting that Jesus
was in fact the Messiah – and there was every good reason why they should have
done so, because Jesus had demonstrated his miracle power before them hundreds
of times. So it was not a lack of evidence which held them back.
3.
A
moral problem.
“And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light . . .” John 3:19-21. That expression ‘men
loved darkness’ means that people prefer the pleasures of sin to the
discipline of obedience. The Jewish leaders preferred the position of power,
wealth and prestige they had to the humility and service required by Jesus.
Sceptics may prefer their sin-spoiled lifestyle to the more difficult Christian
life which acceptance of the Bible would entail.
I was reading a testimony not long ago, about a student who did not
believe in the historicity of the Bible. She had convinced everyone that she had
searched and found many intellectual problems. No intellectual argument by her
Christian friends could dissuade her. But when someone mentioned her moral life
she broke down and admitted that this was the real reason why she would not
accept the Bible.
To this could be added a simple question which should be addressed to a
sceptic: “If it can be shown that the Bible is the perfect Word of God, will
you accept Christ as your Saviour?” If the answer is “No” then the problem
is not a lack of evidence, but a moral resistance.
One notable sceptic was Aldous Huxley, an atheist who destroyed the
Christian faith wherever he went, yet has been hailed as a great intellect. In
his book ‘Ends and Means’ he writes: “I had motives for not wanting the
world to have a meaning; consequently assumed that it had none, and was able
without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The
philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with
a problem in metaphysics, he is also concerned to prove that there is no valid
reason why he personally should not do what he wants to do, or why his friends
should not seize political power and govern in the way that they find most
advantageous to themselves . . . for myself, the philosophy of meaninglessness
was essentially an instrument of liberation, sexual and political”
Another intelligent atheist was Bertrand Russell, who did not give
careful examination to the evidence for Christianity. In his essay ‘Why I am
not a Christian’ he did not even spend time considering the evidence for the
resurrection. From what he says it is likely that he did not even read the New
Testament, yet he was extremely sceptical of the basic Christian doctrines.
The challenge.
Jesus put out a clear challenge to sceptics. He said “If any man is
willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is God,
or whether I speak from Myself!” John 7:17.
Put another way, suppose someone gives you a recipe for a delicious cake.
As a recipe the list of ingredients is not particularly appetising, but if the
recipe is converted into real food, and if the instructions are followed, a
delicious cake will follow. In the same way, Jesus challenges sceptics to take
his words and put them into practise – as a person obeys Jesus, the results
will speak for themselves. If the Bible is accepted as the Word of God, it will
confirm itself, but as long as it is held at a distance and viewed with
scepticism, it will remain as a book.
One example of a ‘mistake’.
Some Bible notes unwittingly supply ‘ammunition’ for the sceptics.
This is because not all Christian exegetical work is perfect – commentaries
also frequently make erroneous statements or mislead the reader with dates or
‘facts’. This unfortunate state of affairs has nothing whatever to do with
the Bible itself. Misunderstandings are common in any major work, such as the
complete works of Shakespeare, and the Bible is no exception. A book, for
example, by Einstein, or Newton, would probably cause many readers to stumble as
they failed to understand some of the words or concepts. Compounding this
problem it must be admitted that some modern Bibles have so many ‘marginal
notes’ one would think that almost all the text is questionable!
From my own experience, after reading and studying the Bible for
over 30 years, I can say with confidence that I have never found a single
error. By this I mean that every supposed contradiction has been resolved, every
textual mistake has been found to be in harmony with its context, and, after
careful examination, I have discovered a perfection and unity in the whole Bible
which has never been seriously challenged by any criticism.
At this point we could supply at least 200 pages of text by text proof,
showing that the Bible is inspired, but this evidence is available to Christians
if they look for it, so there is no need to labour the point. On the other hand,
sceptics would not want to read that much proof, because their problem is moral
and intellectual. No amount of evidence will convince a sceptic. As Jesus said
pointed out some people will not believe even if someone rises from the dead.
So we will look at just one example of supposed error in the Bible. As a
typical pattern of how supposed errors can occur this will serve to show that
there is no solid basis for scepticism. All supposed errors can be resolved with
equal ease and logical reasoning.
In some Bibles there is an insert called a ‘Harmony of the
Gospels’ which lists the main events in the four gospels, grouping similar
accounts together as if they are the same account
despite many details which differ. The reader, presumably, is supposed to
think “Well, these two accounts are similar in some ways, but different in
others, so the Bible must be close enough to accurate to be reasonably reliable,
even if it isn’t perfectly accurate”. This some Bibles actually support the
sceptics.
Take, for example, the case of the demoniacs who were healed. According
to the Harmonies, the two accounts are placed together despite many obvious
differences, and it seems, because of these differences, that the Bible contains
many mistakes. But the explanation is simple. Here’s how it works: Imagine
that you had breakfast this Monday and last Monday, and on each Monday you ate
something similar and something different, and then along comes someone and says
that your two accounts of the two Mondays represent only one Monday. Obviously,
because of the different details you mentioned, your memory must be slipping?
How can you have coffee in one story, and tea in the other? One account is
probably right, but the other is a mistake right?
Compare Mat.8:28-34, with the other two accounts in Mark 5:1-20 and Luke
8:26-40.
1.
In Matthew there are TWO demoniacs who arrive on the scene.
In Mark and Luke only ONE man appears.
2.
In Matthew the visitors landed opposite to the place where they set sail
from - GERGASENES. In Mark and Luke
it was the GADARENES.
3.
In Matthew Jesus does NOT ask for any name. In Mark and Luke Jesus ASKS
for the man’s name.
4.
In Matthew there is no mention of BONDS being used. In Mark and Luke
CHAINS are mentioned as having been tried on the man.
5.
In Matthew Jesus says NOTHING in the way of commands or admonitions to
the freed men. In Mark and Luke Jesus COMMANDED the man to go back home and tell
his people about the event.
6.
In Matthew the event took place BEFORE the 12 disciples were called.
(Mat.10) In Mark and Luke Jesus delivered the man AFTER he called the 12
disciples (Mark 3:14 and Luke 6:13)
Sceptics come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them wear the gowns of
academia and talk of philosophy or ‘Higher Criticism’, others openly attack
the Bible using foul language and innuendo. Whatever the method, they are always
the same in their aim – to discredit and degrade the Bible. To those who
already do not want to obey God the sceptics provide a line of defence to hide
behind, and to the Christian apologetics they provide a stimulating and
interesting point of discussion. It
is thanks to the sceptics that many Christians have been driven back to the
Bible to study it with more effort, and the results have always been good.
Sceptics have indirectly added to the huge amount of powerful Christian
apologetics which the Church now possesses.
As Bernard Ramm wrote “No other book has been so chopped, knifed,
sifted, scrutinized and vilified. What book of philosophy or religion or
psychology or belles lettres of classical or modern times has been
subject to such a mass attach as the Bible? With such venom and scepticism? With
such thoroughness and erudition? Upon every chapter, line, and tenet?”
(‘Protestant Christian Evidences’)
The very fact that there are people who spend an inordinate amount of time and effort trying to discredit the Bible is, in fact, indirect evidence that the Bible must be a very important and significant book. If, as the sceptics say, the Bible is full of mistakes, why on earth are they so interested in it?