Who are these guys?  

One of the first questions we often ask ourselves (or should ask ourselves) when reading any non-fiction book is —  who is this author and is he or she an authority on the subject. The author’s credibility is most often linked to his or her qualifications to speak on the subject and our willingness to believe him/her.

So what do we do with the 40 writers of the Bible?




This was not an easy question, neither for those "canonizers" of the Old Testament and even more so for those of the New. Both, however, started from the same point—that the ultimate author of the Bible was God: All Scripture is breathed out by God . . . (2 Timothy 3:16). From there, it was a mater of creating a “measuring stick” (canon in the Greek) by which to test each book.

Though little is written about the canonization of the Old Testament, there seemed to be universal acceptance of those books included, primarily because of the care the scribes compiling the canon took into account:

     *The reputation of each book’s human author

     *Doctrines and statements within a given manuscript that conflict with the clear teachings of established biblical writings

     *Historical inaccuracies and/or spurious prophetic utterances that would cast a shadow of doubt on a manuscript

     *A book’s widespread acceptance or rejection by respected scholars

Even the Jewish historian Josephus mentions these books as “containing the history of all time, books that are justly believed in.” (Process of deciding the Old Testament canon)

The New Testament canon took a bit more time, going through four councils until the “measuring stick” was ultimately decided in AD 393:

*First, each book was written by an apostle or one closely associated with an apostle.
    
*Second, the contents of these books were revelatory in nature.
    
*Third, these books were universally recognized by the church in their teaching and preaching ministry.
   
*Fourth, these books were considered inspired because they bore the marks of inspiration. (Canon)

Again, many would argue against the Bible as being divine because of the difficulty in agreeing on what books should be included and because of their fallible human authors. But, as always, we must come back to the truth of the matter. Who is the ultimate author? And as one source said. “The human process of collecting the books of the Bible was flawed, but God, in His sovereignty, and despite our ignorance and stubbornness, brought the early church to the recognition of the books He had inspired.” (How was the canon . . .)

Join me next week for the final CRAAP criteria—Purpose.

“I don’t believe the Bible. I don’t believe what it says is true.”

How many times have I heard that statement or some version of it. And it would be a valid one if . . . if the Bible was not accurate in what it said.

But it is.

The defense (apologetics) of the Bible will take longer than this blog has room for, so I will provide the initial rationale and then give you two links to more detailed accounts so you can get a much fuller picture.

First, all ancient documents are evaluated through a Bibliographic Test to determine their reliability and authenticity. This test looks at the number of manuscripts currently available, the quality of those manuscripts (accuracy of the copies), and the span of time between when the original was written and an existing copy (since the original is not with us any more.)

If you look at the chart supplied (Ancient Manuscript Comparison Chart), you will see that the Bible leads the field in all these areas — by miles. It has over 5600 extant copies, the time between an original and one of the copies is less than 100 years, and the differences between those copies is .5%, most of which deal with spelling variants and other non-doctrine related words.

The text that comes closest to the Bible’s reliability is Homer’s Iliad, which has 643 existing copies, the closest of which is 500 years from the original, and has a 5% difference among the current copies. After that (as you can see) things fall away quickly. Therefore, if you are to accept Homer’s Iliad as being reliable, or a work of Sophocles or Aristotle, then logically, you can not dismiss the Bible just because you want to.

However, the Bible’s proof of reliability goes two steps further than other ancient documents.

The second test is the Internal Test: What does the Bible say about itself? Not only do a number of the New Testament authors claim to be eye witnesses, intimately acquainted with Christ, and willing to die for their testimony, but the 66 books of the entire Bible, written by 40 different people over the course of 1500 years, never contradict each other but rather create a unified whole, proclaiming one message—God’s love for and redemption of man.

The third test is the External Test: Since the Bible refers to historical events, other documents and archeological discoveries should prove it. They do. The historical presence of Jesus is “well-established” by Roman, Greek, and Jewish sources, and archeology finds continue to support the places and people of the Bible. (How Accurate is the Bible?)

I encourage you to click on the links provided to get a more complete explanation. The articles are not long at all, but well worth the time you give them.

Relevance: Does the information relate to your question and is it appropriate to your situation?

There is no question that we as humans seek answers to every facet of the human condition.

We look to our political candidates to solve domestic and international problems.

We look to self-help books for the answer to personal issues. (The self-help industry has exploded over recent years, the number of titles almost tripling in a six-year period from 30,897 titles to 85,253, and was worth $10.5 billion as of 2020.) (Self-Help Book Statistics)

Suicide rates have risen every year since 2020 with only a brief decrease between 2018 and 2020 before returning to its peak. (CDC)

The church is in crises. (TGC)

So is the Bible still relevant? Yes. In so many ways.

Not only does the Bible address and illustrate every foible, sin, hurt, desire, and yearning, it also offers restoration and comfort for every situation.

Are you anxious? Confused? Have feelings of worthlessness? Struggle with temptations?

Do you wonder about your purpose in life? The future? Think your past has defined you? Is there life after death?

Does the church need a reminder of its primary purpose and the dangers of drifting away from this?

The Bible provides answers for each of these situations.

And, of course, as one of the sources listed below reminds us, the most relevant issue in the Bible is its message of hope and redemption.

 As Hebrews 4:12 tells us: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

(If you would like to read more on the Bible’s relevance, click the following links: Got Answers; Christianity.com)

Last week I discussed the CRAAP test, a set of questions designed to help measure the credibility of source material—a necessary step when trying to navigate all the information thrown at us.  

So how does the Bible measure up to the CRAAP test?

According to the world, it has been found lacking in every area, but is it?





Currency:

The Bible has been called archaic, outdated, and out of touch with today’s world. But is it?

No. Not socially or scientifically.

The world is constantly redefining its social norms to align with the heart’s desires. The problem is that “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” (Jeremiah 17:9) so will never be satisfied. The quest for the “right” answer will always come up short.

In contrast, God never changes, His standards remain firm, and His promises are forever. There is extreme comfort in this. Today is as secure and sure as yesterday. No guesswork. No uncertainty.

Second, while man is in the business of discovering, God is in the business of revealing. While on earth, man only knows so much at any one time (I Corinthians 13:9) and will never know it all until the time of completion (vs. 10). But since the beginning of time, man has sought to understand his world (both at the micro and macro level) and his universe. This desire to search and discover is strong and unquenchable.

At the other end of this quest is God’s desire to reveal Himself, which He has also done since the beginning of time. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

And while the Bible is not meant to be a science text, the Bible leaves no doubt that God is the God of all. (For example: Genesis 1:1;  Psalm 147:4; Mark 4:39)

As scientists learn more and more about our body, our world, our universe and the universes around us, the more evidence there is for a supreme being. Each discovery makes God more current.

Finally, we have the ultimate promise of currency. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

God has been and always will be —here.

Join me next week to see how the Bible fares against the second of the five categories: relevance.