I never knew the Bible myself. I never
understood the whole concept of it. I
loved to read, but I never thought bible
could ever satisfy my reading needs.
I have found a great pleasure in reading
it now. The best part is that you are never
actually done reading it. It is impossible
to say "Oh I read it once", because each
verse seems to evoke a stream of thoughts,
making you think deeper, and soon you find
yourself analyzing it, looking for more resources
and applying to your life. If you really focus.
That is just an initial thought of mine...
Other Bible web links:
Paralel Bible
Bible Server
See also my post about why we should believe the bible:
Why we should read and believe the bible...
I have never read the bible until this past year. I did not know how to read the bible. I used to listen to the Gospel at church, but in a catholic church you only hear certain verses, repeatedly through out the year, then it repeats. I used to watch the Jesus movie thinking I knew the bible, but actually I did not. And I still do not know the bible...I am still learning. But since I started going to a baptist church, I started actually reading the bible. Under a proper guidance.
As an amateur, such as myself, you cannot start reading the bible on your own hoping to understand it along the way. I started with the book of Job, but I got so lost it in, without understanding the context that I gave up. I started attending the Sunday School, and voila :) it went so much easier...it is much better for you, if you study under a guidance of a pastor in the beginning...but anyway, what I want to write about is a summary of what our last session was...Why we should believe the bible...
1.
Isaiah 40:8 (KJV)
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
It is written in the bible, and the bible is the Word of God in a written form. There are so many references, and cross references, there are so many verses. I do not need any extra evidence that this book is the truth. But there are many skeptics who do not believe, and who need the proof. Well in that case....
2. Presenting the facts and the numbers:
- Bible was translated to many languages, there is no other book translated to as many languages as the bible.
| Number | Statistic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6,900 | Approximate number of languages spoken in the world today | ||||
| 1,300 | Number of translations to new languages currently in progress | ||||
| 1,185 | Number of languages the New Testament has been translated to | ||||
| 451 | Number of languages the Bible (Protestant Canon) has been translated to |
The source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible
- There are more than 24,000 partial and complete manuscript copies of the New Testament.
These manuscript copies are very ancient and they are available for inspection now.
There are also some 86,000 quotations from the early church fathers and several thousand Lectionaries (church-service books containing Scripture quotations used in the early centuries of Christianity).
Bottom line: the New Testament has an overwhelming amount of evidence supporting its reliability. - No other book is even a close second to the Bible on either the number or early dating of the copies. The average secular work from antiquity survives on only a handful of manuscripts; the New Testament boasts thousands.
- Most of the manuscript variations concern matters of spelling, word order, tenses, and the like; no single doctrine is affected by them in any way.
- By comparing the manuscript support for the Bible with manuscript support for other ancient documents and books, it becomes overwhelmingly clear that no other ancient piece of literature can stand up to the Bible. Manuscript support for the Bible is unparalleled!
- No other book is even a close second to the Bible on either the number or early dating of the copies. The average secular work from antiquity survives on only a handful of manuscripts; the New Testament boasts thousands.
- The Dead Sea Scrolls prove the accuracy of the transmission of the Bible.In fact, in these scrolls discovered at Qumran in 1947, we have Old Testament manuscripts that date about a thousand years earlier (150 B.C.) than the other Old Testament manuscripts then in our possession (which dated to A.D. 900).The significant thing is that when one compares the two sets of manuscripts, it is clear that they are essentially the same, with very few changes.The fact that manuscripts separated by a thousand years are essentially the same indicates the incredible accuracy of the Old Testament's manuscript transmission.
- From manuscript discoveries like the Dead Sea Scrolls, Christians have undeniable evidence that today's Old Testament Scripture, for all practical purposes, is exactly the same as it was when originally inspired by God and recorded in the Bible.
- Combine this with the massive amount of manuscript evidence we have for the New Testament, and it is clear that the Christian Bible is a trustworthy and reliable book.
- The Dead Sea Scrolls prove that the copyists of biblical manuscripts took great care in going about their work.These copyists knew they were duplicating God's Word, so they went to incredible lengths to prevent error from creeping into their work.The scribes carefully counted every line, word, syllable, and letter to ensure accuracy.
More information here.
And more useful links if you are still in doubts, but be prepared to read...you cannot just say I do not believe the bible if you did not read enough to prove otherwise:
It's remarkable how many critics refer to their "list" of contradictions when they reject the Bible, but have never read the Bible itself. Of course, if the Bible does contain inaccuracies, it would show that those parts of scripture could not have come from a Divine source. However, it's very convenient to accuse the Bible of errors and contradictions, but it's a different matter to prove it.
It is important we understand that times surely were different back couple thousands ago, and it is very hard to understand the ways people lived that long ago. We cannot assume that without any proper study of History we will understand everything easily. Some historians still try to study and understand the life of long ago, and yet they are still not certain about many things.
The Old Testament reflects life prior to Christ coming to earth to teach us more, clarify and extend the knowledge. Our brain capacity is not even capable of understanding the way God thinks, but Jesus, though he spoke in parables, taught many great lessons, and He indeed had many listeners and followers. Why do you think people loved listening to Him? He knew how to explain things, he knew how to make people understand the words of God, He was the Master Teacher.
It is just like the children at school are learning first simple additions, then they learn subtractions, multiplication and division...later on in high school they come to algebra and many more step-ups, complex math problems involving deeper thinking.
So was the New Testament. A step up from the Old Testament. Confirmation and understanding of the Truth.
Some examples of this and how to approach it:
3.
Bible conservation....God protects the bible. Over all these years the bible has not changed, has not been destroyed, has not been altered.
more here.
4.
The ultimate comfort....I don't know about you, but I know the bible has an answer to my every question, to my every doubt. It provides great words of wisdom, comfort and even entertainment. There are wonderful verses that apply to every situation in our daily life. There is no other book that can do that.
Just a few examples:
- when in love read:
Genesis 29:20
So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days. (NLT)
So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days. (NLT)
Proverbs 5:19
A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. (NIV)
A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. (NIV)
Proverbs 15:17
A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate. (NLT)
A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate. (NLT)
Proverbs 17:9
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. (NLT)
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. (NLT)
- when you are sad, lonely and heartbroken read:
Isaiah 41:10
Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (NLT)
Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (NLT)
Isaiah 43:2
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. (NLT)
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. (NLT)
Isaiah 49:13
Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. (NLT)
Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. (NLT)
Lamentations 3:22-26; 31-32
For the Lord does not abandon anyone forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion according to the greatness of his unfailing love." (NLT)
For the Lord does not abandon anyone forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion according to the greatness of his unfailing love." (NLT)
- When you loose a loved one read:
Psalm 10:17
LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. (NLT)
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. (NLT)Psalm 23:4
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. (NLT)
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. (NLT)Psalm 23:4
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. (NLT)
Bible is there for every situation.
There are many links on web, here is one I also like to use:
In conclusion, the bible truly is the Book of books. As far as me, I believe. As a dear friend of mine states: "10 out of 10 people die, and everyone has an expiration date." I want to be in heaven. I want to live for ever. It should be the reason enough to believe...rather than to think that there is "nothing" after we pass.
Think~exist!
