What is "truth"?
Webster's dictionary defines truth as:
1a: FIDELITY, CONSTANCY b: sincerity in action, character, and utterance
If we believe the Bible to be true, then The Truth is Jesus
John 14:6 : Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes Father but through Me.
"Ye shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall make you FREE" - John 8:32
Why do I need The Truth/Jesus?
John 14:6 - no one comes to Father but through Me.
Romans 3:23- For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal light through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:8- But God demonstrates his love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Why should I have faith that Jesus is the only way to God?
- The most conclusive evidence establishing the deity of Christ is the historically verifiable resurrection.
- He forgives sin and offers eternal life, (John 10:28) something that the founder of no other major religion has claimed to do.
- He fulfilled Bible prophecies.
- He and his apostles affirmed who he said that he was.
Why should I believe the Bible?
THE BIOGRAPHICAL TEST - Since we do not have the original manuscripts (autographs) of the Bible books, we must rely on copies of the originals.
The bibliographical test is concerned with the number of copies of the original, how they compare with one another and the time span between the original document and the copies. Obviously, a document is considered historically reliable to the degree that there are many copies which are consistent in content from one copy to the next and to the degree of the proximity of the copies to the original document.
The earliest fragment, a fragment of John 18:31-33 discovered in 1920, dates about AD 120, less than 50 years from the original. There are about 50 other fragments dating within 150-200 years from the time of original composition. Compared to other ancient works, this is a very short time span. For example, Caesar's The Gallic Wars dates 1,000 years after it was written and the first complete copy of Homer's Odyssey is 2200 years removed from the time it was originally written.
The 27 books of the New Testament alone are attested by nearly 5,000 Greek manuscripts and over 24,000 copies! By comparison, Homer's Iliad is the second best-attested ancient document, with 643 copies. But the closest copy to the original is about 500 years old! But how accurate are the copies of the biblical documents themselves? Are they reliable in the sense of being free from textual corruption? There are 400 variants in the New Testament, those 400 variants amount to only one-half of one percent of the New Testament, an amazing figure for an ancient document. By comparison, over five percent of the Iliad is in question.
THE INTERNAL TEST - In this test one must listen to the claims of the documents under analysis and not assume fraud or error unless the author disqualifies himself by contradictions or known factual inaccuracies. In the Bible no contradictions have been proven and many alleged contradictions have been cleared by archaeology and systematic understanding. A lack of systematic theology has led to the confusion of many.
- Modern archeologists have repeatedly unearthed evidence of the people, places, and cultures described in the Scriptures
- There are definite prophecies concerning the Jews, the heathen nations and the Messiah. Taking the prophecies, regarding the Messiah as an illustration, look at Isa. 53:1-12, Mic 5:2, Da 9:25-27, Many others might be mentioned, but these will serve as illustrations.
If there is no salvation through Jesus Christ, then in the end the unbeliever loses nothing. But if there is salvation through Christ, in the end the unbeliever loses everything.
PASCHAL'S WAGER:
EITHER God exists or he doesn't.
Which alternative will you wager on?
You can't avoid choosing one or the other;
you have embarked on the wager already.
A refusal to choose carries the same result
as choosing that God does not exist.
What if you choose to bet that God exists?
If you win, you win everything;
if you lose, you lose nothing.
Make a bet that God exists."
Bibliography:
Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, The Text of the New Testament, Eerdman's 1987. Carl F H. Henry, ed., Revelation and the Bible, Baker, 1958 Ferrell Jenkins, Introduction to Christian Evidences, Guardian of Truth Foundation, 1989 Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Here's Life Publishers, 1979 Josh McDowell & Don Stewart, Answers to Tough Questions, Here's Life Publishers, 1980 F. F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?, Intervarsity Press, 1987. Norman L. Geisler, Christian Apologetics, Baker, 1977. CAN YOU TRUST YOUR BIBLE? By David Posey