Last week we discussed two proofs that the Bible came from God:
1. External evidence says the Bible is a historical book
2. Internal evidence says the Bible is a unique book.
I mentioned that the majority of the Bible was from eyewitness accounts and there is an amazing agreement and consistency throughout the Bible. Other internal evidence includes:
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Its scientific accuracy. The Bible is not primarily a scientific book; it is a redemptive book of God’s amazing plan of salvation. However, it is true in all that it says. For example, it teaches commonly accepted scientific facts (before they were discovered as “truths of science”):
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The earth is suspended in space (Job 26:7).
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The earth is round (Isaiah 40:22)
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No one can count the stars (Jeremiah 33:22)
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The blood circulates in the body (Leviticus 17:14)
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Its historical accuracy
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Its wonderful unity
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The Bible was written by 40 different writers over a period of 1500 years from 13 different countries on 3 different continents
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Its fulfilled prophecy
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For example, Jesus fulfilled more than 300 Old Testament prophecies. To mention just a few:
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He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
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He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14)
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He would be crucified (Psalm 22)
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He would be betrayed (Zechariah 11:12)
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Today, let me discuss two other proofs:
3. Personal evidence says the Bible is a powerful book.
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The Bible is the world’s best-selling book.
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The Bible was the first major book to be printed on a printing press.
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The Bible, in whole or in part, has been translated into more than 1300 languages.
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The vast number of changed lives through the Bible
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The attempt of many leaders, cultures and governments to destroy the Bible or its influence (In fact, in many parts of the world it is illegal to own or distribute Bibles. However, the Bible remains the most influential book in the world.)
4. Jesus said the Bible came from God.
If you believe Jesus, you have to believe in the Bible as God’s Word. Time and time again, Jesus affirmed the Bible as the Word of God:
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Jesus quoted the Bible as authoritative (Matthew 22:29; Luke 11:28)
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He proclaimed its uniqueness (Matthew 5:18; John 10:35)
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He called it the “Word of God” (Mark 7:13)
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He believed that people and places in the Bible were real. For example:
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He believed in the prophets (Matthew 22:40; 24:15)
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He believed in Noah (Luke 17:26) By the way, according to Luke, Jesus affirmed the validity of a real flood and a real ark. Jesus stated it as fact, not an allegory or a made-up story.
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He believed in Adam and Eve (Matthew 19:4). This is critically important because it speaks to the beginning of mankind created in the image of God. Jesus affirmed that truth.
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He believed in Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 10:15).
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He believed in Jonah (Matthew 12:40). Many people said that the story of Jonah being swallowed by a fish could not have happened; it was just a story. Not according to Jesus—He affirmed it as an actual event.
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Believers, you can rest assured that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God. It is “breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).