The Gospel Accounts & Authenticity of the Scriptures

If the Bible is not what it claims to be, how can we expect people to shape their lives around it? The design of our bodies, the cosmos and this earth can convince any rational person that there is a God, but is He the God of the Bible in Jesus Christ? We need to confirm our faith in the divine inspiration and authenticty of the Scriptures in a way which will help people take confidence in the Book of books.

1. There are at least 4,287 manuscripts of the New Testament existing in muesuems & libraries around the globe, which is more than any other ancient document can boast.

2. There are no contradictions from secular history concerning the New Testament references to political figures or geographical information.

3. There is no evidence that the gospel writers received personal or material gain from their writings, they lost everything they had in the heat of persecution, they could not even be writing and teaching for pride’s sake, because their writings include their own sins and the fact that Jesus was crucified. The most derogatory and humiliating death any leader could suffer.

4. There are numerous archeological discoveries which support the Scriptures, here are just a few: a. The Dead Sea Scrolls confirming many passages of the Old Testament.

b. The Ruins of Jericho,  Jacobs Well & the remains of the Temple’s Court Wall.

c. In Nov 05 Archaeologists claim to have unearthed the remains of the oldest Christian building discovered in Palestine.  Sadly, for Israel's tourism industry, the find was made behind the walls of one of the country's maximum security prisons, they uncovered a detailed and well-preserved mosaic, the foundations of a rectangular building, and pottery dated to the early fourth century. One of several inscriptions on the mosaic floor in ancient Greek said the building was dedicated to "the memory of the Lord Jesus Christ". Other inscriptions name a woman called Ekoptos who "donated this table to the God Jesus Christ in commemoration".   Yotam Tepper, an archaeologist who led the dig on behalf of the Israeli Antiquities Authority said there  “is a picture of two fish lying side by side - a very early Christian symbol.” This is a dramatic discovery, the structure and the mosaic floor date back to the period before Christianity became an officially recognised religion, before Constantine.

5. Several ancient non-Christian authors confirm the reality of Christ. Since Jesus is a historical figure, we are forced to at least look at the evidence supporting the New Testament which describes him best. a. Josephus the Jewish historian in AD93, refers to Jesus. b. Cornelius Tacitus the Roman historian in AD64 refers to Christ. c. The rapport of Thallos & Julius around AD55, concerning the ‘darkness’ during the crucifixion of Jesus. (Mt. 27:45) These points should help any rational adult to consider the gospels as authentic. Now lets ensure we are more than familiar with the message and content of each gospel:

MATTHEW: written to believing Jews, emphasizing the Kingship of Christ and quoting more Old Testament passages than any other gospel. It reveals the Jewish Jesus becoming the Messiah for the whole world, 28:19.

MARK: written with Rome in mind, emphasizing the power of Jesus. It is not literary in content, but rather uses punchy anecdotes and graphic sentences. Jesus is a real action figure and triumphs over his enemies, 16:1-20.

LUKE: written to the Greeks, emphasizing the Priestly role of Jesus. He gives dates and is concerned with specific details, purporting Jesus as a Savior.

JOHN: written for everyone to discover the Deity of Jesus and his unique claims.

 

Prayer pointer for the week: Pray about talking to the people who are unsure! Do we pray for ways to present the good news of Jesus? Are we prepared with the right point?