
Statistics of the Bible's Power
Amazingly Consistent Theme of the Bible
The Bible contains 66 books, written by approximately 40 different
writers, over 1600 years, on 3 different continents, in 3 different
languages, on thousands of different subjects, yet with one central
theme—God's redemption of mankind from sin won for the whole world by
the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Logical Consistency of the Bible
For a successful debate, show that your opponent's views are
arbitrary or inconsistent, and that your position is
consistent and not arbitrary. The Bible is internally consistent
("self consistent" or "logically consistent"). Some debating points:
-
Life after death in heaven or hell may be, in one sense, difficult to
believe, but it is entirely internally consistent with the rest
of the Bible. If there is a truly just God, justice is only certain if
there is ultimate justice. The non-biblical view, in contrast, is
inconsistent when it holds that we came from nowhere and go to
nowhere, but life is filled with meaning in between. Thus only the
biblical worldview is internally consistent.
-
The statement that "there are no moral absolutes" contains two
mistakes:
-
The declaration itself is an absolute statement, thus it contradicts
itself.
-
A person cannot live his life without moral absolutes. Examples:
fairness vs. unfairness; kindness vs. hatred.
-
For another example, the doctrine of original sin is consistent with
the need for a savior.
-
If
there is an omnipotent God, the miracle of creation, as well as the
other biblical miracles, is very plausible.
A logical thought progression to make sense of the Christian faith:
-
Is there a
God? If so,
-
Is it logical
to believe that God knows what is going on down here? If so,
-
Is it
reasonable to believe that He cares about what is going on down
here? If so,
-
Is it
reasonable to believe that He cares enough to communicate His
concerns to us? If so,
-
How
might He communicate truth to us? Can the Bible demonstrate that it is
indeed God's Word?
Geisler lists these criteria for establishing if a book was from
God:
-
It would claim
to be God's Word.
-
It would be
historically accurate when it speaks on historical matters.
-
The authors
would be trustworthy.
-
The book would
be thematically unified and without contradictions.
-
We would have
received accurate copies of the original manuscripts.
-
It would make
statements that would reveal knowledge about the way things work
beyond the knowledge of its day. (See Geisler Encyclopedia
pages 692-693.)
-
It would make
predictions about the future that could not be known through natural
means.
-
The message
would be unique.
-
The messengers
would be confirmed by miracles.
-
The words
would have a transforming power.
Print this
page | Back to Top
|