Posts Tagged ‘accuracy of the Bible’
Did Isaiah’s prophecy that Damascus would cease being a city fail?
Question: I am having a conversation with an atheist online and so far I have done well handling the so-called failed prophecies and contradictions he claims. He seems rather shocked and open to studying. I do need a little help with this one because I have never heard of it nor come across anyone disputing…
Read MoreMyth or History?
by Forrest D. Moyer The Bible is either the product of God or the product of men. Christians believe that the Bible is from the hand of God and that it is to be believed and obeyed in order to have a good life now and in Heaven in eternity. There have always been those…
Read MoreAre the Gospel Writers Credible?
by Wayne Jackson The writers of the Gospel accounts — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — quite definitely affirm that Jesus Christ claimed to be the Son of God and that he performed miracles to authenticate that affirmation. Further, they allege that even though Jesus was put to death on the cross, after three days…
Read MoreThe Historical Accuracy of the Bible
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/HistoricalAccuracyOfTheBible.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 41:21-29 I. When we claim that the Bible is inspired, we are giving a vague notion that it uplifts a person (though it does) or that it is unique (though it is). A. Inspiration means it came from the mouth of God – II Timothy 3:16-17 B. But it is…
Read MoreArchaeology and the Old Testament
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ArchaeologyAndTheBible.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 41:21-29 I. Mankind’s memories of the past are poor at best A. In general, we don’t keep extensive records and those records we do keep are often on material that does not last. B. There is a branch of science, called archeology that attempts to bring the past to light.…
Read MoreWhat Did Jesus Really Say?
by Jacob Wooten I saw this picture below posted on Facebook and I’ve seen similar statements before, so I feel like this kind of thinking might be widespread both in the world and perhaps among those who would say they are of faith. Let’s examine this reasoning and see what Jesus really says according to the Bible. …
Read MoreBiblical Infallibility: The Bible’s Claims for Itself
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/BiblesClaimsForItself.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Deuteronomy 31:24-29 I. A. When talking about whether we can trust the Bible or not, it may seem strange to turn to the very book we are considering. B. We want to show that it is not a optional belief. C. The Bible claims to be infallible. If it is not in…
Read MoreValidating the Good News
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ValidatingTheGoodNews.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 41:21-29 I. How do I know that the Bible is inspired? How can I be really certain that it comes from God? A. There are various ways to show that the Bible must have came from God. B. Today we will use methods that the Bible itself suggests. II. If the…
Read MoreWhat about the claim that camels were not used during Abraham’s time?
Question: All these links keep popping up on my Facebook feed due to atheistic friends. Could you explain this one to me as well? It’s got me stumped, not enough to discredit the Bible or anything, but another to make me feel confused. Carbon Dating on Camel Bones Contradicts Bible’s Accuracy Thanks. Answer: The claim…
Read MoreWhy didn’t John the Baptist get killed with the rest of the children?
Question: Why didn’t John the Baptist die, as is stated in Matthew 2:16, but lived to adulthood, baptized Jesus, and was ultimately beheaded, or is Matthew 2:16 simply wrong? Answer: When the wise men came, Herod found out where the Messiah was to be born. “And when he had gathered all the chief priests and…
Read MoreIs the Bible mathematically wrong in I Kings 7:23?
Question: Is the Bible mathematically wrong in I Kings 7:23? If the diameter of the laver is 10 cubits, then shouldn’t the circumference be 31 cubits? Answer: “And he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line…
Read MoreDo you accept that there are more than 400,000 mistakes in the Bible?
Question: I am thinking of going to this church, but I would like to know: do the churches of Christ accept that there are more than 400,000 mistakes in the documents and books of the Bible? Answer: If there are that many mistakes, then how do these people know they are mistakes? In other words, what…
Read MoreHow can Jesus say no man ascended to heaven when Enoch and Elijah did?
Question: If John 3:13 states that no man ascended to heaven except Christ, then how come both Enoch in Genesis 5:24 and Elijah in II Kings 2:1 ascended? Answer: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:13). The…
Read MoreThere are so many parts of the Bible that don’t seem right to me
Question: Hello, Lately, I’ve been deciding to take Christianity more seriously, but not completely from the perspective of some scripture. I feel at a loss because so many people wish to just cling to the Bible like it’s the only thing God ever has and ever will try to use to communicate with us like…
Read MoreCould the Freer Logion have also been removed from Mark?
Question: Mr. Jim Snapps, I have read your article about the various endings of the book of Mark. Since you mentioned the possibility of the deliberate removal of Mark 16:9-20 due to heretical tampering, isn’t it also possible that the Freer Logion could have been also removed by heretics? The Freer Logion also suffers from mentioning…
Read MoreGreat article on how Jesus could be in the grave three days and three nights
Question: Great article, “How could Jesus be in the grave three days and three nights?” Thank you very much. Answer: You’re welcome.
Read MoreAre the stories in the Bible just “true myths?”
Question: I recently read that C.S. Lewis, who is one of my favorite authors ever, believed that some chapters in Genesis were “true myths” as he called them. “True myths” being stories of both fact and fiction. Chapters concerning the history of Adam and Eve or Noah and the Ark or Jonah and the Whale…
Read MoreAnachronism?
by Steven Harper This past week, I got to witness a large-scale display of anachronous events near the town of Florence as the Society for Creative Anachronism [SCA] put on Estrella War XXIII. [There’s humor in that name if you do a little research.] We went down with several other families from my hometown of…
Read MoreIf the Bible is inspired then why does it say the earth is round and in other spots speak as if it is flat?
Question: If the author of the Bible is God through people, why in some places does it say the earth is a circle, like a phrase where it says we are like grasshoppers and God is watching over us and then there is another one where a tree is described and it says that everyone…
Read MoreIs there any non-biblical evidence that proves the prophecies in the Bible?
Question: A friend and I talked for a little while tonight regarding Bible evidence, and when we talked about prophecy, he raised the argument that prophecies from the Bible verified purely from within the Bible can’t be used to prove the Bible. Is that a fair argument? And are there non-biblical evidence of prophecies coming…
Read MoreI think you are insulting God to believe everything written down in the Bible
Question: OK, here is the deal: I am very spiritual but do not believe the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible is the word of man. How are we supposed to believe what is written? It is a ridiculous idea that we believe everything that man said was the Word of God. You…
Read MoreHow do I answer the claim that the Scriptures have some truth but can’t be infallible because men were involved in its writing?
Question: I was talking about the inspiration of Scripture with a friend. He claimed that the Scriptures had some truth and were inspired by God, but were not infallible because men had to have messed it up in our fallibility. He also said that there was no way God forced men to have written the…
Read MoreWhy do Christians always try to justify the Bible’s error?
Question: Peace be with you, My dear friend, why do Christians always try to justify the Bible’s error? Answer: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a…
Read MoreHow can I be sure that the Bible is fully correct?
Question: I’m a teenager wanting to know the truth, so please help me out. How can I be sure that the Bible is fully correct? I mean people must have added or taken out scriptures to try to confuse us. How can I know what religion is correct? I know I have to have faith,…
Read MoreWas Goliath six cubits and a span or four cubits and a span?
Question: The King James Bible reports the giant Goliath as “six cubits and a span” in height — over nine feet tall, (over 2.75 m) (I Samuel 17:4), but the Septuagint, a Greek Bible, also gives Goliath’s height as “four cubits and a span” (~2.00 m). So by the interpretation which one is correct? Answer: This…
Read MoreDid Absalom have sons or not?
Question: Hi, I am just wondering why there’s a discrepancy in what II Samuel says about Absalom. In II Samuel 14:27 it says that Absalom has three sons and a daughter, but in II Samuel 18:18 it says that Absalom erected a monument for himself because he thought he has no son to carry on…
Read MoreWhy does the Bible have so much repetition?
Question: Is there a reason why the Bible has many repetitions, e.g. the gospels of Luke, Mark, Matthew, etc., and also repeated verses found throughout the Bible? Do the verses mean they more important repeated more often throughout the Bible when compared to a single verse? Is there a divine reason why there is repetition…
Read MoreWhy does Leviticus talk about four-legged insects when insects have six legs?
Question: In Leviticus 11:20-23, it says that insects have four legs instead of the six that we have always learned in school. Does the Bible have a different way of counting the legs of insects? Answer: “All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you. Yet these you may eat…
Read MoreHow could so many and different people come from just two people?
Question: In the beginning, when there was just Adam and Eve, I know they had kids but if they were the only ones then how did there get to be so many people on the earth? And if there was only them at first then how come people are so different? Some people are super…
Read MoreIn the feeding of the five and four thousand, was the count exact or a guess?
Question: When Jesus fed the thousands of people, the Bible says 5 and 4 thousand for both of the times, but how do we know it was exactly that number? Was it exactly 5 and 4 thousand? Did they just round or guess or is it exact? Answer: “Then He commanded them to make them…
Read MoreWhat evidence is there that Paul was recognized by the other disciples or that Christ existed?
Question: Nice essay, a bit misleading but well written. We know of the arguments that Arius and Alexander had we know the outcome. We know of the Creeds (both of them) the exclusion of words from the aforementioned Creeds and the revisions thereof. How then, sir, can you make the statements that you made especially…
Read MoreIf the Book of Enoch isn’t an authoritative book, then why is Jude in the Bible?
Question: This is really well put together as to why Enoch was written by man, but I am a bit confused. When I go read a study on Jude, Enoch is mentioned as if it’s an authoritative book. If it contradicts God’s Word and came from man, then how can Jude be right? Forgive my questions. I am a babe since God…
Read MoreWhy are the counts of the Levites off in Numbers 3?
Question: Okay, so I know this is probably going to sound like a pointless question, since it’s just about numbers of people in Numbers, and population censuses are usually rounded off anyway, but why do the rules change throughout the taking of the census? What I mean is, when Moses tallies up all the men…
Read MoreCould Stephen be making Moses out to be bigger than life?
Question: I know from Acts 7 it is said that Moses knew he was a Hebrew prior to the burning bush event. What is your take on the possibilities that this was based on the Jewish tradition? Acts was written by Paul who was brought up a Pharisee and in the strictest Jewish tradition, could…
Read MoreCould Jasher be right about Jacob spending 14 years with Eber?
Question: You wrote: The Book of Jasher claims that Jacob fled to Eber’s home: “And Jacob was very much afraid of his brother Esau, and he rose up and fled to the house of Eber the son of Shem, and he concealed himself there on account of his brother, and Jacob was sixty-three years old…
Read MoreAre ancient writings unreliable because the Book of Jasher differs from the Bible?
Question: Just a comment for your consideration. Jasher Chapter 81 – here is an extract about Pharaoh. “And the Lord manifested to the children of Israel his wonders in Egypt and in the sea by the hand of Moses and Aaron. And when the children of Israel had entered the sea, the Egyptians came after…
Read MoreIs Genesis just a myth based on the Epic of Gilgamesh?
Question: I have read your Facebook writings on Adam and Eve with interest. However, as a Unitarian I was presented with the beautiful Genesis story, not as a biblical illustration of the origin of sin, but as an important myth long misinterpreted in the Judaic/Christian tradition. Almost all the constituents of the garden paradise myth…
Read MoreDoesn’t the Bible say the earth is a circle as opposed to a sphere?
Question: Quick question or comment about the statement of the Earth being flat: You refute that claim with this: The real core of the argument is a claim that the Hebrew word tehom implies that something is flat. There is just one small problem. “Flat” isn’t in tehom’s definition. Tehom is “A noun meaning ‘the depths of the ocean'” But…
Read MoreWhy did Paul say Sinai was in Arabia?
Question: I am a great admirer of your well-studied responses. I wanted to ask about a comment from the question; “Could Israel crossed the Red Sea on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula?” In your response, you said, “Typically people wish to claim that Mount Sinai was on the Arabian Peninsula.” In Galatians 4:25…
Read MoreAnswering a Muslim Critic
by Larry Rouse Part 1 This week I received an e-mail from a Muslim, Mr. Husain, that was severely critical of those who believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. He reasoned that because the Bible was so discredited that our only alternative was to believe in the “only 100% purely existing…
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