{"id":56723,"date":"2006-12-06T22:02:00","date_gmt":"2006-12-07T04:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=56723"},"modified":"2022-12-06T22:06:06","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T04:06:06","slug":"has-the-bible-been-changed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/has-the-bible-been-changed\/","title":{"rendered":"Has the Bible Been Changed?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Greg Gwin\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/12\/Bible-Reading-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"111\" height=\"73\" \/>We are frequently asked about the reliability of our Bibles. Specifically, how can we be sure that the Bibles we are reading today are true to the original messages delivered so long ago? In particular, can we be sure that the New Testament has not been altered and changed in the almost 2000 years since it was written?<\/p>\n<p>The answer to these questions is a resounding <strong>yes<\/strong>, we can be absolutely certain that we have good, reliable copies of the messages as they were originally written. To illustrate how we can have this confidence, consider this illustration:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At a potluck dinner, Sally has a delicious dish and several other ladies ask for her recipe.<\/li>\n<li>Sally makes three handwritten copies of her recipe and gives them to Anna, Betty, and Clara.<\/li>\n<li>A good while later, Anna pulls out that recipe and is preparing to fix the dish. She calls Sally to confirm the ingredients, but Sally has lost her original copy of the recipe.<\/li>\n<li>Is there any way for Anna to confirm the accuracy of her copy?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Yes<\/strong>, although the original has been lost, Anna can compare her copy to those of Betty and Clara. If all three agree, she can have good confidence that her copy is exactly like the original.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now, take this illustration and apply the same principle to the New Testament. Admittedly, the original &#8216;autograph&#8217; copies of these documents are all lost and unavailable. But, there are literally thousands of copies of those originals, many dating back to the immediate time frame in which the originals were written. By comparing these thousands of copies, and by observing their nearly perfect similarities, we can conclude that our Bibles today are true to the originals. In fact, there is no book of antiquity that comes even close to the Bible in being able to provide this sort of documentary evidence for authenticity and accuracy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Yes<\/strong>, you can trust your Bible!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Greg Gwin We are frequently asked about the reliability of our Bibles. Specifically, how can we be sure that the Bibles we are reading today are true to the original messages delivered so long ago? In particular, can we be sure that the New Testament has not been altered and changed in the almost&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[568,219],"class_list":["post-56723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-accuracy-of-the-bible","tag-bible"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19395,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-our-bible-text-reliable\/","url_meta":{"origin":56723,"position":0},"title":"Is Our Bible Text Reliable?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 31, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Abraham Smith \u201cThe Judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward\u201d (Psalms 19:9-11).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/person-holding-blue-ballpoint-pen-writing-in-notebook-210661-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":40576,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-accept-that-there-are-more-than-400000-mistakes-in-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":56723,"position":1},"title":"Do you accept that there are more than 400,000 mistakes in the Bible?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u00a0in the documents and books of the Bible? Answer: If there are that many mistakes, then how do these people know they are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":978,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-we-know-the-bible-is-inspired\/","url_meta":{"origin":56723,"position":2},"title":"How do we know the Bible is inspired?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 26, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How do we know absolutely that the Bible is the infallible and inspired Word of God? How did the Bible as we know it today come into existence? Answer: Entire books have been written on the subject of the inspiration of the Bible. It is unlikely that I will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23643,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-isnt-the-tales-of-the-patriarchs-included-in-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":56723,"position":3},"title":"Why isn&#8217;t &#8220;The Tales of the Patriarchs&#8221; included in the Bible?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I recently learned about \"The Tales of the Patriarchs,\" a scroll found among the Dead Sea scrolls. If other books of the Bible were found among the Dead Sea scrolls, why isn't this book included in the Bible? Answer: It should be noted that the Dead Sea Scrolls contained\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4197,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-silence-says\/","url_meta":{"origin":56723,"position":4},"title":"What Silence Says","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 2, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey Hamilton I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0You can say a lot by not saying anything \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0You just spilt your milk and your mother gives you one of those \u201cI told you to keep your glass away from the edge of the table\u201d stares. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Not a word has to be said. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0You know exactly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89423,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-to-personalize-your-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":56723,"position":5},"title":"How to Personalize Your Bible","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Gibson Perhaps you own a Bible with your name engraved in gold on the cover. Or maybe you received your Bible from a relative or friend who wrote a meaningful inscription to you on the flyleaf. Certainly, this makes your Bible more personal than those of the same\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56723\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}