WHAT IF THE BIBLE COULD BE TRUSTED? 

Love it or Hate it; no matter what you think of the Bible its contents and relevance still create one of the best and entertaining debates around. I often listen to radio talk shows as I drive between destinations, and whenever applications from biblical contexts are raised I normally turn up the volume to hear the reactions. My expectations of a good debate are always confirmed.

Truth be told, bringing up Biblical evidences or discussions is a brave move these days. Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s latest project, a five part mini-series called ‘The Bible’ that aired in US and UK before Christmas of 2013, according to Wikipedia received over 100 million cumulative views. In addition it received 3 Emmy Award nominations. Before it was showed, supporters of the project applauded the couple’s courage and bravery, to ‘lift up’ the Bible in Hollywood.

So, love it or hate it, the Bible does not only have the ability to generate a lot of television viewers, but it is still the best seller of all time.

Some facts about this compilation of 66 portions or books as it is called do create some fascinating reading. The following are generally accepted as correct, but should be tested for accuracy. It is believed that the Bible was written over a period of 1600 years, by about 40 writers. The original languages that the collective accounts were written in were Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.  The words were written in the writer’s own language, written in their own words, or that of a scribe. Some of the authors read other sources, borrowed from the previous biblical writers, but they all tried to get the thought of their experiences with God across. The bible as it is written did not contain chapters or verses; they were later added to use for reference purposes. Many commentators do admit that the verses and chapters break the continuity of the thought and context of the writer. One of the most amazing facts is the proven assertion that although these writers span a period of 1600 years, and since very few of them actually knew each other personally, their thoughts have a unified theological theme. This is what’s been termed as the ‘Canonisation’ of the bible – when a group of scholars examined the sources and combined the work of the 40 authors into the 66 books of what is now known as the Bible. It is understood that the Bible have been translated into around 518 languages, and about 2,798 languages have at least some portion of the Bible. Some internet sources claim that over 50 English versions currently exist.

The question is, with such a manuscript that has been worked on, translated and adapted into so many versions, can it be trusted? Does it make sense?

Many enquire the purpose of the Bible? Is it an encyclopaedia? Can we call it a history book? Is it the actual words of God?

There are lots of questions about the Bible which many try and answer. Many scholars claim to have it correct, but my purpose for this discussion is not a debate over the origins, or genre into which the Bible falls, but rather a quest to think aloud over the trustworthiness of the document.

One of the strangest claims ever made about this book with a human touch, or ‘Scriptures’ as it is sometimes called, is the claim by Jesus Christ himself.  His claim was that the Bible is meant to give us an insight into the characteristics of God. Written in John 5:39: ‘You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me… .’

So can it be trusted?

First of All:  My premise to the bible is this: Read it Correctly!

Writers expressed their experience in their own language, in terms of what they heard or even experienced with God. One has to read their words from their perspective and their context.

• Writers claimed that God revealed Himself through their writings. Read to see the work and character of God in their experiences and stories.
• Writers expressed the good, the bad and the ugly of their story and their history. So we cannot read with a judgmental attitude, neither to them nor toward God. For example, just because some king stole the wife of his army general and ordered to kill him – make that behaviour acceptable. In the same way one cannot judge God to have a specific character, just because a writer described God’s behaviour that way. Remember the person is telling in his own words, in his own context, in his own history though his own eyes. Therefore reading widely is very important to get a contextual understanding.
• Understand the purpose of the Bible and read it that way. Scripture is meant to tell about God and reveal God to you.
• Understand the meaning of the word ‘Inspiration’. Inspiration means that the writer was inspired by God, but wrote everything down in his own words.
• Understand that the bible is not an encyclopaedia. It is a conglomeration of different stories, about different people, with different personalities, sharing their story about God.
• Avoid the mistake of using ‘Proof Texts’, because they can be taken out of context and lead you into a total troublesome mess. Just ask David Koresh (the American leader of the Branch Davidians religious sect, whose lives ended in a sad way after their headquarters were burnt down in Waco, Texas)  and Harold Camping (who claimed the end of world would occur either May or October 2011)

So, do I believe the bible can be trusted? I do. And here are my reasons. Others may have theirs.

• I believe it is historically correct and accurate. Other secular and non-Christian historic writings support the historic accounts of the bible. The contents of those studies are too large to do justice in this discussion.
• I am convinced that it is prophetically correct especially about past prophecies; e.g. The prophet Isaiah prophesied about the birth of Jesus over 600 years before, the prophet Daniel lived during the time of the Babylonian Empire and prophesied about their limited reign, as well as those of Greece and Rome, Daniel prophesied about the Destruction of Jerusalem, and was confirmed by Jesus in AD 70. Jeremiah and Daniel who lived at different times prophesied about the destruction of the Roman Empire hundreds of years before it happened.
• The existence of Jesus walking on this earth have been supported by history, geography, archaeology, other non-Christian religions like Islam, and Judaism etc. While many are contesting his Divinity, his character, his relationships, and even his authenticity no-one contests his existence, because it is accepted by a majority of the world’s population. And that allows me to consider the trustworthiness of the Bible’s contents, instead of throwing it out altogether.
• I believe it is a timeless piece that has no ‘sell by’, ‘use by’ date nor has it lost its relevance. People, including me, are still being affected positively by its contents. You can either say that we are all daft, disillusioned or mad. Instead I would ask whether these guys possibly have point?

Once again, I believe much to the drawback of Christianity, that the Bible have been abused, used to abuse, misused, misinterpreted to justify wrong and selfishness. Big, corporate, universal, irreversible and painful mistakes have been made in past history due to misinterpretations of texts, passages and prophecies. Sadly those mistakes are still happening because humanity often repeat mistakes of the past;  and unfortunately this manuscript undergo scrutiny on a daily basis making more and more people mistrust it, hate it, abhor or even detest just the mere mention of the word. This is really sad, and brings sadness on those people to whom the contents of the bible brought positive and beautiful changes to their lives.

I believe that is what Jesus meant, when he said that these scriptures testified about him, because he desired to bring this wonderful picture about God and in turn inspired this legacy to continue through the words of the experiences of those men and women, now left for you and me to read.

 Clifford Herman

Minister – Plymouth Adventist Church