All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.  2 Timothy 3:16

 

Authority is an issue today‑‑in science, in business, in government, and even in religion.  By whose authority do you do this?  And what power backs up this authority?  At no point is this issue more pronounced than when it comes to the Bible.  Is the Bible simply a collection of religious writings that need to be dusted off occasionally in the 220 section of a library, grouped under the Dewey decimal system, or is the Bible different because of irrefutable evidence demanding that its authority be recognized?

To pronounce the Bible authoritative simply because it says it is an authority is circular reasoning.  I can say that I am an elephant, but that doesn’t give me a long enough trunk and tusks of ivory.  So there has to be a demonstration of credibility which gives authority to the Bible, outside of the Bible itself.  I contend that five disciplines give it that ring of authority: 1.The collation of prophecies found in the Bible with secular history. 2. The verification of scientific statements with scientific facts. 3. The modern science of archaeology confirming names and geographic places mentioned in the Bible; 4. Manuscript evidence.  And 5. The testimonies of men and women whose lives have been powerfully changed by this Book.

Let’s start with a definition.  Archaeology is the scientific study of the remains of a past civilization.  Although it is not a pure science like chemistry or astronomy, it is far more exacting and complex than taking a spade and just digging up relics from the past.  There’s no second chance for the archaeologist.  Modern archaeology has become an exacting discipline, scientifically applied, which has given repeated confirmation that what the Bible says is true.  “Like what?” you may be thinking.  Well, for a starter, take the book of Genesis.  Until archaeologists unearthed the extensive finds at Mari, in Syria, some contended that writing hadn’t even been developed by the time of Moses; but the thousands of tablets at Mari demonstrated that names such as Abraham, and Sarah, and David were common 1400 years before Christ; and, not only could men write, but there were libraries full of tablets containing highly‑developed language skills.

If the Bible was only a collection of myths and fables, it would be only a matter of time until archaeologists should prove the inaccuracies of geography and culture, but archaeologists have only confirmed the statements of Scripture.  I can’t help but think of the Hittites whom Moses talks about, and for a long time some even denied their existence, until archaeologists came up with documents proving their existence.  The person who denies the accurate history of the Bible, considering it only literature, is neither an historian nor a literary critic; he or she, a priori, is prosecutor, jury, and hangman.

Relating to archaeology is the discovery of manuscripts thousands of years old which can be compared to the Biblical texts of our day, and what they reveal only adds to the credibility and authority of the Bible.  Today we have literally thousands of biblical manuscripts in a variety of languages. And from these come a compelling case for the integrity of this book.  They take us back centuries in time.  For almost 2000 years scrolls were buried at Masada in Israel after the Romans destroyed that last fortress of first century Israel, and then they were unearthed following the establishment of the modern state of Israel.  Moshe Perlman says of this, “The Psalms of David as recited in today’s synagogues are the same as those uttered by the Zealots in their synagogues‑‑the same Hebrew words.  Yes, friend, the Bible is an authoritative Book‑‑be sure of it.

Resource reading: 2 Timothy 3.