The Case for the Bible:

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The Case for the Bible

• Scriptural Inspiration

Presented by Kedron Jones Apologetics Research
Society www.evidenceforchristianity.org
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• But in your heart revere Christ as Lord. Always
  be prepared to give an answer to everyone who
  asks you to give the reason for the hope that you
  have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
  1 Peter 315 (NIV)

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Facts of the Bible
The Bible is a book that has been read more and
examined less than any book that ever existed.
--Thomas Paine
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Facts of the Bible

• The Bible is a collection of 66 books (39 OT 27
  NT).
• Written over a period of 1600 years by over 40
  different authors.
• Written on three different continents, in three
  different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek).

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What Inspiration is is Not

• 1. The Bible is not inspired in the same sense
  that an artist might be inspired.
• We use the word inspiration based on 2 Timothy
  316, All Scripture is God-breathed and is
  useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
  training in righteousness.
• Inspiration is the means by which the writers
  accurately wrote what God wanted written.

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What Inspiration is is Not

• 2. Inspiration is not total dictation.
• The personalities and styles of the Apostles are
  seen in their writings.
• Example The Greek in the book of Hebrews is
  written more elaborate than that of Revelation.

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Serious Consequences for Non-Inspiration
"This question of inspiration is no light one. It
involves tremendously grave consequences. If the
Bible is not the Word of God and inspired, the
whole of Christendom for 1800 years has been
under an immense delusion half the human race
has been cheated and deceived, and churches are
monuments of folly. If the Bible is the Word of
God and inspired, all who refuse to believe it
are in fearful danger they are living on the
brink of eternal misery. No man, in his sober
senses, can fail to see that the whole subject
demands most serious attention. Old Paths
(1878), Bishop J.C. Ryle.
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The Claim for Inspiration?

• Many defenders of various religious faiths do not
  realize that many of their holy texts do not
  themselves claim to be the inspired word of God.
• The Bhagavad-Gita
• The Book of Mormon
• The Quran
• The Bible

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Criteria for Inspiration

• Does the text make the claim for inspiration?
• Does the text have external evidences to
  substantiate the claim for inspiration?
• Does the text have internal evidences to
  substantiate the claim for inspiration?

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Is The Bhagavad-Gita Inspired?

• The belief that everything is maya, illusionary,
  denies real evil exist.
• If everything is an illusion then the
  Bhagavad-Gita is an illusion. If it is an
  illusion then how do we gain any truth from it?

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Is The Book of Mormon Inspired?
I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was
the most correct of any book on earth and the
keystone of our religion, and a man would get
nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than
any other book. History of the church of Jesus
Christ Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith
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Is The Book of Mormon Inspired?
Anyone who will place in parallel columns the
teachings of these two great books on such
subjects as the atonement, plan of salvation,
gathering of Israel, baptismwill find conclusive
proof of the superiority of Book of Mormon
teachings. Mormon Doctrine, Bruce R. McConkie
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Is The Book of Mormon Inspired?
Anyone who will place in parallel columns the
teachings of these two great books on such
subjects as the atonement, plan of salvation,
gathering of Israel, baptismwill find conclusive
proof of the superiority of Book of Mormon
teachings. Mormon Doctrine, Bruce R. McConkie
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Is The Book of Mormon Inspired?

• The Book of Mormon endorses large scale wars (see
  Mormon 69-15) near Hill Cumorah in present day
  New York, however there is no archaeological
  evidence to support their claim.
• Alma 710 "And behold, he shall be born of Mary,
  at Jerusalem, which is the land of our
  forefathers, she being a virgin...
• Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem. 
  Second, in none of the Bible's predictions is a
  name given, why then is Mary's name given in
  the Book of Mormon?  Maybe it's because Joseph
  Smith knew that Mary would be the mother of
  Jesus.  
• II Nephi 516 "And I, Nephi, did build a temple
  and I did construct it after the manner of the
  temple of Solomon... Pyramids and temples were
  not built in America until after 300 A.D. The
  Mormons claim that Nephi lived in 600 B.C., 900
  years earlier.

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Is The Quran Inspired?

• Muhammads words were written down hundreds of
  years after his death.
• (Internal contradiction)According to Sura 2176,
  Noah and his family were saved from the flood,
  but in Sura 1142-43 his son drowns.
• External contradiction) In Sura 2718-19 Soloman
  overhears a conversation of ants.

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Is The Bible Inspired?

• The Bible makes the claim for inspiration (2
  Timothy 316-17 2 Peter 120-21).
• Just because it makes the claim for inspiration
  does not mean it is inspired.

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External Evidence for Inspiration

• The Hittites were once thought to be a biblical
  legend, until their capital and records were
  discovered in Turkey.
• The ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah have been
  discovered southeast of the Dead Sea.
• Many examples of silver shrines to Artemis were
  found (Acts 1928).

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Internal Evidence for Inspiration

• Most critics of the Bible have not read, nor
  taken the time to understand the background of
  the Bible.
• Apparent Contradictions
• Mark 1525 John 1914
• The Jews and the Romans used different standards
  for reckoning the hours of the day, although both
  systems split the day into two periods of 12
  hours. A new day for the Romans began at midnight
  (as it does for us today), whereas a new day for
  the Jews began in the evening at what we would
  call 6 p.m.

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Internal Evidence for Inspiration

• All the contradictions that are alleged against
  the Bible can be adequately answered.
• Sometimes a passage contains extra information
  (Matthew 2759-60 John 1938-40). Sometimes a
  passage contains figures of speech (John 219-21
  Matthew 2661). Sometimes a passage contains
  language of everyday speech (Psalm 501
  1 Corinthians 156).

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Manuscript Evidence
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Additional Evidence

• The Unity of the Bible Written by various
  authors and it fits well together.
• Factual Accuracy of the Bible Speaks of people
  and places that were true all along.
• Prophecy in the Bible Jesus fulfilled every
  prophecy spoken about the Christ in the Old
  Testament.
• Scientific Foreknowledge of the Bible The Bible
  describes the shape of the earth centuries before
  people thought that the earth was spherical
  (Isaiah 4022).

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Conclusion

• The Bible is externally and internally accurate
  and therefore is the word of God.

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Questions???