Lifeline to a Drowning Man

by Fergus Ryan

That’s what the Bible is to millions who have searched for meaning and truth, in a world of storm, confusion, and disappointment. They have made the thrilling discovery that God has reached out to us, telling us in the Bible of his deep love for us and his rescue­plan for those who will grasp it.

Incredibly, millions more preferring to live without accountability to God, have rejected God’s lifeline and joined with the crowd at Jesus’ trial who shouted ‘We will not have this man to rule over us’. Not realising their predicament, they have sunk into eternity ignoring the wonderful gift of life which had been held out to them.

The Bible on Trial

And so, in order to avoid following the teachings of the Bible, many have made serious charges against it. Let’s examine these allegations one by one. Some claim the Bible is filled with contradictions. This is a serious charge indeed -after all, who wants to listen to a God who can’t even communicate properly? This idea is commonly held by many religious people too. Their beliefs are consequently based on the words of men, not on the Word of God. Often those who make this claim are simply quoting someone else, and cannot actually think of any contradictions at all! The Bible certainly has apparent contradictions, but these are readily resolved on closer investigation.

Contradictions

It is sometimes claimed that the genealogy of Jesus given by Matthew contradicts that given by Luke. Matthew gives the genealogy of Joseph who was a descendant of the Jewish royal line. Luke, however, while giving Jesus’ bloodline through his mother Mary, follows the requirement of Jewish law to name the father, and then continues with Mary’s ancestry. These facts are confirmed by early Christian writers and Jewish tradition.

Some claim that the Bible contains numerous historical and geographical errors. This charge simply collapses in the light of the overwhelming archaeological confirmation of the biblical record. Nelson Glueck, the world-famous archaeologist has declared “It may be stated categorically that NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY HAS EVER CONTROVERTED A BIBLICAL REFERENCE”. On the contrary, with each new discovery skeptics are forced to acknowledge that the Bible was correct all along. When the great Hittite civilisation was uncovered some years ago, it was noted with some embarrassment that the Hittites had already been recorded in the Bible!

Then perhaps you’ve met the person who flatly rejects the You Bible may because “it doesn’t agree with science.” You may find contradictions between biblical statements and some theories of science, but many of these theories remain un­proven, and some have been found to be SCIENCE FICTION! In fact, many of the greatest men of science fully accepted the Bible as the unerring Word of God -e.g. Faraday, John Fleming and the Irish scientist William Thompson, later Lord Kelvin. The God who created the universe is the very author of the laws scientists have discovered, and no statement of the Bible conflicts with proven scientific fact.

OK What is the Bible?

This amazing book is the world’s all-time No. I Best Seller, and looks like remaining so, It contains internal evidence of its own truth which is so compelling to the man of integrity that multitudes have acknowledged it as the living Word of God. The lives of millions have been changed forever by its amazing message.

What exactly is the Bible and what is the Evidence of its Truth?

  1. It is a library of 66 different books.
  2. It was written by more than 40 authors, including a doctor, a shepherd, a king, a fisherman, a civil servant, an army commander, and a rabbi
  3. Few of the writers knew each other, living over a period of 1500 years on three continents
  4. It was written in 3 languages, Hebrew, Aramaic & Greek
  5. The places of writing included a cave, a palace, a prison cell, and a provincial capital.

Now just imagine the results today of assembling such a diverse group as a doctor from Dublin, a farmer from Fermoy, a nurse from Navan, and an artist from Arklow, and getting them to record their opinions in English on even one controversial topic. I doubt if we would have much uniformity of thought! Instead, we would be left with a hodge-podge of conflicting opinions, biases, vested interests, and outright error! But in sharp contrast. the teaching of the Bible – despite its great variety of subject matter and the different cultural and social backgrounds of its authors is a harmonious unit, telling the same wonderful message of the Kingdom of God from Genesis to Revelation.

Prophesies

As well as by its unity, the Bible gives indisputable evidence of being the communication of God himself by the hundreds of prophecies contained in its pages which have been fulfilled with 100% accuracy. These include the foretelling (by hundreds of years) of specific events in the life of Jesus: –

  1. His birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
  2. His betrayal for 30 pieces of silver for (Zechariah 11:12-13) and the purpose for which they were used.
  3. His crucifixion including the piercing of His hands and feet and the casting of lots for his garments (Psalm 22).

And many others. (These will be discussed in greater detail in a later post in the series). Some mathematical chap has demonstrated that the probability of all these events happening by chance is equivalent to a blind man picking the one marked coin from among the billions required to cover all of Europe to a depth of two feet! You wouldn’t gamble your life by getting on an airplane if there was even a chance of l in 50 that it wouldn’t arrive safely. Don’t you think that in view of such overwhelming evidence in favour of the divine origin of the Bible, your eternity merits your considering of the Bible carefully?

What the Bible says about Itself

I hope your curiosity has been sufficiently aroused for you to pick up a Bible and to begin reading it for ‘ yourself. Before you decide to trust it or throw it away, you should understand what the Bible claims about itself. In the very first line, it introduces God and his works. “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.” Hundreds of times the old Testament Prophets affirm “This is what the Lord says.”  And the exact fulfillment of their prophecies validates their claim. This is very important because many religious people treat the Bible as if it were merely the ideas of men.  Jesus Christ in praying to his heavenly Father says, “Your said Word is Truth” (John 17:17). No half-truths, no legends, no folktales, no mistakes, – NO KIDDING. He said every word, dot, and comma would be fulfilled.

Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament (the second half of the Bible) says “ALL scripture is inspired by God”. Peter, one of Jesus’ first disciples said “No prophecy of scripture arose from an individual’s interpretation of the truth … men of God spoke because they were inspired by the Holy Spirit.” And these men were, for the most part, witnesses of what they recorded – they didn’t write the Bible stories they learned from their grannies! No, this is not simply a collection of men’s religious ideas. ”The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Napoleon Bonaparte, while not exactly your red­hot theologian, nevertheless hit the nail on the head – “The Bible is no mere book, but a living creature with a power that conquers all that opposes it”.

What If It’s True?

It is a serious thing to conclude that the Bible is God’s message because now you are faced with a crucial decision which will affect your life forever. The consequences of rejecting God’s truth are the same as the drowning man rejecting the lifeline! I suppose some people think they’re having fun while being swept out to sea. They refuse the Bible’s salvation, not because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them! They think following Jesus Christ would be like living in a religious straight-jacket. Mark Twain said “It’s not the things in the Bible I don’t understand which bother me – it’s the things I do understand”!

But far from cramping our style, God offers us abounding life, love, peace, and real freedom to know Him and love Him. Jesus offers us freedom, not to please ourselves, but freedom from the ugliness of our own sinfulness, to please God.

Where Do I Start?

Jesus said “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Maybe up to now, you’ve fed off your own guesses, or other peoples’ opinions. Why not try a diet of proper spiritual food – God’s Word? Start reading a part of the Bible such as one of the four Gospels (the accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings). Ask God to help you understand and follow what it says. If you’re not sure whether you can talk to God, read it anyway. I believe the wonderful truths of God’s word will become the most astonishing things you have ever heard!

  1. To help you think through the subject of this post, write your answers to these questions on a separate sheet of paper.
  2. In your opinion, what is the best reason for reading the Bible? (2 Timothy 3. v 15 to l 7)
  3. Do you have any thoughts at this stage as to why God wants to communicate with us through the Bible.
  4. What have you found most helpful in this leaflet?
  5. If someone were to prove to you that the Bible is really true, would you be willing to follow its teachings? Why or Why Not?
  6. Many questions cannot be answered in such a short leaflet. What other questions do you have about the Bible? We’ll answer them as best we can.

Recommended reading.

  1. Evidence That Demands A Verdict, by Josh McDowell
  2. The New Testament Documents – Are They Reliable? by FF Bruce
  3. Numerous bible study aids are available.

Would you like to have a one-to-one Bible Study session?

If so, just send your name and email in the form below, or call Mike 087-7909515 or Seamus 087-2432944 and we can arrange something that’s suitable.