How did the Bible come together and how much trust can we put in it?

Question:

How did the Bible come together and how much trust can we put in it?

Answer:

1. Please click here to view a post on the topic of how we can trust the Bible to be the Word of God (“Validity of the Bible”). It contains slides, a hand out, and a audio/video recording of a workshop I conducted on this topic.

2. Please see video below for a brief TV interview of Rev. Tony Costa conducted on 100 Huntley St. that addresses this question.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Today, I had the pleasure of being able to go down, with a group of people from a house fellowship I attend, to the ROM to witness the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. Rev. Tony Costa was our guide and was great in providing us context to understand what we saw. I am not a huge fan of museums as I tend to need to engage in what I learn but the effect of the texts and the finds was a truly great experience. Looking at the parchment and papyri and realizing the meaning behind the dating of these documents (however inexact) and the message that they communicate about the accuracy of the Bible as we have it today is astounding. To see texts written from the collection of Dead Sea Scrolls covering 100 BC to 100 AD serves as a reminder of the weight of the evidence we have in favour of biblical writings.

I encourage you all to take the time to go down and visit the ROM between now and when the exhibit closes. The exhibit runs from June 27 2009 to January 3 2010.

In order to really get the most out of the exhibit, I would suggest that you read about the various scrolls beforehand to understand the context of it all. Although this is not a requirement as the ROM has done a nice job of organizing the information and communicating key facts and translations. To share a bit of background…

Bible Contradictions

Key verse(s)/quote(s):

• even prophets show interest in correct biblical understanding

“They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.” - Nehemiah 8:8

• Jesus corrects wrong scriptural understanding

“So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” - John 6:30-33

Key takeaway(s):

1. It is important to understand the difference between: Exegesis (Good): Draw meaning out of text, Eisegesis (Bad): Read one’s ideas into the text.
2. Context is necessary and without it something can easily become a pretext.
3. A proper/complete view of biblical study is key to an accurate understanding of what the text says
4. Developing a reflex to research and not to doubt is mandatory for any sound pursuit of Truth.

Overview:

This post serves as a practical extension to the topical discussion on the “Validity of the Bible”. Beyond understanding the tools,…