The Uniqueness of the Bible

Uniqueness of the Bible

I. In its Continuity

   A. HERE IS A BOOK THAT WAS WRITTEN…

      1. A long period of time…about 1600 years and a span of 40 generations

      2. By approximately 40 authors from every walk of life

         a. Moses, political leader trained in the universities of Egypt

         b. Peter, fisherman

         c. Amos, herdsman

         d. Joshua, military general

         e. Nehemiah, cup-bearer to the king of Persia

         f. Daniel, prime minister in the courts of Babylon

         g. Luke, physician

         h. Solomon, philosopher king

         i. Matthew, tax collector

         j. Paul, rabbi and tentmaker

      3. In different places

         a. Moses in the wilderness

         b. Jeremiah in a dungeon

         c. Daniel on a hillside, and in a palace

         d. Paul inside prison walls

         e. Luke while traveling

         f. John in exile on the isle of Patmos

         g. Others in the rigors of a military campaign

      4. At different times

         a. David in times of war

         b. Solomon in times of peace

      5. During different moods

         a. Some writing from the heights of joy

         b. Others from the depths of sorrow and despair

      6. On three continents:  Asia, Africa, Europe

      7. In three languages:  Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek

      8. With subject matter involving hundreds of controversial topics:

         a. The origin of man and the universe

         b. The nature of God

         c. The nature of man, sin, and man’s redemption

B. YET THERE IS HARMONY AND CONTINUITY…

1.  Compare the continuity of the Bible with any other writings of men

         a. Imagine what you would have it you took just ten authors…

            1) From one walk of life, one generation, one place, one

               time, one mood, one continent, one language

            2) Speaking on just one controversial subject

         b. You would have a conglomeration of conflicting ideas, not

            harmony!

II.  IN ITS SURVIVAL

   A. ITS SURVIVAL THROUGH TIME…

      1. Though written on material that perishes…

         a. …having to be copied and recopied for hundreds of years by

            hand

         b. …its style, correctness, or existence did not diminish

      2. Compared with other ancient writings, the manuscript evidence

         of the Bible:

         a. Is greater than any 10 pieces of classical literature

            combined!

         b. Is sufficient to ensure that we are reading the words of the

            original

   B. ITS SURVIVAL THROUGH PERSECUTION…

      1. Many have tried to burn it, ban it, and otherwise outlaw it

         a. From the days of Roman emperors

         b. To the present Communist-dominated countries

      2. Two illustrations of its survival through persecution:

         a. In 303 A.D., the Roman emperor Diocletian issued an edict to

            stop Christians from worshipping, and to destroy their

            scriptures.  Only 25 years later the Roman emperor

            Constantine called for 50 copies of the Bible to be prepared

            at the expense of the government!

         b. Voltaire, French atheist who died in 1778, predicted that

            Christianity would be swept from existence and pass into

            history within 100 years of his time.  50 years after his

            death, the Geneva Bible Society used his printing press and

            house to produce stacks of Bibles!

– How true is the statement:

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower fails: But the word of the Lord endures for ever. - 1 Pe 1:24-25

 

   C. ITS SURVIVAL THROUGH CRITICISM…

      1. “Infidels for 1800 years have been refuting and overthrowing

         this book, and yet it stands today as solid as a rock.  Its

         circulation increases, and it is more loved and cherished and

         read today than ever before.  Infidels, with all their assault

         make about as much impression on this book as a man with a tack

         hammer on the pyramids of Egypt.”  - H. L. Hastings

      2. “No other book has been so chopped, knifed, sifted,

         scrutinized, and vilified.  What book on philosophy or religion

         or psychology…has been subject to such a mass attack as the

         Bible?  With such venom and skepticism?  With such thoroughness

         and erudition?  Upon every chapter, line and tenet?  And yet,

         the Bible is still loved by millions, read by millions, and

         studied by millions.” - Bernard Ramm

III.  IN ITS INFLUENCE

   A. UPON THE LITERATURE OF THE WORLD…

      1. “If every Bible in any considerable city were destroyed, the

         book could be restored in all its essential parts from the

         quotations on the shelves of the city public library” (The

         Greatest English Classic)

      2. No one can truly be called “educated” who is ignorant of the

         Bible, for they would be ignorant of that which has influenced

         so many great writers

   B. UPON THE WORLD ITSELF…

      1. Our judicial system is based upon many of the principles found

         in the Bible

      2. Our standards of morality owe much to the Judeo-Christian ethic

      3. Even within the ancient characters of the Chinese language, are

         references to the Genesis story of Adam and Eve, the garden,

         and the Flood

 INFORMATION TAKEN FROM JOSH MCDOWELL EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT!