47th Street Church of Christ

The Bible’s Trustworthiness

 

    I recently watched a historical documentary on the military career of William Henry Harrison who served as the 9th president of the United States.  He is best known for having the shortest presidency in this country’s history.  He actually defeated the incumbent president, James Monroe as a result of his military accomplishments at the Battle of Tippecanoe and other campaigns which insured American expansion onto the lands of the people who lived here before.  What impressed me the most is the way his military accomplishments are described in historical accounts.  The battle of Tippecanoe was fought between an Indian confederacy of various tribes who opposed European-American settlement of the “American frontier.”  In school this was just part of what is called America’s “Manifest Destiny.”  Have you ever considered it is only called that because the Americans won?  And as a result one history was obliterated in order that another could replace it.

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    This is one example of why many today claim that you cannot always trust everything the history books tell you.  So who can you trust?  Perhaps a better question would be:  Can you trust the Bible to be God’s message to mankind?

    To many, miracles, like the creation or the parting of the Red Sea, could not possibly happen and that is what makes the Bible unbelievable.  As it was in the day of Jesus, so it is now; belief actually hinges on the miracles.  Those who claim they have witnessed a miracle performed today have no trouble believing there is a God even if they accept the possibility of evolution.  If you are like me and don’t believe miracles are being performed today, then God is a little harder to accept.  

    I know many thoughtful people who claim that all of nature proves the existence of God and I will not argue with them, I, too, really think the evidence is overwhelming, however unless I am inclined to want there to be a God, such evidences are not enough to convince the doubting in the face of what you cannot see yourself.  So it all hinges on whether miracles really did happen or are they a part of a grand hoax?  This article will give the best reason they actually happened.

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    It is an accepted principle in every judicial system that “the witness of two is true.”  I would amend this slightly to say truth depends upon two credible witnesses providing independent testimony.  Again, all of the miracles of the Bible stand or fall on the veracity of just one.  Specifically, was Jesus, the son of Mary and Joseph, the descendant of King David of Israel, really resurrected from the dead?

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    As I have previously stated; if the witnesses to that resurrection are credible then it really did happen.  Three of these witnesses are men who walked with Jesus while he lived (which all are willing to accept) and claim to have seen Jesus alive again after he was executed on the cross. (One way or another, he died like all men do.)  One of them was an educated man who at first opposed Jesus and was one of the persecutors of the other three.

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    So, what makes me believe that they are telling the truth and actually saw Jesus alive and ascend into the heavens?  I believe them for the same reason I believe any witness in court.  They had opportunity to witness the things they claimed they saw.  They provided the same testimony before both receptive audiences and unfriendly courts that had the power to hurt them.  When punished (some of them even died claiming they were telling the truth), they refused to recant their testimonies.  They had nothing to gain by steadfastly maintaining the same testimony in the face of considerable opposition and could have been free if they gave up and said it was actually a lie.

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    What about their histories, their reputations as honest men, or their standing in the community?  Did they have any reason to lie?  None of them were criminals or those who were deemed to be in the habit of lying for profit.  They certainly didn’t do it to protect their employer, friends, or family.  Two of them were fishermen and never really profited from what they said, one was a tax collector who certainly didn’t improve his financial situation with it.  And one, like I already said, originally opposed Jesus.  This all tends to support their veracity.

    That is enough to convince me that Jesus was resurrected.  That means the Bible is trustworthy.  I can believe it is what God wants me know about Him.  In conclusion I would propose that if this doesn’t convince you, too, there is no other argument I can make that will change your mind.