We are frequently asked
about the reliability of our Bibles. Specifically, how can we be sure
that the Bibles we are reading today are true to the original messages
delivered so long ago. In particular, can we be sure that the New
Testament has not been altered and changed in the almost 2000 years
since it was written?
The answer to these
questions is a resounding YES, we can be absolutely certain that we have
good, reliable copies of the messages as they were originally written.
To illustrate how we can have this confidence, consider this
illustration:
· At
a potluck dinner, Sally has a delicious dish and several other ladies
ask for her recipe.
· Sally
makes three handwritten copies of her recipe and gives them to Anna,
Betty, and Clara.
· A
good while later, Anna pulls out that recipe and is preparing to fix the
dish. She calls Sally to confirm the ingredients, but Sally has lost her
original copy of the recipe.
· Is
there any way for Anna to confirm the accuracy of her copy?
· YES,
although the original has been lost, Anna can compare her copy to those
of Betty and Clara. If all three agree, she can have good confidence
that her copy is exactly like the original.
Now, take this
illustration and apply the same principle to the New Testament.
Admittedly, the original ‘autograph’ copies of these documents are all
lost and unavailable. But, there are literally thousands of copies of
those originals, many dating back to the immediate time frame in which
the originals were written. By comparing these thousands of copies, and
by observing their nearly perfect similarities, we can conclude that our
Bibles today are true to the originals. In fact, there is no book of
antiquity that comes even close to the Bible in being able to provide
this sort of documentary evidence for authenticity and accuracy.
YES, you can trust your
Bible!!!
Other Articles by Greg Gwin
The Mark of the Beast
How to Know What God Wants Me to Do
Role Models
Would You Allow This?