{"id":4532,"date":"2026-04-29T00:51:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T00:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4532"},"modified":"2026-04-30T12:29:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T12:29:30","slug":"prove-it-part-iv-the-new-testament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4532","title":{"rendered":"Prove It! | Part IV: The New Testament"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Thus far in the &#8220;Prove It!&#8221; series, we&#8217;ve looked at:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4452\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Faith<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4506\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Resurrection<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4516\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Old Testament<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In this segment, we&#8217;re going to look at the New Testament.<\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 15px;\">I) The New Testament<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 40px; font-size: 20px; color: #000; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;\">A) Content<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s appropriate to rehearse what it is that we\u2019re actually trying to deduce from the evidence that is available to us, as far as, not only the accuracy of Scripture, but the reasonableness of the Bible\u2019s claim about itself to be the Word of God:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Num 23:19)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord\u2019s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. (2 Sam 22:31)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. (Ps 19:7)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Prov 30:5)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><sup>16<\/sup>\u00a0All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, <sup>17<\/sup>\u00a0so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.\u00a0(2 Tim 3:16-17)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><sup>20<\/sup>\u00a0Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet\u2019s own interpretation of things. <sup>21<\/sup>\u00a0For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pet 1:20-21 <\/strong>[2 Sam 23:2]<strong> )<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-3543\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/heel.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"241\" \/>Given Scripture\u2019s Divine Audacity, as far as it refusing to accept the label of \u201caccurate,\u201d but instead insists on it being Inerrant, let\u2019s start with the content of the New Testament and look at it in terms of being historically accurate.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 80px; font-size: 20px; color: #000; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;\">1) Archaeology<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Pontius Pilate Inscription<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In 1961 the archaeological world was taken back to the first century Roman province of Judea. A group of archaeologists, led by Dr. Antonio Frova were excavating an ancient Roman theater near Caesarea Maritima. Caesarea was a leading city in the first century located on the Mediterranean Sea. A limestone block was found there with a surprising inscription. The inscription, on three lines, reads:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u2026]S TIBERIVM\u2026PON]TIVS PILATVS\u2026PRAEF]ECTVS IVDA[EA]<\/p>\n<p>The inscription is believed to be part of a larger inscription dedicating a temple in Caesarea to the emperor Tiberius. The inscription clearly states, \u201cPontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.\u201d<sup>1<\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Heel of Yehohanan<\/span> The practice of crucifixion in antiquity was brought to life as never before when the heel bones of a young man named Yehohanan were found in a Jerusalem tomb, pierced by an iron nail. The discovery shed new light on Roman crucifixion methods and began to rewrite the history of crucifixion in antiquity.<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\n<div style=\"float: right; width: 250px; border: 1px solid #cccccc; box-shadow: 10px 10px 5px #cccccc; margin: 10px;\">\n<table style=\"background-color: #ffffff; border: 0px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"border: 0px;\">\n<td style=\"text-align: center; border: 0px; background: transparent;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/siloam.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/siloam.jpg\" alt=\"siloam\" width=\"200\" height=\"268\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border: 0px;\">\n<td style=\"text-align: center; border: 0px; background: transparent; font-size: 9pt;\">\u201cIn the plaster of this pool were found coins that establish the date of the pool to the years before and after Jesus. There is little question that this is in fact the pool of Siloam, to which Jesus sent the blind man in John 9.\u201d<sup>3<\/sup><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Pool of Siloam<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In 2004, some repairs were being done on a large pipe in Jerusalem when engineers stumbled upon a series of steps that led to a first century pool. By the end of 2005, archaeologists were able to confirm that this was the Pool of Siloam referenced in John 9. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Destruction of the Temple in 70 AD<\/span> In the book of Matthew, not long before He was put to death, Jesus prophesied that the Temple would be destroyed:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. <sup>2<\/sup>\u00a0\u201cDo you see all these things?\u201d he asked. \u201cTruly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.\u201d (Matt 24:1-2)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Today you can look at an area in Jerusalem that was originally unearthed in the 1838. As the area was further excavated, you could see the massive stones that had at one point been part of the Temple\u2019s structure that had been pushed over by the Romans when they destroyed in 70 AD.<\/p>\n<p>To summarize, Nelson Glueck, the renowned Jewish archaeologist, wrote: \u201cIt may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has every controverted a biblical reference.\u201d He continued his assertion of \u201cthe almost incredibly accurate historical memory of the Bible, and particular so when it is fortified by archaeological fact.\u201d<sup>4<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>What makes the New Testament such a standout, however, is not so much the way in which it can be validated from an archaeological standpoint, as much as it\u2019s the narrative of Christ\u2019s death and resurrection. <strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 80px; font-size: 20px; color: #000; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;\">2) The Resurrection<\/div>\n<p>We&#8217;ve already looked at how the Resurrection is the &#8220;archway&#8221; of the Christian faith. Without it, Scripture is a &#8220;cloud without rain (Prov 25:14).&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When you look at Paul&#8217;s commentary in 1 Corinthians, it&#8217;s obvious, even from the standpoint of those who had the most to lose, that the Resurrection was absolutely crucial to the Christian doctrine:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><sup>16<\/sup> For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. <sup>17<\/sup> And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. <sup>18<\/sup> Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. <sup>19<\/sup> If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Cor 15:16-19)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The reliability of the gospels is beyond reproach, which we&#8217;ll see in a moment. While we&#8217;ve already looked at some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4506\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">secular accounts<\/a> that reference the Resurrection, not as a theological talking point, but as a historical reality, there&#8217;s also the account of the eclipse in Luke 23:44.<\/p>\n<p>Given the obvious nature of an eclipse, you could rightfully assume that it would&#8217;ve been documented as a significant anomaly, regardless of one&#8217;s knowledge of it happening right when Jesus breathed His last.<\/p>\n<p>Sure enough, it was recorded by Phlegon (FLAY-gohn), the Greek historian<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Greek historian Phlegon wrote: \u201cIn the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was an eclipse of the Sun which was greater than any known before and in the sixth hour of the day it became night; so that stars appeared in the heaven; and a great Earthquake that broke out in Bithynia destroyed the greatest part of Nicaea.\u201d<\/em><em><sup>1<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Again, you have historical &#8220;dots&#8221; that can be connected that validate the reality of the Resurrection.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 40px; font-size: 20px; color: #000; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;\">B) Construction<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 80px; font-size: 20px; color: #000; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 15px;\">1) Apostolic Origin<\/div>\n<div style=\"float: right; width: 250px; border: 1px solid #cccccc; height: auto; margin: 10px; padding: 10px; box-shadow: 10px 10px 5px #cccccc; font-size: 8pt; text-align: center;\"><em>Thallus is perhaps the earliest secular writer to mention Jesus and he is so ancient his writings don\u2019t even exist anymore. But Julius Africanus, writing around 221AD does quote Thallus who previously tried to explain away the darkness occurring at Jesus\u2019 crucifixion:<\/em> <em> \u201cOn the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun.\u201d<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/coldcasechristianity.com\/2014\/is-there-any-evidence-for-jesus-outside-the-bible\/)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Julius Africanus<\/a>, Chronography, 18:1)<\/div>\n<p>In the last session, we showed how some doubt the content of Scripture, believing it to be a patchwork of judiciously selected writings that happened to corroborate a message that could be used to manipulate the masses. But when you look at the criteria that was used to identify the books of the Bible, the end result is a very, very short list because of the required prophetic credential as well as the necessary fulfillment of any prophecy that was articulated.<\/p>\n<p>The Old Testament is what it is, not because of preferences or subjective rulings, but because of the substance of the content and the proven credibility of the human author.<\/p>\n<p>The New Testament is no different.<\/p>\n<p>The criteria used to determine what book qualified as Scriptural was whether or not it was \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gotquestions.org\/New-Testament-canon.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>apostolic<\/strong><\/a>\u201d in origin. So, if the book in question was either written by an apostle or with the endorsement of an apostle, it was considered Authoritative. Otherwise, it was discarded.<\/p>\n<p>An \u201capostle,\u201d in the broadest sense of the word, is someone who had seen Christ alive after He had been crucified. That included more than the original Twelve. Paul had his encounter on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19) and James, the brother of Jesus, saw Him alive according to 1 Corinthians 15:7.<\/p>\n<p>Luke, John Mark and Barnabas were close associates of Paul and Jude, being the brother of Christ, while they weren\u2019t apostles, because of their association with those who were, were recognized as credible representations of apostolic credibility. Given that dynamic, consider the books of the New Testament:<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; text-align: center; border-top-left-radius: 10pt;\">Book(s) \/ Author<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; text-align: center; border-top-right-radius: 10pt;\">Bio<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc;\" colspan=\"2\">Matthew<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Matthew<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">One of the original 12 disciples (Lk 6:15)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc;\" colspan=\"2\">Mark<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"middle\">John Mark<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Close associate of Peter and Paul (2 Tim 4:11)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc;\" colspan=\"2\">Luke<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Luke<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Paul\u2019s associate &amp; physician (Col 4:14; Phil 1:24)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc;\" colspan=\"2\">John; 1-3 John; Revelation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"middle\">John<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">One of the original 12 disciples (Matt 10:2)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc;\" colspan=\"2\">Acts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Luke<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Paul\u2019s associate &amp; physician (Col 4:14; Phil 1:24)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc;\" colspan=\"2\">Romans; 1-2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1-2 Thessalonians; 1-2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Paul<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Paul encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc;\" colspan=\"2\">Hebrews<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Barnabas<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Associate of Paul and cousin to John Mark (Acts 12:25; Col 4:10)<sup>3<\/sup><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc;\" colspan=\"2\">James<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"middle\">James<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Brother of Christ and referred to as an apostle by Paul (Gal 1:19).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc;\" colspan=\"2\">1-2 Peter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Peter<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">One of the original 12 disciples (Matt 10:2)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc;\" colspan=\"2\">Jude<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-bottom-left-radius: 10pt;\">\u00a0Jude<\/td>\n<td style=\"border-bottom-right-radius: 10pt;\">Brother of Christ (Jude 1:7 [describes himself as a brother of James, which is most likely the author of the book of James)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>In A.D. 393, a Church Council was convened called the \u201cSynod of Hippo.\u201d \u201cSynod,\u201d (pronounced \u201cSIN-ed\u201d) comes from a Greek word that means, \u201cassembly.\u201d Hippo is the city of Hippo Regius, which is the ancient name of the modern city of Annaba, in Algeria. Their purpose for meeting was to officially define the books of the New Testament. You can see how most of their work had already been done simply by filtering everything through the qualifier of \u201capostolic origin.\u201d When we read the New Testament, we\u2019re reading the Inspired words of God written by people who had either seen the risen Christ personally or were close associates of those who had. Bear in mind, too, that most gave their lives in defense of what they believed and what had been written through them. That\u2019s strong!<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 80px; font-size: 20px; color: #000; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;\">2) Textual Criticism<\/div>\n<p>The evidence to support the authenticity of the Scriptures, as far as them being an accurate rendering of what was originally written, is more than adequate. When evaluating works of antiquity from a textual perspective, you&#8217;re looking at two things:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How many original manuscripts (MSS) do we have today?<\/li>\n<li>How long was it before the first copy and the initial writing of the text in question?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The <em>Iliad,<\/em> by Homer is considered to be classic and was a standard in intellectual circles for centuries. Look at how the two works compare with one another in terms of textual integrity:<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 600px; margin: auto; border: 1px solid #cccccc;\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #000000; color: #fff;\" colspan=\"5\"><strong><span style=\"font-weight: strong; color: #fff;\">Textual Integrity of the New Testament<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc; color: #000000; border: 1px solid #fff; text-align: center;\">work<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc; color: #000000; border: 1px solid #fff; text-align: center;\">when written<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc; color: #000000; border: 1px solid #fff; text-align: center;\">earliest copy<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc; color: #000000; border: 1px solid #fff; text-align: center;\">time span<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color: #cccccc; color: #000000; border: 1px solid #fff; text-align: center;\"># of copies<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"middle\">Homer (<em>Iliad<\/em>)<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">900 B.C.<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">400 B.C.<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">500 years<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">1,757<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"middle\">New Testament<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">40-100 A.D.<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">125 A.D.<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">25 years<\/td>\n<td valign=\"middle\">23,769<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"font-size: 9pt;\" colspan=\"5\">originally quoted from &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Evidence-That-Demands-Verdict-Life-Changing-ebook\/dp\/B01MYP99J3\/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=evidence+that+demands+a+verdict&amp;qid=1650451446&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Evidence that Demands a Verdict<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; and since updated according to &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.equip.org\/article\/the-bibliographical-test-updated\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>The Bibliographical Test Updated<\/strong><\/a>&#8220;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Dr F.F Bruce was the Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism at Manchester University after having served in various posts where he taught Greek after having served as head of the Department of Biblical History and Literature at the University of Sheffield in 1947.He says:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<em>\u201cScholars are satisfied that they possess substantially the true text of the principal Greek and Roman writers whose works have come down to us, of Sophocles, of Thucydides, of Cicero, of Virgil; yet our knowledge of their writings depends on a mere handful of manuscripts, whereas the manuscripts of the New Testament are counted by hundreds, and even thousands.<sup>2<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/danielbwallace.com\/cv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0Dr. Dan Wallace<\/a> is Senior Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. <span style=\"color: #111111;\">He has written, co-authored, edited, or contributed to more than two dozen books and is internationally known as a Greek New Testament scholar. He says:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>The wealth of material that is available for determining the wording of the original New Testament is staggering: more than fifty-seven hundred Greek New Testament manuscripts, as many as twenty thousand versions, and more than one million quotations by patristic writers. In comparison with the average ancient Greek author, the New Testament copies are well over a thousand times more plentiful. If the average-sized manuscript were two and one-half inches thick, all the copies of the works of an average Greek author would stack up four feet high, while the copies of the New Testament would stack up to over a mile high! This is indeed an embarrassment of riches.<\/em><em><sup>3<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>II) Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>The following quotes were referenced in Part I of this discussion, but they\u2019re worth repeating:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>You have searched the holy scriptures, which are true, which were given by the Holy Spirit; you know that nothing unrighteous or counterfeit is written in them. (Clement of Rome)<sup>4<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>The Scriptures are indeed perfect. (Iraneus)<sup>5<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>The Scriptures have never erred\u2026The Scriptures cannot err. (Martin Luther)<sup>6<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>The statements of holy Scripture will never be discordant with truth. (Tertullian)<sup>7<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>The Scriptures are holy, they are truthful, they are blameless. (Augustine)<sup>8<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>If anyone preaches either concerning Christ or concerning his church or concerning any other matter which pertains to our faith and life; I will not say, if we, but what Paul adds, if an angel from heaven should preach to you anything besides what you have received in the Scriptures of the Law and of the Gospels, let him be anathema. (Augustine) <sup>9<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>For I am sure that if I say anything which is undoubtedly contradictory to holy Scripture, it is wrong; and if I become aware of such a contradiction, I do not wish to hold that opinion.<\/em> (Anselm of Canterbury)<sup>10<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>When one insists that the Bible is flawed, they don\u2019t merely undermine contemporary scholarship, they refute the assertions of the early church fathers \u2013 some of whom gave their lives rather than recant their convictions.<\/p>\n<p>There is no good reason to doubt the authenticity of God\u2019s Word \u2013 specifically in the way it presents itself as the inerrant Word of God. Some will try to dismiss the testimony of Scripture when it comes to the way some will try to use the Bible as way to certify itself. They label it as a circular argument and therefore inadmissible in the court of public opinion. But the Bible is not merely one book, nor is it one voice. Yes, it is the Word of God, but it\u2019s expressed through over 40 different authors writing over a 1,500 year time span and distributed over three different continents.<\/p>\n<p>The Bible doesn\u2019t represent one witness, but many witnesses scattered over several centuries. Dr. MacArthur highlights the importance of a healthy regard for Scripture by saying:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>It was A.W. Tozer who famously stated, \u201cWhat comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.\u201d The reason for this, Tozer went on to explain, is that deficient views of God are idolatrous and ultimately damning: \u201cLow views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them.\u201d And again, \u201cPerverse notions about God soon rot the religion in which they appear\u2026the first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its opinion of God.\u201d As Tozer insightfully observed, the abandonment of a right view of God inevitably results in theological collapse and moral ruin.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Because God has made himself known in his Word, a commitment to a high view of Scripture is of paramount importance. The Bible both reflects and reveals the character of its Author. Consequently, those who deny its veracity do so at their peril. If the most important thing about us is how we think about God, then what we think about his self-revelation in Scripture is of the utmost consequence. Those who have a high view of Scripture will have a high view of God. And vice versa \u2013 those who treat the Word of God with disdain and contempt possess no real appreciation for the God of the Word. Put simply, it is impossible to accurately understand who God is while simultaneously rejecting the truthfulness of the Bible.<sup>11<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Archeology, Science, Textual Attestation \u2013 it\u2019s all there. There is no good reason to doubt the authenticity of the New Testament.<\/p>\n<p>Still, to accept the Bible as Divine requires more than just what can be gauged by the senses. To embrace something as supernatural, you have to deploy the same kind of intellectual extrapolation that scientists do when confronted with things such as the boundary of the cosmos or the origin of gravity. Some things we are just not capable of quantifying simply because it lies beyond the human capacity to measure or observe.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s not to say we can&#8217;t make intelligent assessments, but there is, in some instances, an empirical certainty that exists beyond the limitations of the human paradigm. The empirical dots that can be connected are those that exist in terms of that which happened in the past. Our perspective is that of a rear view mirror. We can&#8217;t stop the car and witness those events in the present and build our convictions on having personally witnessed the parting of the Red Sea or the Resurrection. It&#8217;s in those moments when we have to place our trust in something we cannot see.<\/p>\n<p>The Bible calls this faith. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith, it\u2019s impossible to please God. Not because He expects you to disengage your intellect when surmising the evidence that validates His Identity and His Word, but because there are historical realities that cannot be observed today, only accepted as fact based on the evidence those events have left in their wake.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, we have to be willing to go forward in our convictions based on what we cannot see. To embrace the Bible as nothing more than a fascinating text is to strip it of the Role it asserts as the Word of God. And it\u2019s not just for the sake of information as much as it\u2019s about the supernatural transformation that occurs when you realize that His Word is His Message to you personally (1 Cor 13:12; Jas 1:23).<\/p>\n<p>God, through the Scriptures, requires a response beyond a positive intellectual endorsement. It asks for the kind of obedience that God Himself facilitates through you by His Spirit (Phil 2:13). You become the permanent home for His Holy Spirit by accepting the Message He proclaims in His Word (Rom 10:17) and that ultimately requires faith.<\/p>\n<p>Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Rom 10:17) Not a blind faith, but faith nonetheless. Faith in Him, what He can do and\u2026 \u2026the Integrity, the Substance and the Truth of His Inerrant Word.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 45%; margin-bottom: 15px; height: 100px; border: 1px solid #ccc; margin: auto; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; font-size: 9pt; text-align: center; border-top-left-radius: 10pt; border-top-right-radius: 10pt;\">\n<div style=\"width: 100%; padding: 10px; border-top-left-radius: 10pt; border-top-right-radius: 10pt; background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;\">Prove It!<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px; overflow-x: scroll; white-space: nowrap; overflow-y: hidden; width: 100%;\"><a style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #000; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4452\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prove It! | Part I: Faith<\/a> \u2022 <a style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #000; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4506\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection<\/a> \u2022 <a style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #000; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4516\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prove It! | Part III: The Old Testament<\/a> \u2022 <a style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #000; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4532\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prove It! | Part IV: The New Testament<\/a> \u2022<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #000; color: #fff; width: 90%; margin: auto; padding: 3px; margin-bottom: 15px; text-align: center; margin-top: 25px;\">\n<div style=\"width: 100%; margin: auto; border: 1px solid #fff; padding: 5px;\">For even more information about the credibility of the Old Testament, click <a style=\"color: #ffffff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=3525\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff; text-decoration: underline;\">here<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>1. Astronomy Today, \u201cEclipses from Ancient Times \u2013 Part Three, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.astronomytoday.com\/eclipses\/ancient-part3.html\"><span style=\"color: #0079cd;\">http:\/\/www.astronomytoday.com\/eclipses\/ancient-part3.html<\/span><\/a>, accessed April 23, 2017<br \/>\n2. \u201cEvidence That Demands a Verdict\u201d, Josh McDowell, Here\u2019s Life Publishers, San Bernardino, CA, 1972, p45<br \/>\n3. \u201cJesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Popular Culture\u201d, J. Ed Komoszewski, M. James Sawyer, Daniel B. Wallace, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, 2006 p82<br \/>\n4. \u201cDo Historical Matters Matter to Faith?\u201d, James K. Hoffmeier and Dennis R. Magary, Crossway, Wheaton, IL, 2007, p140<br \/>\n5. Christian Theology, Millard J. Erickson, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI, 1998, p252<br \/>\n6. \u201cEvangelical Lutheran Synod\u201d, \u201cLuther and the Word of God\u2019, <a href=\"http:\/\/els.org\/resources\/document-archive\/convention-essays\/essay1964-kuster\/\"><span style=\"color: #0079cd;\">http:\/\/els.org\/resources\/document-archive\/convention-essays\/essay1964-kuster\/<\/span><\/a>, accessed April 25, 2017<br \/>\n7. \u201cThe Inerrant Word: Biblical, Historical, Theological and Pastoral Perspectives\u201d, John MacArthur, Crossway, Wheaton, IL, 2016, p124<br \/>\n8. Ibid, p125<br \/>\n9. Ibid, p126<br \/>\n10. Ibid, p125<br \/>\n11. Ibid, p12<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thus far in the &#8220;Prove It!&#8221; series, we&#8217;ve looked at: Faith The Resurrection The Old Testament In this segment, we&#8217;re going to look at the New Testament. I) The New Testament A) Content It\u2019s appropriate to rehearse what it is that we\u2019re actually trying to deduce from the evidence that is available to us, as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3285,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[36,76,339,80],"class_list":["post-4532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-apologetics","tag-canon","tag-f-f-bruce","tag-new-testament"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4532"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4552,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4532\/revisions\/4552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}