You can never be sure that your Bible is accurate because the original manuscripts don’t even exist anymore.

The Bible has been copied and recopied so many times it can’t possibly represent the original.

(1 John 5:7 KJV) For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

(1 John 5:8 KJV) And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. (45 words).

(1 Jn 5:7 NASB) For there are three that testify:

(1 Jn 5:8 NASB) the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. (20 words).

The Comma Johanneum.

The Bible was written by man, not God. Therefore we can never trust it.

The Bible is filled with errors and contradictions.

Matt 13:22 Jesus said the mustard seed was the smallest seed.

Botanists have found smaller seeds.

In those days it was the smallest.

He was teaching about the Kingdom of God, not seeds.

II SAM 24:1 God caused David to number Israel and Judah.

I CHRON 21:1 Satan moved David.

God allowed Satan to tempt David for a greater purpose. (Job,Saul).

2 Kings 24:8 c.f. 2 Chron 36:9 18 is written 8 and 10

(2 Ki 24:8 KJV) Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

(2 Chr 36:9 KJV) Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

The basis of every argument for the faith is "The Bible says..."

The Bible is an inspiring book ?

It comes from God, not merely man.

Inspiration Gr. Thopneustos - Theo = God, pneustos = breath

2 Pet 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

False views of inspiration :

1) The Bible becomes the Word of God (Neo-orthodox)

2) The Bible contains the Word of God (Liberal)

3) Only spiritual truth in the Bible is inspired (Neo-evangelical)

4) Babylonian and pagan myths became Bible stories (Liberal-Evangelical)

Correct view - Inspiration is :

1) Verbal - every word comes from God

Jer 1:9 Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

2) Plenary - all the Bible is inspired

2 Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

The original MSS. of the Bible (autographa) are without error not only on spiritual truths but also on facts of history, science, math, and all secular subjects.

We are not saying that there are no errors in the copies of the Bible.

He fulfilled over 30 prophecies in His death :

1) Wounded and bruised - Is 53:5

2) Smitten and spit upon - Is 50:6

3) Pierced hands and feet - Ps 22:16

4) Crucified with thieves - Is 53:12

5) Bones not broken - Ps 34:20

6) Side pierced - Zech 12:10

7) Darkness on earth - Amos 8:9

8) Buried in rich man's tomb - Is 53:9

> 300 O.T. prophecies about the coming Christ.

Writing materials -

1) Clay - Jer 17:13, Eze 4:1

2) Stone - Ex 24:12,; 31:18; 32:15; Deut 5:22 etc...

3) Papyrus (Scroll) - Rev 5:1, 2 Jn 12

4) Vellum, parchment, Leather - Jer 36:23, 2 Tim 4:13,

5) Misc. items - Metal - Ex 28:36, Job 19:24, Mat 22:19,20,

Wooden board recessed to hold wax surface Isa 8:1; 30:8, Hab 2:2.

Precious stones - Ex 28:9,11,21; 39:6-14

Potsherds (Ostraca) - Job 2:8

Writing instruments :

1) Stylus (Pen) Jer 17:1

2) Chisel - Josh 8:31,32, Job 19:24

3) Pen (for papyrus, vellum, leather, and parchment) - 3 Jn 13

4) Penknife - Jer 36:23

5) Inkhorn and ink - held ink for pen.

The Talmudists - 300 B.C. to 500 A.D.

The Massorites - 500A.D. to 900 A.D.

The Massorietic text is the standard Heb. text today.

The Talmudists : The copies must :

1) Be lined, scrap if 3 words w/o line.

2) Use black ink, special recipe.

3) Nothing from memory, (letter for letter).

4) Space of a hair between consonants.

5) Wash his whole body, full Jewish dress.

6) Not notice a king addressing him while he is writing the name of God.

The Massorites : They counted everything :

1) # of times each letter occurred in each book.

2) Counted the middle letter and word in each book.

3) Numbered the verses, words, and letters of the O.T.

If we lost the standard for the inch in Washington D.C. we could closely reconstruct it because there are so many copies of it.

The more copies there are, the better our chance of duplicating the original.

How many copies of the N.T. are there ?

1) Greek MSS. and fragments - 5,366.

2) Versions - over 10K Latin, > 4K Slavic, > 2K Ethiopic, > 2K Armenian

Total = 23,633.

How much time passed between the writing of the original and the writing of the earliest copy that we have ?

Chart - dates of MSS and NO. of MSS.

3) Quotations by the Church Fathers : over 36,000.

J. HAROLD GREENLEE - Quotations by the early Fathers "...are so extensive that the N.T. could virtually be reconstructed from them without the use of the New Testament MSS." (All but 11 Vss.)

DSS represents 95% of the Masoretic text.

1) CIRCULATION - published more than any other book.

2) TRANSLATION - trans. more than any other book.

1st major translation - LXX 250 B.C.

3) SURVIVAL - Voltaire in 100 yrs. Bible wiped out.

50 yrs. after his death Bibles published on his presses.

4) CONTINUITY - Over 1,500 years

40 authors

3 continents - Europe, Africa, Asia

3 languages - Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic

Different walks of life

Different socioeconomic times

Speaks on hundreds of controversial subjects with continuity.

Gr. Kanon - a standard, ruler, or measuring rod.

God determined the Canon. Man recognized it.

1) The Church Fathers

Within a generation of the apostolic age, every book of the N.T. was cited by a Church Father as authoritative.

2) The councils - The councils of Hippo 393 and Carthage 397

1) Is it authoritative and inspired ? Does it claim to be of God ?

2) Is it prophetic ? Were the authors apostles or prophets ?

Each book has either apostolic authorship or teaching.

3) Is it authentic ? Did the message tell the truth about God ?

4) Does it come with the power of God ?

2 Tim 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

“Individuals, translations, and canons show that all but a very few books were generally recognized as canonical before the end of the second century”.

1) Transportation and communication were slow.

2) The Church was being persecuted before Constantine.

3) There was no need to canonize until canonization was challenged.

Were any book excluded from the Canon ?

Hagiographa - All religious writings

1) Homologumena - accepted by all

2) Antilegomena - disputed by some

3) Apocrypha - accepted by some

4) Pseudepigrapha - accepted by none (280 books).

Religious books written between the Old and New Testament.

1) They teach the non Biblical practice of praying for the dead :

2 Maccabees 12:46 “Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from their sin”.

2) No Apocryphal book was written by a Prophet.

3) There is no Divine confirmation of any of the writers.

4) There is no predictive prophecy in the Apocrypha.

5) The Apocyrpha was never listed in the Jewish (Hebrew) Bible.

6) It is not cited as authoritative by Jesus or authors of canonical books.

7) No canonical list or general council accepted the Apocrypha for almost 4 centuries.

8) Many Church Fathers spoke against it :

Origen, Cyril, Athanasius, and Jerome (Who translated the Bible into Latin for the Roman Catholic Bible)

Qu. Sir Frederic Kenyon - “The Christian can take the whole Bible in his hand and say without fear or hesitation that he holds in it the true Word of God, handed down without essential loss from generation to generation throughout the centuries”.

Dr. Geisler and Dr. Nix estimate that the MSS. of the Bible are 98.33% pure.