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The Book of Divine Authorship
(Part II)
Last Sunday morning we began an investigation together. We began looking to see if we could determine where the Bible came from. The question we are trying to answer is: Did the Bible come from the mind of God or man? I showed you that those are the only two options for the authorship of the Bible—God or man. I also showed you that Christian faith is not a blind leap of faith; we don’t just walk up to the edge of a cliff and jump off without first looking to see if there is something there to catch us. Then I presented you with a piece of evidence for the Divine authorship of the Bible—because the Bible contains prophecies made and fulfilled in such a way that they are confirmed by extra biblical (outside the Bible) sources and can not be reasonably accounted for without God, the Bible could not have come from man, but had to have been inspired by God.
In our continuation of this study this morning, I’m going to ask you to do a little more than just examine the evidence with me, but also to reason with me. What did Paul do in Acts 17:2 when he went to Thessalonica? “…As his custom was, [he] went in unto them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the scriptures.” What did he do when he got to Athens? “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he beheld the city full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with them that met him” (Acts 17:16-17). After he left Athens and went to Corinth, what did he do there? “…He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:4). After he left Corinth he went over to Ephesus. What did he do in Ephesus? “…He himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews” (Acts 18:19). God gave us an ability to think for ourselves and to reason for ourselves. We don’t just believe anything we hear, but we take that new information and we see if it all adds up before we accept it and believe it. Now, we don’t just go set on a rock somewhere and reason like Plato or Socrates, but we reason from the Scriptures, but Paul said to the Corinthians in First Corinthians 10:15, “judge ye what I say.” Paul expected people to be able to weigh the evidence in their own minds, reason for themselves, and determine what is right. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what Dr. this, or PH.D. that says, but what I, myself, know to be taught by the Bible. If we see the evidence and we know what it is telling us, are we be willing to accept it? Many of those that Paul reasoned with in Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus did.
In addition to the prophecies we studied about last week, how else can we know that the Bible could not have been produced without Divine authorship? Because the Bible’s message, and its messengers, have been confirmed by miracles. Listen to the Hebrew writer: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” (Heb. 2:3-4).
A Miracle Is Only Possible By The Power Of God
According to W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the word “miracle” means: 1. “power, inherent ability, is used of works of a supernatural origin and character, such as could not be produced by natural agents and means”; 2. “a sign, mark, token…, is used of miracles and wonders as signs of Divine authority” (Vol. 3. New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1966. 75). There are a lot of things called “miracles” today that do not fit that definition. If something extraordinary happens, people say, “it was a miracle.” It’s a miracle that so and so survived the car accident. Someone’s test results came back negative; “it’s a miracle.” The doctors said she would never be able to have a baby, but she did, “it’s a miracle.” Those things are not miracles. If we look through our Bibles, no matter how hard we look, or how long, we will not find an example of a miracle that fits into this modern-day definition. What we will find though, is example after example after example of supernatural events performed by those empowered by God to do things that transcend the laws of nature. They have no natural explanation. When Jesus walked on water that was a miraculous event. It went outside natural boundaries; there can be no natural explanation for it. We can’t walk on water because we are bound by natural laws to do only those things allowed by nature. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead that was a miraculous event. That went beyond natural boundaries. How did He do them then? He was the Son of God and possessed supernatural power.
When God answers our prayers today, those are not miracles. The immediate regeneration of a severed limb would be a miracle. Doctors sowing a severed limb back on and a person regaining use of that limb after months of therapy is not a miracle. It may be the answer to a prayer, but it is not a miracle, it is providence. The virgin birth of Jesus was a miracle, but God’s answer to Hannah’s prayers for a son was not. God answered her prayers, but he did it by natural means. The Bible says, “Elkanah [Hannah’s husband] knew Hannah his wife; and Jehovah remembered her; and it came to pass, when the time was come about, that Hannah conceived, and bare a son…” (1 Sam. 1:19-20). In both cases God was responsible for a child’s birth. The difference was that He gave Hannah a child by the natural means of conception, but Jesus was miraculously conceived.
Sometimes there are programs on TV about the miracles of the Bible and they go through all of this effort to try and show how they must have happened by natural means. The problem is though, that if something is a miracle, it’s not going to have a natural explanation. If there is a natural explanation, then it wasn’t a miracle. A miracle, by definition, is a supernatural event. So, when they say here is the miracle, and then say, here is the natural explanation for it. They are really saying that they don’t believe that it was a miracle at all.
Why is it that man cannot do any miracles on his own, but God can? Man is a natural being who lives within the confines of the natural world and is restricted by it. God, on the other hand, is a supernatural being that exists outside of the natural universe and is able to act upon it from the outside. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” If God created the natural universe, surely He can control it and do with it as He chooses. Surely, the One who created man to begin with can bring the dead back to life again. Surely, the One who created the winds and the waves has complete power over them (cf. Mk. 4:39). Man, however, can do none of these things. The only way for man to ever have been able to do any kind of miracle at all is if God gave him that ability. It’s not really man who did any miracle, but it was God working through man any time that such was done.
Miracles Confirmed The Credibility Of The Message And Its Messengers
Let’s look at Hebrews 2:3-4 again: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” (emphasis added, DC). How are these signs and wonders, divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost managed? By the will of God. If someone can perform miracles, it is because of God working with him, and even then, only in such a way that is in harmony with the His will. So, if someone is able to do a miracle, that is Divine confirmation that God is with him and that he is doing God’s will. Remember what Nicodemus said to Jesus in John 3? “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him” (vs. 2). The man that was born blind in John 9 said, “Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing” (vss. 30-33). If a person can do miracles, then that is, clear evidence that God is with a person and that he is doing His will.
In Matthew 9:1-8, look at what happened there:
And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
Jesus confirmed both Himself and what He was saying by the miracle that he was able to perform. That they could know that He was someone with such authority and that what He was saying was right, He said, “arise, and take up thy bed, and go unto thy house.”
Peter also says that Jesus was confirmed by the miraculous works of God done by Him: “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know” (Acts 2:22). He was “God approved”! How? “By mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him.”
In the words of G. K. Wallace:
The signs of Christ cannot be duplicated today. If they could I would not believe in Jesus. There would be no way to certify that he was the Son of God with power to forgive sins. (Mt. 9:6) Christ even laid down his own life and took it up again. (Jn. 10:17) (The Design and End of Miracles, 1972. 5)
What about His apostles? “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed” (Mk. 16:20). “And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people” (Acts 5:12). “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, by signs and wonders and mighty works” (2 Cor. 12:12).
The signs of the apostles are many and varied:
1. Peter healed a man at the temple (Acts 3:1-9) 2. Peter struck a man dead (Acts 5:1-6) 3. Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 10:36-42) 4. Paul struck a man blind (Acts13:9-12) 5. Paul raised a man from the dead (Acts 20:7-12) 6. Paul picked up a poisonous snake (Acts 28:5)
If you could duplicate the signs of an apostle I would not believe that Christ sent them….The signs of Moses may be preached by reading them in the synagogue. (Acts 15:2) The signs of Christ are recorded in the gospels (Jn. 20:30-31) He who has the New Testament has every sign of Christ that he wants him to possess. The signs of Moses are in the Old Testament. The signs of Christ are in the New testament and no man can duplicate them. Not only can they not be duplicated no man will even try to do so. (Wallace)
What about Moses?
The miracles of Moses were to prove that God sent him. He knew the children of Israel would not believe that God sent him to deliver them from bondage. (Ex. 4:1-2) Jehovah changed the rod into a serpent and back into a rod. God then caused leprosy to fasten itself on Moses and then healed him. Johovah said, ‘If they will not believe the first sign they will harken to the second.’ (Ex. 4:8) The signs of Moses in Egypt, including the many plagues convinced Israel that God sent him. If you could do the signs of Moses I would not believe God sent him to deliver Israel. One may preach Moses and not perform the signs of Moses (Act 15:22). The signs of Moses cannot be duplicated today. (Wallace)
So Jesus and His apostles, even Moses, were all confirmed by miracles, and with them, the word that was spoken through them. If what we have in our Bibles is not the word of God, then these people would not have been able to do the things that they did.
How do we know that that the gospel message is true and that it is the word of God? Because it has been confirmed by miracles. Why don’t we have miracles today? Because what has already been confirmed in the first century, remains confirmed in the 21st century; it doesn’t need to be reconfirmed. Paul said in First Corinthians 13:8-13 that those things were going to cease. In Ephesians 4:13 we read that they were only to last until till they all attained “unto the unity of the faith.” That was accomplished when God’s revelation to man was complete. “But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.”
The Bible Is A Historically Reliable Document
Someone may say, “well, okay, if those like Moses, Jesus, the apostles, and others all had the ability to perform miracles and do the things that the Bible says that they did, then they had to have been who they said they were and the Bible is what it says that it is; the matter has been confirmed by miracles. That would be the only reasonable explanation. But, how do we know the Bible is telling the truth? How do we know that it give an accurate account of what really happened all those years ago?”
If you would like to study some more one this, I recommend a book by Josh McDowell, called: The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict. In that book, at the end of a section about writings outside of the Bible that basically echo what we already know to be true from the Bible, it is concluded:
…Even if we did not have any Christian writings, ‘we would be able to conclude from such non-Christian writings as Josephus, the Talmud, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger that: (1) Jesus was a Jewish teacher; (2) many people believed that he performed healings and exorcisms; (3) he was rejected by the Jewish leaders; (4) he was crucified under Pontious Pilate in the raign of Tiberius; (5) despite this shameful death, his followers, who believed that he was still alive, spread byond Palestine so that there were multitudes of them in Rome by A.D. 64; (6) all kind of people from the cities and countryside—men and women, slave and free—worshiped him as God by the beginning of the second century.’ (Wilkins, JUF, 222) (As quoted by: McDowell. Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, 1999. 60)
Not only to writings outside of the Bible confirm the historical accuracy of the biblical accounts, but archaeology also echoes what we already know to be true from the Bible. Again, in McDowell’s book, page 62, we find that someone who started out a disbeliever in the historical reliability of the Bible, or at least the writings of Luke, was forced by the evidence that he discovered, to change his mind. It says,
Sir William Ramsay is regarded as one of the greatest archaeologists ever to have lived. He was a student in the German historical school of the mid-19th century. As a result, he believed that the Book of Acts was a product of the mid-second century A.D. He was firmly convinced of this belief. In his research to make a topographical study of Asia Minor, he was compelled to consider the writings of Luke. As a result he was forced to do a complete reversal of his beliefs due to the overwhelming evidence uncovered in his research. He spoke of this when he said: ‘I may fairly claim to have entered on this investigation without prejudice in favour of the conclusion which I shall now seek to justify to the reader. On the contrary, I began with a mind unfavourable to it, for the ingenuity and apparent completeness of the Tubingen theory had at one time quite convinced me. It did not then lie in my line of life to investigate the subject minutely; but more recently I found myself brought into contact with the book of Acts as an authority for the topography, antiquities and society of Asia Minor. It was gradually borne upon me that in various details the narrative showed marvelous truth,. In fact, beginning with a fixed idea that the work was essentially a second century composition, and never relying on its evidence as trustworthy for first century conditions, I gradually came to find it a useful ally in some obscure and difficult investigations.’ (Blaiklock, LAENT, 36—quited from Ramsay’s book: St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen)
There is a whole lot more that could be said on this if we had more time, but I believe that this small sampling is an accurate representation of what is to be found in such a study—archeology, ancient historians and writings confirm what we read about from the Bible. The things that the Bible says happened really happened, they happened where the Bible says they happened, and they happened where the Bible says they happened. We see that truth echoed time and time again by available extra biblical sources of varying kinds. Historical information of the Bible has been checked, Scientific information in the Bible has been checked, geographical information in the Bible has been checked, literary considerations in the Bible have been checked, names and dates have been checked, and just about any other way you can think of checking the Bible for accuracy, it has been done. The Bible has been checked and rechecked every way possible, it has been weighed and it has been measured, but it has yet to be found wanting, and it never will be. If the Bible says something, we’d better believe it!
The Bible tells us that Jesus calmed the stormy seas and that the apostles, as well as others, confirmed their message with miracles.
Conclusion
When an investigator walks onto a crime scene, he might not know who the criminal is. All he may have are a bunch of clues, along with a bunch of missing pieces. But over time, he collects the evidence, and based on the evidence that he was able to gather together, he is able to connect the dots and put the pieces back together again. Even though he may not have witnessed the crime, he can still determine what happened based upon the evidence.
This morning we want to know who the author of the Bible is. So far, we have seen that the prophecies of the Bible show that that the Bible is Divinely authored, and we also have miracles that confirm its Divine authorship. Just by looking at the evidence, like that police investigator, we should be able to know what the truth is. Is it more reasonable to conclude that the Bible came from man or from God? If we reason correctly, I think we will see that the Bible was Divinely authored.
If you are with us this morning and you are not a Christian, there is one more passage that I would like to direct your attention to. It is found in Isaiah 1:18-20:
Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.
Those words are about 2,700 years old, and yet, they ring just as true for us today as they ever did! It was true then and in that day and time, but isn’t it also true that still today, our sins can be washed away and we can be made white as snow? If we will only be obedient, we can have eternal life in His Son and be with Him forever in heaven one of these days. If we refuse the invitation and rebel, we will surely die. God has laid out your options before us in an effort to reason with us. What will your answer be this morning?
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