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Notes: 

All of us are betting our lives on something

No one should bet their life on “blind faith”

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”

Whatever we bet our life on needs more than emotion; it should have strong evidence

Why should I trust the Bible?

Myths:

● NT was written centuries later

● Bible is corrupted - many versions

● Has contradictions

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.

After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

PAUL THE APOSTLE

-Martyred in 64/65 AD

-Corinthians written in 55 AD

-Jesus crucified in 33 AD

--- That’s 22 years, not centuries, later! ---

Myths:

● NT was written centuries later

● Bible is corrupted - many versions

● Has contradictions

Bible written in: Hebrew – Aramaic – Greek

The Great Isaiah Scroll, a Dead Sea Scroll dating back to around 125 BC, is remarkably similar to the Masoretic Text, the standard Hebrew Bible, with only a few minor textual variations, confirming the accuracy of the transmission of the Book of Isaiah over a millennium.

Myths:

● NT was written centuries later

● Bible is corrupted - many versions

● Has contradictions

The two criminals also said cruel things to Jesus. 

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him… But the other criminal rebuked him. 

Using an unequal standard creates an unfair picture

Literary Evidence

Manuscript Evidence   

Archeological Evidence

LITERARY EVIDENCE 

66 different books

40+ Authors (varied backgrounds)

Written on 3 different continents

Written in 3 different languages

Over a 1,500-year time span

It’s a coherent message & has thematic unity

NON-CHRISTIAN HISTORICAL SOURCES: 

Tacitus

Suetonius

Josephus

Pliny the Younger

Lucian

Talmud

-Jesus lived during the time of Tiberius Caesar.

-He lived a virtuous life.

-He was thought to be a wonder-worker.

-He had a brother named James.

-He was acclaimed to be the Messiah.

-He was crucified under Pontius Pilate.

-An eclipse and earthquake occurred when He died.

-He was crucified on the eve of the Passover.

-His disciples believed He rose from the dead.

-His disciples were willing to die for their beliefs.

MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE

1,000 years – 10 copies – GAELIC WARS

750 years – 7 copies – NATURAL HISTORY

500 years – 500 copies – ILIAD

50 years – 24,000 copies – NEW TESTAMENT

ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

Luke: 32 countries, 54 cities, 9 islands, 0 mistakes

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Politarchs – city officials

No reference in existing Greek literature

1st century archway with inscription “In the time of Politarchs”

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Lysanias the Tetrarch of Abilene (no mention) 

2 Greek inscriptions from Abila dated 14-29 A.D.

“Freedman of Lysanias, the Tetrarch”

“It may be stated categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference.”

Believing the Bible does not require any blind faith.

It has mountains of evidence that points to its trustworthiness.

“A person who rejects Christ may choose to say that I do not accept it, he may not choose to say there’s not enough evidence.”