Creekside Church, Sunday, April 28, 2024
I Can't Take the Bible Seriously
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
Today we're talking about the Bible.
Christians say some pretty wild things about the Bible:
Authoritative
Inspired/God breathed.
The Word of God
How does one get to the claims above?
In today's sermon I'll give you some things to consider when engaging with the Bible.
---
WHERE DOES THE BIBLE COME FROM?
Think of this sequence of events:
1. Resurrection Event (approx. 30AD)
2. Church Forms/Movement (1st century)
3. Documents Begin Circulating (1st and 2nd century)
4. Bible Eventually Emerges (4th century)
By the time of Irenaeus in the late second-century, we see a nearly complete NT. His canon consists of about twenty-two out of twenty-seven NT books which he regards as Scripture.
There appears to be a core collection of scriptural books—approximately 22 out of 27—functioning as Scripture by the middle of the second century.
Christians were using NT writings as Scripture even before the second century. The book of 2 Peter refers to Paul’s letters as “Scripture” (2 Pet. 3:16).
Consider:
- Christianity does not come from the Bible.
- People didn’t find a book they found an empty tomb.
- There were Christians before there was a Bible.
- The church produces the Bible not the other way around.
- Books were included in the Bible because they were authoritative and accepted.
---
WHY DO WE HOLD THE BIBLE AS AUTHORITATIVE?
The Bible is not the Christian's supreme authority. Our allegiance is not to a book.
Jesus is our supreme authority.
“Accept, and submit to the scriptures as a way of submitting to Jesus’ authority.” - Tim Mackie
“Jesus’ authority over me is expressed to me through the scriptures.” - Tim Mackie
The apostles were commissioned by Jesus to make disciples and to teach them everything that Jesus had commanded them. The Bible is a way that the apostles did this.
Consider:
- When engaging Christianity, start with Jesus, not the Bible.
- Goal is not to get you to believe in the Bible, but to believe in Jesus.
- As you learn about Jesus you'll want to learn what those closest of him have to say (The New Testament)
- As you learn about Jesus you'll realize that Jesus treats the Old Testament as inspired. The Old Testament would have been his Bible.
---
CONSIDER THE INTERNAL CONSISTENCY OF THE BIBLE
1,500 years, 40 authors from diverse backgrounds, separated by time and culture, telling one overarching story of redemption. One story that leads to Jesus.
Hyperlinks Graphic showing more than 63000 cross references.
https://philosophadam.wordpress.com/2018/05/16/the-first-hyperlinked-text-the-bible-and-its-63779-cross-references/
---
HASN'T THE BIBLE BEEN LOST TO HISTORY? CAN WE TRUST IT TO BE ACCURATE TO WHAT THE AUTHORS WROTE?
It's true, no original manuscripts remain.
We reconstruct the original using manuscript copies.
Check out this video for a great 4 minute explainer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCeOjLQ61vo
Early Church leaders quoted the NT over a million times
Bruce Metzger – “…So extensive are these citations that if all the other sources for our knowledge of the text of the New Testament were destroyed, they would be sufficient alone for the reconstruction of practically the entire New Testament.”
The Bible is a top notch ancient document. Nothing compares to it.
Consider:
- Christians are not worried about the differences in manuscripts or in the storytelling of the bible. For example the differences between the gospels.
---
GOD IS THE GOD OF GENRES
God is a master storyteller.
He is not limited to 21st century academic historical genre to communicate truth.
Jesus = God in the flesh = The Word of God
Two dominate ways of teaching
- Answering questions with questions
- Telling stories we call parables
When engaging the Bible ask what is being revealed and what you're being called to do.
---
HOW DO YOU GET TO, "I BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS INSPIRED"
You can trust the witness of the church.
To be a Christian is to be part of a tradition.
Ultimately, you have to start to read it.
It being inspired is less an entry requirement and more a revelation that comes from interaction.
As you do, you’ll notice that it has human fingerprints all over it.
It’s clearly a human book. Filled with historical and cultural and personal contextual fingerprints.
And yet…it’s different.
It cuts deep.
It speaks deep.
It’s like Jesus – fully human, fully divine. Mysterious.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Are you looking to be learn?
Be rebuked? – known where you’re going wrong?
Be corrected? – have a new path?
Training in righteousness?
Can you doubt, be confused by it’s teaching and still follow? I hope so!
Followers of Jesus have always experienced this with his teaching.
I invite you to begin to read it.
Come to church and listen.
Join a lifegroup and read together.
Read it on your own.
Experience it.
Wrestle with it.
And eventually, you’ll come to see it as a remarkable gift.
Because what it does infallibly, is leads people to Jesus.
And it is Jesus who ultimately is the Word of God.
And in Him is life.
Christians say some pretty wild things about the Bible:
Authoritative
Inspired/God breathed.
The Word of God
How does one get to the claims above?
In today's sermon I'll give you some things to consider when engaging with the Bible.
---
WHERE DOES THE BIBLE COME FROM?
Think of this sequence of events:
1. Resurrection Event (approx. 30AD)
2. Church Forms/Movement (1st century)
3. Documents Begin Circulating (1st and 2nd century)
4. Bible Eventually Emerges (4th century)
By the time of Irenaeus in the late second-century, we see a nearly complete NT. His canon consists of about twenty-two out of twenty-seven NT books which he regards as Scripture.
There appears to be a core collection of scriptural books—approximately 22 out of 27—functioning as Scripture by the middle of the second century.
Christians were using NT writings as Scripture even before the second century. The book of 2 Peter refers to Paul’s letters as “Scripture” (2 Pet. 3:16).
Consider:
- Christianity does not come from the Bible.
- People didn’t find a book they found an empty tomb.
- There were Christians before there was a Bible.
- The church produces the Bible not the other way around.
- Books were included in the Bible because they were authoritative and accepted.
---
WHY DO WE HOLD THE BIBLE AS AUTHORITATIVE?
The Bible is not the Christian's supreme authority. Our allegiance is not to a book.
Jesus is our supreme authority.
“Accept, and submit to the scriptures as a way of submitting to Jesus’ authority.” - Tim Mackie
“Jesus’ authority over me is expressed to me through the scriptures.” - Tim Mackie
The apostles were commissioned by Jesus to make disciples and to teach them everything that Jesus had commanded them. The Bible is a way that the apostles did this.
Consider:
- When engaging Christianity, start with Jesus, not the Bible.
- Goal is not to get you to believe in the Bible, but to believe in Jesus.
- As you learn about Jesus you'll want to learn what those closest of him have to say (The New Testament)
- As you learn about Jesus you'll realize that Jesus treats the Old Testament as inspired. The Old Testament would have been his Bible.
---
CONSIDER THE INTERNAL CONSISTENCY OF THE BIBLE
1,500 years, 40 authors from diverse backgrounds, separated by time and culture, telling one overarching story of redemption. One story that leads to Jesus.
Hyperlinks Graphic showing more than 63000 cross references.
https://philosophadam.wordpress.com/2018/05/16/the-first-hyperlinked-text-the-bible-and-its-63779-cross-references/
---
HASN'T THE BIBLE BEEN LOST TO HISTORY? CAN WE TRUST IT TO BE ACCURATE TO WHAT THE AUTHORS WROTE?
It's true, no original manuscripts remain.
We reconstruct the original using manuscript copies.
Check out this video for a great 4 minute explainer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCeOjLQ61vo
Early Church leaders quoted the NT over a million times
Bruce Metzger – “…So extensive are these citations that if all the other sources for our knowledge of the text of the New Testament were destroyed, they would be sufficient alone for the reconstruction of practically the entire New Testament.”
The Bible is a top notch ancient document. Nothing compares to it.
Consider:
- Christians are not worried about the differences in manuscripts or in the storytelling of the bible. For example the differences between the gospels.
---
GOD IS THE GOD OF GENRES
God is a master storyteller.
He is not limited to 21st century academic historical genre to communicate truth.
Jesus = God in the flesh = The Word of God
Two dominate ways of teaching
- Answering questions with questions
- Telling stories we call parables
When engaging the Bible ask what is being revealed and what you're being called to do.
---
HOW DO YOU GET TO, "I BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS INSPIRED"
You can trust the witness of the church.
To be a Christian is to be part of a tradition.
Ultimately, you have to start to read it.
It being inspired is less an entry requirement and more a revelation that comes from interaction.
As you do, you’ll notice that it has human fingerprints all over it.
It’s clearly a human book. Filled with historical and cultural and personal contextual fingerprints.
And yet…it’s different.
It cuts deep.
It speaks deep.
It’s like Jesus – fully human, fully divine. Mysterious.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Are you looking to be learn?
Be rebuked? – known where you’re going wrong?
Be corrected? – have a new path?
Training in righteousness?
Can you doubt, be confused by it’s teaching and still follow? I hope so!
Followers of Jesus have always experienced this with his teaching.
I invite you to begin to read it.
Come to church and listen.
Join a lifegroup and read together.
Read it on your own.
Experience it.
Wrestle with it.
And eventually, you’ll come to see it as a remarkable gift.
Because what it does infallibly, is leads people to Jesus.
And it is Jesus who ultimately is the Word of God.
And in Him is life.