Defending the Bible,  Answers

1. From memory, how would you answer the question, "Wasn't the Bible translated from one language to another so many times that it can't be trusted?"
   1. It is important that in your answer you correct the question. Those who ask the question often assume that the Bible has been copied into different languages so many times that cannot be trusted. It is important that you point out that the assumption is incorrect. All you need to do is tell the person that we have very good copies of the original documents and translators translate into the current language from the original documents. Therefore, the Bible has not been translated from one language into another so many times that cannot be trusted. It is only translated from the original into the target language.
      
      
      
       
2. How would you answer the question, "Wasn't the New Testament written hundreds of years after Christ?"
   1. From the lessons you have learned that the book of Acts does not contain the very important events of the death of Peter or Paul which occurred in the sixties. Additionally, it does not record the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem which happened in 70 AD. Therefore it is logical to assume that the reason these extremely important Christian events are not recorded in Acts, the book of Christian history, is because the book of Acts was written before the events. Furthermore, the book of Luke was written before Acts as it is stated in Acts 1:1-2. Most scholars agree that the book of Mark preceded all of the Gospels. Therefore, we can see that the Gospels and the epistles of Peter and Paul were written in the first century.
      
      
      
       
3. How would you answer the question, "Isn't the Bible scientifically inaccurate?"
   1. The Bible does use common metaphors of the time such as a "the four corners of the earth," or "the foundation pillars of the earth." But, the Bible does describe many scientific facts that were not known to anyone at the time that the Bible was written. Some of them are,
      1. The Earth is suspended in nothing
         1. "He spreads out the northern [skies] over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing" (Job. 26:7, NIV).
            1. This is particularly interesting considering that the cosmology of other cultures at that time did not have the earth suspended in nothing, but rather upon pillars, or people, or animals.
      2. The Stars are Innumerable
         1. "He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars -- if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be," (Gen. 15:5, NIV).
      3. The Existence of Valleys in the Seas
         1. "The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils," (2 Sam. 22:16, NIV).
      4. The Existence of Springs and Fountains in the Seas  
         1. "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month -- on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened," (Gen. 7:11, NIV). See also Gen. 8:2; Prov. 8:28.
      5. The Existence of Water Paths (Ocean Currents) in the Seas
         1. "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!...When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,...You made him [man] ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet...the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas" (Psalm 8:1,3,6,8, NIV).

       

4. How would you answer the question, "Since the New Testament writers were biased, can we trust their testimony?"
   1. Having a bias does not negate the validity of a person's testimony. The character of the ones giving the testimony is very important when it is regarding truth. From the accounts of the eyewitnesses, we can see that the disciples died for their belief in the resurrection of Christ. It was not that they had to believe, but that they claim to have seen the risen Lord. Furthermore, they advocated honesty, integrity, and self-sacrifice. Their actions of laying their lives down for their faith, of being honest, and truthful, is consistent with the testimony that they supported concerning the Lord Jesus and His resurrection.