Can We Trust The Bible?

1. The Bible claims to be “the word of God”.

１６全体が神様の霊感によって書かれた聖書は、何が真理であり、何が悪であるかをよく教えてくれます。また、私たちの生活をまっすぐにし、正しいことを行なう力を与えてくれます。１７こうして神様は、私たちをあらゆる点で整え、すべての人に善を行なう力を、十分に授けてくださるのです。(2 Timothy3:16-17)

2. How can we know this is true?

One reason we can believe the Bible is true is the complete harmony among all the books of the Bible. The Bible was written by 40 different men over a span of 1600 years. Yet, there is continuity and a unified message throughout the Bible. The Bible says this is possible because the Holy Spirit guided these men as they wrote.

それは、これら神様を敬う人の心に住まれる聖霊様がお授けになった、混じりけのない神様からのことばなのです。 (2 Peter 1:21)

This message is God's work of redemption of all people through His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This message is for all people of all nations.
The Old Testament writers were inspired to prophesy about the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. The New Testament writers were biographers and witnesses of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection on earth. Both testaments reveal that Jesus fulfilled every prophecy that was written about Him—even the ones that were written hundreds of years before His birth.

3. So, how was the Bible put together?

The books of the Old and New Testament were written over 1,600 years, beginning in the 15th century B.C. with the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) and ending near the end of the first century after Christ with the book of Revelation. No historian left a full account of the individual steps in this long process. However, there is information that give us knowledge about what took place.
Ezra was a priest in the Old Testament. Bible scholars believe Ezra was the man responsible for the final collection and arrangement of the books for the The Old Testament around 450 B.C. Jesus accepted the Hebrew Bible as God’s Word around 30 A.D. when he said, 「以前、いっしょにいた時、モーセや預言者の書いたこと、それに聖書（旧約）の詩篇にあることはみな、必ずそのとおりになると話して聞かせたはずです。忘れてしまったのですか。」Luke 24:44

In 90 A.D. Jewish elders and authorities met at the Council of Jamnia, where The Old Testament was confirmed as authoritative and complete even though it had been accepted as God’s Word long before this.

Most Bible scholars believe Paul, Peter, John, and other believers were the ones who put the 27 books of the New Testament together and distributed the first copies to the first Christian churches in Asia and the Middle East. Peter’s comment in 2 Peter 3:15-16 leads them to believe this:

１５１６なぜ主が、こんなにも長く待っておられるのか、よく考えてみなさい。主は、私たちが救いの教えを伝える時間を与えておられるのです。学識の深さで知られる、愛する兄弟パウロも、多くの手紙の中で、同じことを書いています。しかし彼の手紙には、むずかしいところがあるので、中には、それをいいことに、わざと的はずれの解釈をする人がいます。彼らは、聖書のほかの個所でもそうするのですが、パウロが言おうとしていることとは、全く別の意味を引き出しているのです。それは、自分で滅びを招いているようなものです。

By saying this, Peter was equating Paul’s letters with the Old Testament Scriptures.
In 2 Timothy 4:13, Paul asks Timothy to bring some books and parchments to him. At this time, Paul is in prison for sharing the Gospel and he is about to be executed. So, he probably wanted to select the letters that would become books in the New Testament. We know that some letters were not selected because a letter from Laodicea is mentioned in Colossians 4:16, but there is no book called “Laodicea” in the Bible.

１３ついでに、私がトロアスのカルポの家に置いてきた上着を、忘れずに持って来てください。 それから羊皮紙の書物も、お願いします。 2 Timothy 4:13

１６それから、この手紙を読み終えたら、ラオデキヤの教会にも回してください。また、ラオデキヤの教会あての私の手紙も、そちらに回覧されたら読んでください。
Colossians 4:16

Bible Scholars believe that after Paul selected the letters, the letters were given to Peter and John. Then, Peter and John continued the process of putting the New Testament together. Since John outlived the other apostles, it is most likely that he is the one, under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, who made the final selections for the New Testament. John gives a warning in Revelation 22:18-19 that indicates that the Bible was complete at this time (around 90 A.D.)

１８わたしは、この書物を読むすべての人に、厳かに宣言します。ここに書かれていることに、一語でも書き加える人がいれば、神様はその人に、この書物にあるとおりの災いを下されます。１９また反対に、この預言の書物から一語でも取り除く人がいれば、神様はその人から、いのちの木の実を食べる権利ばかりか、きよい都に入る権利をも取り上げるでしょう。 Revelation 22:18-19

In A.D. 397 the Synod of Carthage confirmed the 27 books of the New Testament even though these books had been distributed to and accepted by Christian Churches for 300 years. Christians believe God has a hand in preserving His Word.

天地は消え去りますが、わたしのことばは永遠に残ります。Matthew 24:35

Early copies of the Bible were handwritten and copied letter by letter by scribes. These Bibles were only available for the priests. The world’s oldest Bible is in a library at the Vatican in Rome. This Bible dates back to the 4th century. The first Bible to be printed on a printing press was printed in 1454 by Johannes Gutenberg. As technology improved, other versions of the Bible were printed and made available to the public. Now, the Bible is available in 2,233 languages and it is the world’s best-selling book.

So, that is a little bit about how the Bible was written and put together.
Now, what are the reasons we can trust the Bible?

I. Prophecies

4. So far, prophecies in the Bible have been fulfilled with 100% accuracy. (We are waiting for the rest of the prophecies to be fulfilled. One example is the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ)

主は、大号令と、天使長の声と、神の召集ラッパの響きと共に、天から下って来られます。 その時、まず最初に復活して主にお会いできるのは、すでにこの世を去っているクリスチャンです。それから、なお生きて地上に残っている私たちが、いっしょに雲に包まれて、空中で主とお会いするのです。 そして、いつまでも主と共に過ごすことになります。 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

5. There were 48 prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament. These prophecies included specific details about his birth, life, death, and Resurrection. Bible scholars have calculated that the chance of one man fulfilling all these prophecies is 1 in 10 followed by 257 zeroes. Yet, Jesus Christ fulfilled every one of these prophecies. (If you want to do a separate study about these prophecies, let me know!)

6. In Genesis, there are many prophecies about Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, and the nations that would come from them. All of these prophecies have been fulfilled. (Examples: Israel is a great nation and the nations in the Middle East are always at war.)

7. Deuteronomy 28 has prophecies about the blessings for following God and the curses for not following God. I believe this is prophecy that has been and is being fulfilled in America. In the past, America was primarily a “Christian nation” and enjoyed great prosperity. In the past few decades, America began to turn its back on God. I believe America is now experiencing many troubles because of this disobedience.

１神様の戒め、きょう与えるこの戒めに完全に従えば、神様はあなたがたを、世界中で一番すばらしい国民とし、２‐６次のような祝福をお与えになります。町の中でも外でも祝福され、子宝にも恵まれます。作物は豊かに実り、羊や牛もどんどん増え、くだものとパンには事欠きません。よそから帰って来る時も出かける時も、必ず祝福されます。１５‐１９もし神様の言われることを聞かず、きょう与える法律を守らないなら、必ずのろわれます。町の中でも外でものろわれ、くだものやパンに不自由します。子供は授からず、作物の実りも乏しく、牛や羊まで減る一方です。帰って来る時も出かける時も、良くないことばかり起きます。Deuteronomy 28:1-6, 15-19

8. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Hosea, Nahum, Amos, and Zechariah have prophecies about plagues, wars, and leaders of various nations. History tells us that all of these prophecies were fulfilled.

II. Historical Accuracy and Archeological Evidence

9. The Bible has historical facts that match other written historical records that have been found in the Middle East. Archeologists have never found any records that contradict the Bible.

Some examples:

10. Clay tablets have been found with the names of people and places from the book of Genesis. Archeologists date these tablets to be from around 2300 B.C.

11. The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend until their money and records were discovered in Turkey in 1906.

なんというありがたい申し出でしょう。アブラハムは深々と頭を下げました。Genesis 23:7 and others

12. Records have been found that show that Solomon really was a man of great wealth.

ソロモン王の富と知恵にたち打ちできる王は、世界に一人もいませんでした
1 Kings 10:23

13. King Sargon’s palace was discovered in Iraq and Sargon’s capture of Ashdod was recorded on the palace walls.

アッシリヤのサルゴン王が、司令官にペリシテの町アシュドデを襲わせ、占領させた年のことです。Isaiah 20:1

14. Pictures and statues of leaders mentioned in the Bible have been found. Also, ruins from man-made structures such as palaces, gates, and pools that are mentioned in the Bible have been found. All of these match up with the descriptions of the structures mentioned in the Bible.

15. In 1947, The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the desert in Qumran (near Israel). These are the oldest Old and Testament scrolls that have ever been found. The scrolls also had information about New Testament times leading up to, and during, the life of Jesus Christ.

16. The burial sites of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac were found in the Cave of Machpelah in 1119. Today, this site is the home of a Muslim Mosque and the graves of Abraham’s family are marked with their names.

こうして、その土地の所有権はヘテ人からアブラハムに移り、彼はその墓地にサラを葬りました。 Genesis 23:19-20

17. The burial sites of David, Solomon, Caiaphus, Caesar Augustus James, and other Biblical figures have also been found.

18. Other historical records have been found that tell us about events such as the Flood, the fall of Babylon, and the existence of Jesus. All of these accounts match up with the accounts that are written in the Bible.


III. Scientific Evidence

Another reason we can trust the Bible is that many of the principles of modern science were recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientists proved them to be true. Examples of this are:

19. The Earth is Round.

神様は地球のはるか上におられます。下界の人間など、まるでいなごのように見えることでしょう。 神様は、天をカーテンのように引き伸ばし、ご自分の住まいとします。
Isaiah 40:22

20. The Heavens (skies), stars, and grains of sand seem to be infinite.

天が地より高いように、わたしの道はおまえたちの道より高く、わたしの思いはおまえたちの思いより高い。Isaiah 55:9

“I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” Jeremiah 33:22

21. The waters of the Earth move in a hydrologic cycle. The winds of the atmosphere are always circulating.

人はあくせく働いた報酬として、何を手に入れるのでしょう。一つの時代は去り、新しい時代がきますが、少しも変わりばえしません。太陽はのぼっては沈み、またのぼろうと、急いで元の所へ帰ります。風は南に吹き、北に吹き、あちこち向きを変えますが、結局行き着く所もありません。川は海に注ぎますが、海は決してあふれることはありません。水は再び川に戻り、また海に流れて行きます。Ecclesiastes 1:3-7

22. The Earth is decaying.

大昔、神様は地の基礎をすえ、天をお造りになりました。それらはやがて消滅するでしょうが、神様は永遠に生き続けられます。着古した着物のようにすり切れたものは、新しいものと取り替えられますが、 Psalm 102:25-26

23. Blood is necessary for life.

血はいのちそのもの、また罪を償い、たましいを救う代償として、祭壇に振りかけるものだからだ。 Leviticus 17:11

24. The Earth has a gravitational field. The clouds hold moisture. The moon has phases.

神様は虚空に天を張り、奈落の底の上に地球をつるす。神様は雨を厚い雲に包み込むが、雲は裂けない。 また、雲で御座をおおい、 Job 26:7-9

These facts of nature are stated in simple terms, but they agree with modern science.

IV. The Bible’s Appeal To And Effect On People.

25. The Bible is the all-time best seller of books. It appeals to hearts and minds. The Bible is loved by people of all races and nations. Rich or poor, wise or simple, royal or common, people of every background and walk of life love the Bible. No other book has ever had this appeal.

神様のおきては完全無欠です。私たちを守り、賢くし、喜びと光を与えます。そのおきては純粋で、正しく、すたれることがありません。また、金よりも慕わしく、蜜ばちの巣からしたたる蜜よりも甘いのです。それは、危険に近づくなと警告し、従う者には祝福を約束するからです。Psalm 19:7-11

26. Another reason we can trust the Bible is found in the testimony of those who have believed it. Multitudes of people, past and present, have found from personal experience that its promises are true, its counsel is sound, its commands and restrictions are wise, and its wonderful message of salvation meets every need for both time and eternity.

「キリスト・イエスは、罪人を救うために、この世に来てくださった」ということばは真実です。このことをだれもが知ってくれるようにと、心から願っています。私は、その罪人の中でも首領格の人間です。それにもかかわらず、神様は私をあわれんでくださいました。キリスト・イエスは、どうにも手がつけられない罪人に対してさえ、自らの忍耐深さを教えようと、私みたいな者を選ばれたのです。それによって、だれにも永遠のいのちを持つ希望が与えられるのです。
1 Timothy 1:15-16

V. Final Thought

27. There are many things that are not explained in the Bible. We don’t know why God chose to reveal some things and leave other things a mystery. There are many reasons to believe the Bible, but ultimately it takes faith to believe in God and His Word. The Bible says without faith, it is impossible to believe God.

信仰を、どう定義したらよいでしょう。それは、願い事が必ずかなえられるという、不動の確信です。また、何が起こるかわからない行く手にも、望みどおりのことが必ず待ち受けていると信じて、疑わないことです。６信仰がなければ、神様に喜ばれることはできません。 神様のもとに来ようとする人はだれでも、神様の存在と、熱心に神様を求めれば必ず報いられることとを、信じなければなりません。 Hebrews 11:1,6

Discussion Questions:

The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. Are many Bibles sold in Japan? Did you have a Bible before you came to America?

Do you know anyone who has prophesied? Did their prophecies come true?

What makes you believe something? Does it take seeing it, eyewitnesses telling you about it, or some other kind of evidence?

Why are you interested in the Bible?