Canon of Scripture

04/21/2015/PastorAdmin
  1. The Bible Says So! The Bible says that it is God’s inspired inerrant Word (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Timothy 5:18 which quotes Matthew 10:10 and Deuteronomy 25.4.
  2. Jesus and Writers Say So! Jesus and writers of the Bible said it is God’s Word and therefore true.
  3. Jesus accepted the creation of Adam and Eve (Matthew 19:4), Jonah and the fish (Matthew 12:40), the flood during the life of Noah (Matthew 24:38-39), the miraculous feeding of Israel during the Exodus (John 6:49), and the details of the three and one-half years of famine during Elijah’s life (Luke 4:25). He also said that every detail would be fulfilled (Matthew 5:17-18; John 5:39; John 10:35).
  4. Old Testament prophets and writers said God spoke through them (Genesis 15:1; Exodus 9:20-21; Numbers 23:5; Deuteronomy 18:20-21; 1 Samuel 15:10; Isaiah 16:13; Jeremiah 46:1,13,25; Ezekiel 1:3; Ezekiel 3.1; Daniel 9:2; Zechariah 1.1; Micah 1.1).
  5. Fulfillment of Prophecy Demonstrates It Is True! The prophecies with their fulfillments demonstrate that only God could have made them and had them recorded. Many of the prophecies predicted events that people did not want to believe.
  6. The conflict between the Messianic line and Satan and his followers (Genesis 3:15; Matthew 4:1-11; John 12:31; Revelation 12 and 20).
  7. The person of Jesus Christ.
    • The seed of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 22.18; Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16).
    • The continuity of Israel (Genesis 12:1-3; Romans 9-11; Revelation 21:12).
    • The pre-existence of Christ (Micah 5:2; John 1:1; Colossians 1:17).
    • The virgin birth of Christ (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25).
    • The birthplace in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:3).
    • A ministry of miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 9:35).
    • Entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Luke 19:35-37).
    • The death of Christ for sins (Isaiah 53; John 1:29; John 19:6-7); including Christ rejected (Isaiah 53:3; John 7:5,48), wounded (Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 27:2), silence (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12), executed with thieves (Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:38), prayed for others (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:34), pierced His side (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34), buried in a rich man’s grave (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60).
  8. History—Ninevah (Nahum 1:8, 10; Nahum 2:6; Nahum 3:10,13,19) destroyed in 612 BC.
  9. History—Isaiah the prophet wrote around 700 BC. He predicted that a king named Cyrus will arise and authorize the Jews to rebuild the Jerusalem temple. When Isaiah wrote the temple was intact.  By 550 BC Cyrus was king of Persia and Media. He conquered Babylon in 539; in that year he ordered the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple (Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 45:1).                                 
  10. Unique Unity Demonstrates It Is True! The unique unity of the Bible demonstrates that it is vastly different from all other books. Only God could have authored it.
  11. There are 66 books written by 40 authors (kings, peasants, philosophers, fisherman, a physician, statesmen, scholars, poets, and plowmen who lived in countries and times separated from each other) over a period of 1600 years.
  12. The human authors had different heritages, prejudices, cultures, problems, and pressures. The entire Bible reads as if one author planned and wrote it. The messages centers on Christ. The content which includes God, man, Christ, salvation, authority, Israel, origins, and the future is consistent throughout.
  13. Accuracy  Shows It Is True! The accuracy of the Bible demonstrates that it is different from all other books. No book covering this range of topics and written by so many different people could ever begin to approach this degree of accuracy, unless of course God was the author. Archaeology, science, and history has never proved the Bible to be inaccurate.
  14. The Bible’s Survival Confirms God’s Protection! The Bible’s survival, circulation, translation, and influence on people and literature demonstrate that it is different from all other books. God has protected it, promoted it, and persuaded people with it.
  15. Jesus’ Resurrection Authenticates His Deity! Jesus’ resurrection clearly proved that He is the Son of God (John 20:26-29; Romans 1:4) and therefore truthful in everything He said (Titus 1:2). He said that the Scripture (Old Testament Bible) is absolute truth and without error (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44-48). Furthermore, He said that God would reveal more Scripture (New Testament Bible) to His apostles (John 14:26; John 16:13). Examples of this are John 20:30-31, 1 Corinthians 2:10, and Revelation 1:1-3. Compare this point with point 2 above.