Week 5 - The Reliability of Scripture
The Reliability of Scripture
The Bible was written over thousands of years by around 40 different authors, yet it tells one unified story that consistently points to Jesus Christ. Its unity, depth, and fulfilled prophecies strongly suggest divine involvement.
Scholars estimate there are roughly 2,500 prophecies in Scripture, with many already fulfilled, including numerous Old Testament prophecies about Jesus that are fulfilled in the New Testament.
Remember the statistical evidence shown last week? Well, brace yourself, because there is even greater evidence to magnify the glory of God. A researcher named Peter Stoner published a book titled Science Speaks, where he calculated the statistical chance of Jesus fulfilling prophecies that were told of him in the Old Testament (many of which were out of human control, like being born in Bethlehem). To fulfill only 8 of the biggest prophecies, the chances would approximate to 1 x 1017. To fulfill 16, the chances would become 1 x 1045. To push it even further, Peter calculated that the chances for Christ to fulfill 40 of the prophecies would be a whopping 1 x 10157.
Think about that for a moment. 1 x 10157. That is almost 2 times the amount of atoms known to exist in the observable universe. The chances would be like picking one random atom while blindfolded within a pool of 2 universes. It's even more statistically impossible that Christ would fulfill 40 prophecies compared to the chances of the universe existing by accident, and yet, guess what? Christ fulfilled every one of them. What’s even more absurd? Christ fulfilled a grand total of 108 prophecies. It’s incomprehensible to even imagine the probability of him doing this, and yet He did the impossible just for us. And the best part yet? Christ will fulfill even more prophecies when He returns to bring His bride home.
From Genesis to Revelation, Christ is central to the message of Scripture.
The Bible’s reliability is further supported by the willingness of the apostles and early Christians to suffer and die for what they claimed to have witnessed. In addition, the Bible is exceptionally well preserved, with thousands of manuscripts. This is far more than any other ancient text, and allows us to trust that the Scriptures we have today faithfully reflect the original writings.
Read these Bible passages:
Isaiah 9:6 & Isaiah 7:14 → Matthew 1:24-25
Psalm 22:1 → Mark 15:34, Matthew 27:46
Isaiah 53:5, Psalm 22:16-18 → 1 Peter 2:24-25, John 20:25-27
Micah 5:2 → Matthew 2:1
Psalm 34:20 → John 19:33, 36
Questions:
Why should we trust the Bible?
Why does it help to know the reliability of Scripture when sharing the Good News?
Why is the consistency of Scripture important to know while evangelizing?
What significance does it have that Jesus was prophesied in the Old Testament?
What are some prophecies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled in the New Testament?