Apologetics
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE As A Member OR Visitor
Message Writer
Hire Writer
Report Article
Is the Bible consistently literal? A friend of mine recently used those two words. The operative word here is "consistently." As important as it is to say that the Bible can be taken literally, it makes a world of theological difference to be convinced that it is literal from cover to cover. Did the stories in the Old Testament literally happen? What about the events in the New Testament? How about the Book of Revelation and Bible prophecy?
Concerning the Old Testament, archaeology continues to excavate the ruins of cities mentioned in this section of the Bible. There are artifacts with inscriptions of the names of people living at that time. Scientific evidence supports the global flood of Noah. Did the waters of the Red Sea part so that the Israelites could flee the bondage of Egypt, but when Pharoah's men in pursuit also began to cross, they were all drowned? Chariot wheels have been identified at the bottom of the Red Sea.
Without a doubt, the major event of the New Testament was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The tomb of Jesus was protected by 1)legions of Roman soldiers who signed their life away if they allowed anything to happen to the body of Jesus, and 2) a huge bolder which had to be rolled downhill to block the entrance. The bolder had the official seal of Rome on it, and anyone who broke it was subject to death. Aside from that it would have been physically impossible to roll the huge stone uphill and steal the body. Did Jesus come back to life inside the tomb, and then with supernatural strength move the stone and walk out? He would have been seen by the soldiers. No, he rose right through it! Jesus, physically and literally rose from lthe dead. The Bible says that an angel moved the stone not so people could view the body of Jesus, but could witness the empty tomb! If one says that Jesus only rose in his spirit, not so, because he was physically seen by hundreds of people, and interacted with them.
Prohecies in the Old and New Testaments have continuously been fulfilled to the exact detail, including many being realized in our current events. They were penned by true prophets of God, the requirement for qualifiying for such a label being 100 percent accuracy every time.
There you have it. For the most part the Bible can be divided into two sections: literal history, and literal prophecy. This is because "all scripture is inspired by God..."(II Timothy 3:16), and "no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (II Peter 1:21).
The Bible is a lot of history. When people read history they assume that what they are reading is literal, unless there is a legitimate literary reason not to. One does not pick and choose what is literal and what is not. Principles that apply to any piece of literature must also be taken into account when reading the Bible. Dr. Henry M. Morris III, has this to say in his book, The Book of Beginnings, A Practical Guide to Understand and Teach Genesis: "If we can't trust the words to mean what they would normally mean in the context of the events, then they have no more authority than the imaginative 'poetic license' of the novelist and playright'"(page 54-55). For decades there has been a rule among conservative Christians that says that if the sense of scripture makes plain sense, then seek no other sense. Too many Christians have departed from this principle.
Things that rise above the human level and defy the laws of science can be taken literally, like the miracles that Jesus did, if one has the presupposition that Jesus was and is God in human flesh. For example, Jesus literally did walk on the water. But can scripture literally be fulfilled through science? In Revelation 16:21 there is a prophecy about 100 pound hailstones falling upon the earth during the Tribulation Period. Someone may say that there is no way there can be hail of that size and weight. Well, consider this: When NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft was tracking the Comet Hartley 2, it took pictures of a cloud of hailstones surrounding the comet. In the photo the hailstones were described as being the size of basketballs and weighing 100 pounds. One NASA scientist commented, "We've never seen anything like this before..." Is this a literal fulfillment of Job 38:22-23 which asks the question, "...Have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of distress, for the day of war and battle?"
Taking the Bible consistently literally poses a problem for many. It means that each person is accountable before God. It means we ought not live contrary to the ways of God. God is a God of love and grace, but also of judgment. He is holy and just. The pride of individuals does not look favorably upon these things. Therefore, some people pick and choose what they want to take literally and toss out the rest as meaningless. This is a cause of the major theological downfall America, and the world, is experiencing. It also affects one's eternal destiny.
If the Bible is not taken literally from cover to cover, then each and everyone of us is eternally dammed. There is no hope for anyone, because if one rejects the literalness of the fallen, sinful state of mankind, there is no need for a literal savior. But can people save themselves? Hopelessness with no purpose for living, and depression and suicide, are at an all-time high and approaching a worldwide epidemic. If people would accept the Bible literally from cover to cover, they might come to realize through the Holy Spirit working in their lives, the redemption and forgiveness found in Jesus. They would have hope for this life and eternal peace in heaven. When one enters into a personal relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ, who wrote the Bible through divinely inspired writers, and doesn't compromise the consistent literalness of its pages, lives are transformed by the power and grace of God.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR
This article has been read 519 times < Previous | Next >
Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.