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A Ready Defense for Christianity

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A Ready Defense for Christianity A Ready Defense for Christianity 1 Peter 3:13-16 A Ready Defense for Christianity Apologetics: Refers to a logical, reasoned case Not a way to lead someone to Christ 2 A Ready Defense for Christianity The Bible and Its Reliability The Uniqueness of the Bible Unique: ▪ Continuity ▪ Circulation ▪ Translation ▪ Survival ▪ Teaching ▪ Influence 4 Who Decided What to Accept? Canon: 1. Canon = Reed = Measuring Standard 2. The standard by which we are to measure and evaluate 3. Applied to Scripture = officially accepted list of books 4. Accepted Created 5 Who Decided What to Accept? History: 1. A.D. 70 – The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple 2. Jews were scattered 3. Needed to determine which books were the authoritative Word of God 4. Needed to differentiate Christian works from God’s Word 6 Who Decided What to Accept? History: 1. The Law (Torah) 2. The Prophets (Nebhim) 3. The Writings (Kethubhim) 7 Who Decided What to Accept? The Council of Jamina: 1. Occurred when the destruction of the Temple was imminent. (~A.D. 70) 2. Meeting surrounded only 4 books and debates on whether they should be recognized as canon • Psalms • Proberbs • Ecclesiastes • Esther 8 9 Who Decided What to Accept? Christ’s witness to the Old Testament: 1. Luke 24:44 • Law of Moses • The Prophets • The Psalms 2. Luke 11:51 (Matthew 23:35) • Genesis to Chronicles (Genesis to Malachi) • Able = 1st martyr : Zecharaiah = Last (2 Chron. 24:21) 10 11 Who Decided What to Accept? New Testament witness to the Old Testament: 1. Matthew 21:42, 22:29, 26:54,56 2. Luke 24 3. John 5:39, 7:38, 10:35 4. Acts 17:2,11; 18:28 5. Romans 1:2, 4:3, 9:17, 10:11, 11:2, 15:4, 16:26 6. Etc… 12 Who Decided What to Accept? Extra-Biblical writers testimony: 1. Josephus • “The Law, and the Prophets and the other books of the Fathers” 2. Babylonian Talmud, Tractate VII-VIII, 24 • “After the latter prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel. 13 Who Decided What to Accept? New Testament Canon: 1. 27 books written by fallible men? 2. Evaluated and decided by Godly men, local church elders. 3. The Synod of Hippo (A.D. 393) • Tests for inclusion in the Canon 14 Who Decided What to Accept? Inclusion tests: 1. Is it authoritative? – Did it come from the hand of God? (Does this book come with a divine “thus saith the Lord?”) 2. Is it prophetic? – Was it written by a man of God? 15 Who Decided What to Accept? Inclusion tests: 3. Is it authentic? – “If in doubt, throw it out” 4. Is it dynamic? – Did it come with the life- transforming power of God? 5. Was it received, collected, read, and used? 16 27 Books: • Gospels • History • Paul’s letters to churches • Paul’s letters to friends • General letters 17 Who Decided What to Accept? Apocrypha: 1. Greek = apokruphos = hidden or concealed 2. Books added to the Old and New Testaments by the Roman Catholic church but that Protestants say are not canonical. 18 Who Decided What to Accept? Pseudepigrapha: 1. Greek = false writings 2. Books added to the Old and New Testaments by the Roman Catholic church but that Protestants say are not canonical. Furthermore, these books falsely claim to be written by true prophets or apostles. 19 Who Decided What to Accept? Reject Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha: 1. Abound in historical and geographical inaccuracies 2. Doctrines and practices which are at variance with inspired Scripture 3. Literary types and subject matter outside inspired Scripture 4. Lack divine character, prophetic power, and poetic and religious feeling 20 Who Decided What to Accept? Historical Exclusion: 1. Josephus excludes apocryphal books 2. Jesus and New Testament writers never quote the apocrypha, although there are hundreds of quotes and references from the Old Testament canon. 3. Council of Jamina didn’t recognize them 4. No council or canon of the Christian church recognized them for 400 years! 21 Who Decided What to Accept? Historical Exclusion: 5. Early church “great fathers” spoke against them • Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius 6. Jerome, translator or the Vulgate, rejected them 7. Roman catholic scholars throughout the reformation period rejected them 22 Who Decided What to Accept? Historical Exclusion: 8. Martin Luther and the Reformers rejected them 9. Not recognized officially until 1546 by the Roman Catholic church! 23 Telephone Game 24 Homework: Tests we can use to determine if the Bible is reliable 25.
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