Some Christians who do not hold a high view of scripture hold that Jesus is the Christ and at the same time proclaim that the Old Testament of the Bible is not trustworthy. These people ignore the fact that Jesus and numerous New Testament writers testify to the reliability of the Old Testament.
Jesus referred over and over and over again to the Old Testament in his teaching. He refers to the Old Testament as an authority 56 times as recorded in the New Testament. He quotes the Old Testament 81 including scriptures from 20 different books. When we look at the quotes based on the Old Testament organization of Jesus’ day, he actually quoted from all but four books. He verifies the details of scripture and reality of stories included in the Old Testament by referring to them in his teaching. Indeed Jesus emphasized the accuracy of scripture to the minutest detail:
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. [Matthew 5:18 ESV]
Indeed, Jesus clearly had a high view of scripture and referred to the Bible in several different ways during his teaching: Continue Reading…
Introduction
One of the important roles of Jesus is that he serves as the intercessor between his people and God the Father. The Old Testament prophesies that this would be one role of the Messiah.
Old Testament Prophecy
Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The LORD looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
It’s been way too long since I did an installment in this series, and we’re not even half way through yet. I am passionate about the Bible because I am passionate about the God that it tells me about. Since it has been so long, it makes some since to have a look back at what we’ve covered thus far:
With that brief recap, it’s time to move on to reason #12 that I believe the Bible is true and that is the hardships that found its authors and their unwillingness to renounce anything that they had written.
Church history tells us that 11 of the 12 disciples dies a martyr’s death because they refused to renounce the story they were spreading of Jesus Christ. James, Bartholomew, Andrew, Phillip and Simon were crucified. Peter requested that he be crucified upside down because he did not feel worthy of dying the same way as his Lord. James and Mathias were stoned to death. Matthew, James and Thomas died by the sword. Even Paul was beheaded for his believe in Christ. John was the only disciple to escape martyrdom, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. Church tradition tells us the he was boiled in hot oil before being exiled to Patmos. Many of these disciples penned much of the New Testament, but rather than denounce what they had preached and avoid persecution, they chose to die for what they believed. In and of itself the martyrdom of these men does not prove the Bible to be true. However, while it is possible that one man may choose to die for a lie, it is hard to believe that so many would die and none would recount their story if it were not true.
Introduction
The Old Testament includes numerous prophecies that tell us that the Messiah would come as both a servant and a messenger of God.
Old Testament Prophecy
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him
and he will bring justice to the nations. [Isaiah 42:1 NIV]
He said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” [Isaiah 49:3 NIV]
See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. [Isaiah 52:13 NIV]