This essay was written as a response to claims that
(a) the world would be a better place if Christians wouldn't take the Bible as some sort of literal word of God, and
(b) that Christians need to face the hard truth that the Bible is a collection of ancient myths that has little basis in history.The Bible is reliable as a historical document. The translations were not corrupted. The New Testament books, for instance, are from manuscript chains that trace back to near the original documents in Greek. With over 5,000 ancient manuscripts, the Bible texts agree with almost 100% accuracy. This is an accuracy nearly unheard of in Ancient World history.
In the New Testament, for example, accounts of Jesus' life in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written within the timeframe of eyewitness testimony of Christ's life and letters from Paul were written within 20 years of His life. Due to accurate and reliable translations, a wealth of copies that agree with one another, and accounts written down very near to the time of the occuring events, the New Testament holds up as an example of a trustworthy historical account.
Outside of the Bible, there are other historical documents that verify the life of Jesus. Cornelius Tacitus of Rome, considered a very reliable historian of the ancient world, records that during the reign of Tiberius, Pontius Pilatus sentenced Jesus to the extreme penalty, crucifixion. A Jewish historian by the name of Flavius Josephus wrote in Jewish Antiquities that Jesus did miracles, was a great teacher, people believed Him to be the messiah, was condemned by Pilate to be crucified and was believed to be resurrected.
Within the New Testament the accounts of Jesus report remarkably similiar facts. The four New Testament books each testify to Jesus' deity, His miracles, mission of love on earth and His resurrection. Jesus message in each gospel was unusual with respect to other teachers, philosophers or prophets of the time. He respected the Old Testament as God's word and truth for us. He encouraged people to obey the Commandments. He added too that we should change our hearts and love one another.
The Ten Commandments, given in the Bible, provide us with an objective moral code. This moral code, if followed, leads to a more harmonious social environment. Moses, inspired by God, served us too in providing these for our generation. Imagine, if it were permissible for people to go around killing one another without cause, stealing from each other.
And yet, people then and now have a hard time keeping to these Commandments. The Old Testament is full of situations with the chosen people constantly giving up on God and worshipping idols. Even today, we may put God last in our long list of priorities. God knows our heart now, he knew it then. He knew what problems reside in the human heart. He figured we needed a chance of our own free will to change our hearts. With the gift of the Holy Spirit, we're better equipped to follow God's law and live peacefully with one another.
The Bible is intended to provide us with loving direction from God, to make the world a better place. It is a reliable, historical text. It is inspired by God, through the hands of over 40 human authors covering 1500-1600 years of history.
God's message is consistent, transcending time and circumstance. God loves us dearly. He came to earth as Jesus Christ to show us how to live and love one another. He wants us, of our own free will, to receive His free grace, repent and come to live with Him in heaven. There is no catch, no cost to us. When we receive His gift of grace our hearts are changed. We grow individually; the gift of the Holy Spirit inspires us to utilize our own gifts and talents. We develop socially; we seek to bless, comfort and assist others in healthy ways. We grow spiritually; able to cultivate a relationship with God which fills the need in our spiritual being.
God offers us the opportunity to know Him and His will and love for us through the Bible. It is the literal word of God. His intention is to provide us with the solution to our human condition.