Overwhelming Evidence

Critics love to attack the reliability of Scripture, but when you examine the evidence, the Bible stands in a category by itself. Today we'll look at why the manuscript evidence for the New Testament is absolutely staggering.

Luke 1:1-4 "Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught."

Let me give you some facts that should blow your mind. There are 10 existing manuscripts of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars, all older than the 10th century AD—over a thousand-year gap between the original and the copies we have. There are seven copies of Plato's writings with a 1,200-year gap. Forty-nine manuscripts of Aristotle's writings with a 1,400-year gap.

Nobody questions whether Caesar crossed the Rubicon or whether Plato actually existed. Nobody loses sleep over the authenticity of Aristotle's philosophy. Yet when it comes to the New Testament, which has over 5,600 Greek manuscripts—many written in the same century as the events they describe—people suddenly become skeptical.

When you add the Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic languages, we have over 25,000 original manuscripts of the New Testament. This absolutely blows out of the water every single ancient text in the world. There are more eyewitnesses to the resurrected Jesus Christ than there are to the life of Plato. Period.

The earliest manuscript we have of John's gospel, P52, is dated within 30 years of John's death. Today we have over 2 million pages of handwritten documents spanning over 1,500 years that showcase the reliability, unity, and accuracy of the Bible (Christian Research and Apologetics Center).

This isn't some pie-in-the-sky faith. When Luke writes his gospel, he tells Theophilus, "I've done this carefully so that you will know with absolute certainty the events that have transpired." Not a blind jump of faith—knowledge with absolute certainty.

God has preserved His word in a miraculous way. This is His providential hand over history, over archaeological digs. Every single time something new comes out that attacks the Word of God, there's a new discovery that vindicates it. Time and time again, God's Word proves to be the most accurate source not only of history, not only of science, but of how you can be reconciled with God.

Beyond the manuscript evidence, consider the unity and consistency. The Bible is 66 books written by 40 authors on three continents—Africa, Europe, and Asia—in three languages—Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic—over 1,500 years. Yet it all tells one story with remarkable unity and consistency, all pointing to Jesus Christ.

When people on college campuses say, "What about all the contradictions?" you can respond with confidence: there are zero contradictions in the Bible. There are tensions—like God's sovereignty and human responsibility—but tensions are not contradictions. The Scripture is very clear on these truths even when they stretch our finite minds.

Here's what this means practically: you can stake your life on this book. You can make decisions based on its wisdom. You can face death with confidence because of its promises. You can order your entire existence around what it says because it is absolutely, utterly reliable.

The world will tell you that faith requires checking your brain at the door. That's a lie. The evidence for Scripture is overwhelming. God has given us every reason to trust His word.

Stay dialed in.