If you have not read Stories Versus Truth, you may want to read that before reading this. And don't forget where you are going. You get past the questions/attacks so you can proclaim the Gospel. It is the proclamation of the Gospel, not argumentation, that transforms minds. See Give Them the Gospel.

Lies About the Bible's Translations and Re-Writings

Here is a lie that you have probably heard: "Since the Bible has undergone so many re-writings and translations much meaning has been lost, mis-transcribed, the Bible cannot be trusted" This is more than the statement on the surface. It also hides many false assumptions.

Here is the truth: We know that the Bible is the Word of God and without error because the Holy Spirit breaths this into our innermost mind. This is how we know. We believe it. And this is not make-believe, rationalized faith. This is the supernatural belief and trust that is a free gift from God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word (logos, meaning, utterance) of God. Every person who follows Jesus Christ is led by Him. If we are led, He is leading us. The Bible says over and over that He speaks and gives many ways that He speaks. Our experience confirms that this is true. We know about the Bible because of revelation, not because of rationalization.

But some people think that the translations would cause a loss of meaning when we still have the original text in the original language? That's just silly, but a lot of people have been told this story. The people who teach that kind of thing are either ignorant or deceptive. There is a reason that some people would like this lie to be true. Fallen humanity does not want God to be God. Fallen humanity wants to do what fallen humanity wants to do. Fallen humanity wants the depraved human mind to be equal to or greater than the Word of God.

The original text has, indeed, been transcribed many times, and any educated person should know that we can be assured that it has been transcribed faithfully. We have ways that we can check that.

• We have thousands of Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, differing only in very minor details. There are a couple texts that have more serious discrepancies, but it those don't even agree with each other. If you have thousands that agree and one that does not, then the one is in error. Every translation is not 100% correct, but we have the original.
• We know something about the method by which they were transcribed, and that explains why there would be such amazing consistency.
• After spending massive amounts of time and money, not a single instance of any fraud or error has been found in the Bible. Many errors have been claimed, but not one of these claims has been able to stand up to scrutiny.
• Many other historical writings confirm the validity of Scripture. Many of these writings were hostile to Jesus and the God of the Bible.
• No archaeological discovery has ever refuted any part of the Bible, but many have confirmed the Scripture.
• The many enemies of Jesus and of the early church were unable to point out any fraud. Some accused the apostles of fraud, and this accusation is recorded in the Bible, but the accusation is not logical. It makes no sense.
• Many ideas have been and continue to be brought forward to explain away the miracles of the Bible, but these suppositions, based on nothing but an overactive imagination, consistently have flaws in them. Dreaming up an alternate way that things could have happened does not make the truth any less true, but it would seem that someone could make up a believable lie. Interestingly, creative stories, like the story of evolution, consistently have devastating problems and inconsistencies that the historical account in the Bible does not have.
• The early Christians, eye witnesses to the resurrection, were willing to die for this belief. No one dies for what they know to be a lie.
• In the past, there were claims that the Bible was not written by the men who were supposed to have written it, but these claims have been shown to be false. There were also claims that the New Testament was written long after Christ's resurrection, however these claims are irrational.
• Facts have consistently reversed the conclusions of those who have tried to discredit the Bible.
• We are comparing two competing entities: the written historical document, the Bible and the human ability to make up stories and rationalize, pull knowledge out of the air. Only a fool would prefer the latter.

Keep in mind that these physical and logical evidences for the authenticity of Scripture are not conclusive. Nor is the Bible the foundation of the church as some good brothers and sisters in Christ have said. Jesus Christ is the Foundation of the church. There can be no other. He is not a philosophy, a theory, or a concept to be discussed, debated, or pondered. He is a living Person to be sought and to find, to guide, direct, lead, and reveal. Every part of the Scripture is still in force. There is no past age (some make up a story about a supposed apostolic age) when all the miracles and revelation happened--as some teach. God is alive and well right now. Christ is at hand right now as is His Kingdom. And He is the One Who reveals to us that the Bible is His Word, without error. If we think that we have any revelation at any time, we must compare it to what Scripture says and make sure that we are not in conflict with what God Himself is saying, being deceived by our own natural minds.

Unless God reveals, no one can understand the Scripture properly. Some worry about revelation, that people will think they have a revelation and it will be wrong. It is far more likely that a person will go in with arrogance, leaning on his or her own understanding to analyze the Scriptures and come out with a theology that will be wrong. In fact, leaning on their own understanding to try to analyze the meaning of Scripture will guarantee that they get it wrong. That's where the many and varied denominations' fights over doctrine come from. The human mind is deceptive and desperately wicked. It cannot be trusted. However, God has restored the office of apostle to the church to receive the revelation through the Scriptures. And it will be God Who restores the church to its proper place, who will tear down all the little kingdoms that have been built within the church, and who will create unity.

Indeed, if it were not true that God reveals this, then we simply assume that the Bible is God's Word or we use circular reasoning because the Bible says that it is God's Word. Then, all the accusations of the Atheists and other ungodly people would be true. We would be the most foolish and hopeless people in the world, But now we do each have a personal relationship with Christ in which He leads and guides and reveals Himself to us.

References:

http://creation.com/how-did-we-get-the-bible

http://creation.com/the-da-vinci-code-secret-hidden-truth

http://creation.com/archaeologist-confirms-creation-and-the-bible

http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/topic/archaeology

http://www.provethebible.net/T2-Verac/C-0401.htm

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/archeology.html

http://www.faithfacts.org/search-for-truth/maps/archaeological-and-external-evidence

http://www.preteristarchive.com/JewishWars/Josephus/corroboration.html

http://pleaseconvinceme.com/2012/is-there-any-evidence-for-jesus-outside-the-bible/

http://www.amazon.com/The-Case-Christ-Journalists-Investigation/dp/0310209307