¿Proviene la Biblia de Dios?

By Mikel Del Rosario

Does the Bible really come from God? I recently conducted a workshop on this topic for fifth and sixth graders at Bayside Church in Granite Bay, CA. I wanted to help the Christian kids talk about this topic with their friends. But I knew it had to be something simple to understand and easy to remember. We ended up having a lot of fun with games, activities, stories, and illustrations that helped them stick with these ideas.

After each session, parents told me how much they appreciated the lesson. Another reminder that adults value “simple” things, too.

In this post, I’ll show you a quick way to answer the question, “Is the Bible really from God?” and give you a little reminder so you can remember 3 reasons skeptics should pay attention to the Bible. But first, you should know that when it comes to the Bible, there are only two ways to look at it.

Only 2 options

The Bible says it is God’s message to us (2 Tim 3:16-17). That’s either true or false. So is there any reason to think the Bible is more than a book written by men? What kind of book is the Bible? We have only two answers:

It’s just a bunch of stories and ideas about God written by people.

It is truly the Word of God given to the people.

Here’s how I started the kids segment:

Mikel: “How many of you have read a book that you really enjoyed this summer? Tell me the name of an author you like.”

Students: (Different answers, including Agatha Christie, JK Rowling, CS Lewis, etc…)

Mikel: Now, do you think that all these authors would have the same opinion about the things that adults say we shouldn’t talk about at parties: politics and religion? Do you think they would agree?

Students:

Mikel: Of course not. No big surprise, right? No, the big surprise is when you consider the Bible…

3 Reasons Skeptics Should Pay Attention to the Bible

Imagine a UPS truck delivering Bibles, because the letters U, P, and S can help you remember 3 reasons why skeptics should pay attention to the Bible. These are 3 simple discussion points you can share with a friend or even your own children.

Think of it in terms of cause and effect. The Bible is an effect. What is the cause? If the Bible were just a book written by men, it would be pretty hard to explain the following:

Your unit

The “U” can help you remember the word for unity . The Bible is surprisingly united. When you hold a Bible in your hands, you are holding a collection of 66 ancient documents. They were originally written in 3 languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. We’re talking about 40 different authors, writing over a period of over 1,500 years! Imagine these guys writing in different times, places, languages, and cultures.

And yet the authors agree with each other on highly controversial ethical and religious issues. And most importantly, they all arrived at a single message about God.

His prophecy

The “P” can help you remember the word prophecy. The Bible records exact predictions about the future that came true. A couple of examples are specific prophecies about Jesus and Israel.

Predictions about Jesus

The Old Testament prophets said that the Messiah would be from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), from the lineage of King David (2 Sam. 7:12-13), and that he would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). 700 years before Jesus was born, the Jewish prophet Isaiah foretold very specific things about the Messiah (ch. 53). For example:

That would be whipped

That I would die with evil people

That he would be buried as a rich person

More than 1,000 years before Jesus was born, King David predicted that the Messiah’s hands and feet would be pierced, but not one of his bones would be broken (Psalm 22). All of these things about Jesus, the Messiah, came to pass.

Predictions about Israel

Isaiah also predicted that the Jewish people would return to their lands for a second time (11:11-16). The first time they returned was in the 6th century with Ezra and Nehemiah. But Israel was expelled in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. Their second return was when Israel became a nation in 1948. I told the children:

This is something that really happened and maybe some of your grandparents saw it! And if not, your parents must have seen it on the news.

Follow here!

The “S” can help you remember that the Bible is still here ! And why is this so important? Because people have tried to wipe the Bible off the face of the earth and they won’t succeed. Not only that, it’s still the number one best-seller.

This is just the beginning. If you really take the time to look more closely, you will see that we have good reason to believe that the Bible is not just people’s ideas about God written down. The Bible is God’s Word given to people.

Fact or fiction:

Can I Trust My Bible? This workshop was based on lesson 4 of my Accessible Apologetics curriculumfor youth and adults. It includes games, illustrations, PowerPoint, and more. Download a free lesson from the series.

Mikel Del Rosario helps Christians explain their faith with courage and compassion. He is a PhD student in the New Testament department at Dallas Theological Seminary. Mikel is a professor of Christian apologetics and world religion at William Jessup University. He is the author of Accessible Apologetics and has published over 20 journal articles on apologetics and cultural engagement with his mentor, Dr. Darrell Bock. Mikel holds an MA in Christian apologetics with highest honors from Biola University and an MA in divinity from Dallas Theological Seminary, where he serves as Cultural Engagement Manager at the Hendricks Center and host on “the Table Podcast.” Visit his website at ApologeticsGuy.com.

Original Blog: http://bit.ly/2CkdMZi

Translated by Natalia Armando

Edited by Maria Andreina Cerrada