Don't Try to Prove the Bible Is True [Class Summary]
Last week, I assigned the question, "Why do you believe the Bible?" The responses were mostly what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of different answers that I'll call out here. Since we have a smaller class this year, I took the time to read the submissions aloud (without attribution, mind you) in front of the class and then discussed things that jumped out at me. The very first answer I read really touched me:
At first, it was because that was all I had ever known. Growing up in a Christian family, knowing the stories, going to Awana, memorizing the verses. Now that has changed. I have decided that my walk needs to be mine and not my parents. At the moment, most of what I believe is faith, not experience. So why I believe the Bible is a hard question to answer right now. I'm still figuring it out.
I absolutely love this response! The fact that this student has taken the step of saying "I need to make this my own and not just rest on Mom and Dad" is huge, and this is a big reason why I love teaching this age group—I get to come alongside you parents and help your kids grapple with tough questions and help you point them to the Savior via His Word. This is the kind of answer I pray you all hear from each of your children at some point in their faith journey. In response to this submission, I said "Don't worry about not having an answer right now...you're never going to have it all figured out (I sure don't)." I think it's also worth noting that God says that "...without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) Faith wouldn't be faith if we didn't have to trust Him, or if everything made sense all the time.
This next one was a bit long, and there is much to talk about, but we'll have to settle for a discussion on the general gist of the first paragraph, which I've attempted to capture here:
OK, to be honest, this is a hard question for me. I feel like I shouldn't use a Bible verse to defend my answer because...in my mind, me using a Bible verse is kinda like using a word to [define itself].
I used to feel the same way. As a matter of fact, there's a well-known modern-day apologist who is fond of saying "You can't use the Bible to prove the Bible" and he gets his audiences to repeat this several times during his presentation. I get it...because it's obviously a question-begging circular argument:
"Why do you believe the Bible?"
"Because it's true."
"How do you know it's true?"
"Because that's what the Bible says."
Lather, rinse, repeat.
But did you know that not all circular arguments are illogical? I didn't discuss this with your kids because it's more of a philosophical than a biblical argument, and my aim is to point your kids to the Bible, not to philosophers, but if you'd like to take your kids to the deep end of the pool for a minute, check out Jason Lisle's blog post "Understanding Bahnsen...Again" in which Dr. Lisle discusses the difference between "virtuous" and "vicious" circular reasoning, and how all ultimate authorities are circular by their very nature.
At any rate, sticking to the Bible itself, there is no place in Scripture that I can think of where any of the apostles try to prove the Scriptures to be true...the truth of God's Word is assumed, or presupposed.
“The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.”
The Bible is said to be "sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12) and is the only offensive weapon allotted to us in the armor of God (Ephesians 6:17). Did you catch that? It's the only offensive weapon we've been given with which to wage war against "the powers, against world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12) It is the only tool we have to destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). So, when we meet the atheist (or the Christian apologist!) who says "You can't use the Bible to prove the Bible," what he is asking you to do is to lay down your only offensive weapon! The very idea should strike you as utterly absurd...just as ridiculous as saying to the armed criminal who's just demanded your wallet, "I don't believe in guns" and expecting him to put it down and thumb-wrestle you instead! Clearly, the effectiveness of any given weapon is not contingent upon the beliefs of the person on the business end of that weapon; our opinions and beliefs do not change objective reality. Guns and knives are deadly weapons, and the Word of God is capable of dividing "soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12)—regardless of what you think about it. Brothers and sisters in Christ, I urge you to take to heart the words of C. H. Spurgeon: "The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself."
Now, a word about "proving" the Bible to be true. In the past, I've been guilty of saying "True science proves that the Bible is true." Ugh. How foolish. Never say this, please...it denigrates the Word of God. How? Well, think about how you prove something. Let's say that you and a friend are having an argument over what kind of oil should be used in his vehicle. He firmly believes that he should use 10w30, but you argue for 20w50. How do you resolve the debate? You could ask a competent mechanic, but what do you do if you ask two mechanics and they disagree with each other? How do you prove which is the best oil to use in your friend's vehicle? The answer should be obvious: you consult the owner's manual, which is more authoritative than both you and your friend put together. And why is the manual more authoritative? Because it was written by the manufacturer with input from the pocket-protector-wearing engineers who designed the engine in the first place!
Do you see where I'm going with this? When we say "Science proves the Bible" or "this archaeological find proves the Bible is true," what we are saying is that a man's confident assertions or some artifact found in the sands of the middle east are more authoritative than the Word of God itself. God forbid we ever bring His Word under subjection to our fallible "proofs"! The Bible is our owner's manual, and is authoritative for all lives, because it is written by the holy, transcendent, eternal, omniscient, omnipotent God by whom "...all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:16, 17)
I have so much more that I want to say, but alas...I need to get to bed. In the meantime, here's the...
Homework
If you're reading a piece of literature (it could be anything), and you run across a word with which you're not familiar or perhaps has a wide range of possible meanings, how do you decide what that word means? What do you look for?