The truth is, without some faith you really can't. Most Christians are not schooled in first century Judean culture and therefore are unable to align what we see in the NT to various aspects of Judean culture. That leaves two aspects to work from, Yeshua himself and his works, and the prophesies that come to pass or receive clearer direction (for us, it was always clear for God) that are scattered about the NT. But in the end it comes down to belief because we are 2000 years and many cultures removed, we are have translations of copies not the originals, and that is just the cold hard facts about it. Thankfully, ones salvation is not going to be based on whether or not we can prove anything... because, it is God who draws a man unto Himself (John 6:44). Which means, it's in His hands and always has been.
So if it is God that draws a man, then why do we bother spreading the message? How can we tell a non believer that the New Testament is the truth?The truth is, without some faith you really can't. Most Christians are not schooled in first century Judean culture and therefore are unable to align what we see in the NT to various aspects of Judean culture. That leaves two aspects to work from, Yeshua himself and his works, and the prophesies that come to pass or receive clearer direction (for us, it was always clear for God) that are scattered about the NT. But in the end it comes down to belief because we are 2000 years and many cultures removed, we are have translations of copies not the originals, and that is just the cold hard facts about it. Thankfully, ones salvation is not going to be based on whether or not we can prove anything... because, it is God who draws a man unto Himself (John 6:44). Which means, it's in His hands and always has been.
The Great Commission is not a call to convert the world, it says, "Go and make disciples." A disciple is a student not a proselyte and and so the idea is that God draws them and once He does and they are seeking, they will find. Meaning, once that spark is lit and they become hungry for me, we then have a willing student that we can teach.
What is it that draws them to be taught ? What is it we then teach? Shall we stand as an authority of Christ when we can't prove to even ourselves that the New Testament is the words of Jesus? If we didn't have the New Testament would we still have Jesus?
God... what drew you to seek God, you... or was there something else pulling you?
Thanks ken great reply. As always I have a couple of questions lol
I don't personally think so. The word for "Scripture" is graphe and that word simply means, "Something written." When the word "Scripture" was used in our English bibles long ago... it too simply meant, "something written" (see Webster's 1828) but over time the word has evolved into a meaning that aligns to "bible." So we hear "Scripture" and we think "bible" but that doesn't HAVE TO BE the case when that word was used in times past.
Ezra canonized most of the OT... he canonized the Torah (law, first 5 books) and the Prophets although he rightly did not include his own writings of the writings of his friend, Nehemiah. In 90 AD, 20 years after the destruction of the Temple and probably "about" 25 years after Paul was martyred... the rest of the OT was canonized. So... I think Paul was referring to what was the "bible" in his day. He was referring to the Torah... the collection of dos and don't... what does God say is good and acceptable and what does He say we should avoid. The Acts 15 letter somewhat backs this up, believe it or not. We find this letter, sent to gentile believers, and it contains 4 things they are expected to do. However, by just looking at the 4 things what is not listed should jump out. Like, "Loving God and Him only." Or... "Not killing." Clearly they were not to kill or steal and they were to love God only BUT... those things were not included, why? The answer is, that letter was not intended to be a finish line, only a starting point. Give these ex-pagans a place to begin, a place to separate from their old ways and they will, like everyone else, learn as they go. And what comes after the letter to the gentiles? Acts 15:21 "For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath." The letter said, "abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood" and then it follows with, "the law is read on Sabbath." In other words, start here and then go learn. That really does line up to 2 Tim 3:16 IMHO
Are there any original documents that show the memoirs of the apostles ? How far back can we prove that it was not tampered with? He was a bishop of which church? When did Christians start ordaining bishops?
In what context do we mean canonised ?Sorry, I missed this.... my answer is yes and I warn you, it will likely upset somebody.
Canonized... to officially recognize as inspired works. So the Torah (Law) and Prophets were officially labeled as inspired works by Ezra and then in 90AD the Writings and the other few Prophetic books were added. The NT was compiled and canonized officially a couple of hundred years after Christ's death but what is really neat is that when the Christians began to compile the OT they independently came up with an OT canon and they checked it with the Jews believe it or not to see what they had... and it was identical.
By taking responsibility for yourself and listen to the council of many others, be they a believer or not. Don't automatically adopt their opinions because they sound to your liking and pleasing, but use the mind that God gave to reach your own conclusions. After all it's your own life that's on the line.
Thanks Ted, I honestly feel that I have felt the Holy Spirit come upon me and I wept for Christ. I never read the bible and I was not going to church, this is such an illogical faith for me, that I can't see the bible like others but I'm sure God touched me in some way.
