Hmm! Came across this article:
http://shangjun.blogspot.com/2006/04/gospel-of-judas-response.htmlThink it's very well-written, complete wif reference lists. From what I've read in that essay, it's most likely written to other Christians.
Still, think this part I read is useful for everyone in general who has questions abt the authenticity of the canonicity of the Christian Bible, which in simpler English means, "The guys who put the Bible together - did they just anyhow whack or can trust what they did?"
As I have previously shared, there was stringent criteria used to decide which books should be included in the canon. Norman Geisler and Nix present the principles as follows (Geisler/Nix, GIB, 223-231):
1) Was the book written by a prophet of God? If it was written by a spokesman of God, then it was from God.
2) Was the writer confirmed by acts of God? Frequently, miracles separated the true prophets from the false ones. E.g. Moses, Isaiah etc.
3) Did the message tell the truth about God? God cannot contradict himself. Maccabees in the Catholic apocrypha pushes the doctrine of purgatory, but nowhere else in the scriptures is purgatory supported or even mentioned.
4) Does it come with the power of God? If the message of the book did not achieve its stated goal, and did not have the power to change a life, then God was apparently not behind its message.
5) Was it accepted by the people of God? Paul’s letters were widely read in the Churches then. When a book was received, read, collected and used by the people of God as the Word of God, it was regarded as canonical.
Incidentally came across a very nicely-done pamphlet espousing the Book of Mormon (which the Mormons put on equal par wif the Bible). Was discussing abt it wif Mich, and she commented that we need to consider why we say that the Book of Mormons is not true as compared to the Christian Bible...
And I'll add, ditto for other scriptures of other religions e.g. the Koran, the Buddhist scriptures, the Vedas, etc...
So why do I believe the Bible is true?
Hmm! interesting question... i'll think abt it more and write down next time. It's good to understand why we believe what we believe, 'cos reason is a crucial part of the Christian faith.
I just remembered this part of the Bible... in this letter, the apostle Peter
himself answered this very question abt the reality of Christ [and affirms the divine authority of the letters written by his co-worker, Paul]. (Whoa, the Bible really got the answer to any qn tt u can throw at it!)
"So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
(2 Peter 1)
And later on in his letter, he defends the Scriptural authority of Paul's letter:
"Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction."
(2 Peter 3)
There are other factors to consider though, the authenticity of Peter's letter itself... (a) was it really written by the apostle Peter himself, and (b) how do we know that even if it was written by Peter himself, that 2 Peter is Scripture too?
Think i'll answer it this way:
a. Well, yes, there are some scholarly concerns e.g. the writing style of 2 Peter is slightly different from 1 Peter (the Greek of 2 Peter is more refined). But a reasonable explanation can be given for the possiblity that Peter may have used a (more educated) scribe to write 2 Peter, as compared to 1 Peter which was most likely written by Peter himself (in his 'rougher' style).
b. Check the above guidelines for canonicity...
But more than that... simply put, truth is truth, and you wouldn't need a set of guidelines to tell you explicity what truth is... simply because truth has the power to impact lives whether you believe it or not. For instance, a lot of books say that taking revenge in your own hands instead of waiting for justice is wrong and has devastating consequences. Now there are other books that claim the opposite.
Put these 2 opposing claims to the test... see what are the consequences of taking revenge, and decide which claim is true.
So along the same line, I'll add that even though we use guidelines, etc. to help us determine the truth of Scriptures...the million dollar question would be: what are the effects of living out those texts that you choose to believe in?
I'll quote from my friend's blog - like it a lot.
To those non-Christians reading this blog.. if we were to debate about the reality of Christ; just like any other debate, the one who wins is the one who goes in more prepared, who speaks better, who knows all the subtle tricks of argumentation (yes, it's true) , and the one who is able to command a greater presence in the discussion. The person who brought me to know Christ was a master at this.. and for the better part of a year I had to rely on these human arguments to prop up my faith.
Talk is one thing though. A person can leave the debating table defeated, but still unconvinced. I could win a debate with a "untrained" free-thinker, but what good does it do if I just focus on the arguments? Christianity is anything but sophistry. The more important thing that Christians can bring to the table, the biggest trump card, is the fact that God changes lives, and for the better. Various schools of moral philosophy, be it utilitarism, moral relativism or whatever you might mention - does not teach you how to live a rich and meaningful life. Christianity does. And that visible change is the thing that really draws people to God. All the arguments for God aren't worth a single penny compared to the power of a transformed life.
And the best part? You don't need to read philosophical tracts to be a Christian. You don't need an IQ of 140 to be a Christian. You don't need a net worth of a million dollars to be a Christian. Philosophy which requires an thinking mind, and induces headaches nonetheless. Christianity only requires that you believe, and you live it out. That's all.
In fact, God's existence is a fact that transcends other facts. I think if scientists say that "Oh, we've got it wrong all this while, actually Pi = 4" or "F actually is 0.9(ma)", or something along that lines.. well, it wouldn't really bother me. But God's existence is a fact that transcends all other facts, because not only it is a intellectual truth, but a emotional truth as well.
Christianity is not just about the visible outward signs - I dare say that church going, attending cell groups and all that is the lesser component of a Christian life. The far greater, and the far most precious part, is that fact the Christ changes lives, for the better.
God really has changed mine, hope you will experience it too one day..
Yup... really agree. 'cos to be honest, i also was a skeptic too. But there's this verse in the Bible that says very clearly: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation - the old has gone; the new has come!"
When i see what Christ has done in my life, and the many many signs and wonders - honestly, some of these signs and wonders really stun me - that God has so wonderfully done in my life... (of all lives, mine???? wow... He really got such a super-big heart for even small shrimps like me! :D :D :D!) Yes! ONLY Jesus can change HEARTS and ONLY He is the Saviour! When you have "Ah Longs" (loansharks aka tax collectors), prostitutes, murderers, brutal concentration camp guards, proud religious men, witch doctors, cannibals etc. turning to Jesus... whoa...... you see their lives... their hearts... even their very faces, eyes and physical appearances change for the better!
I know... I've myself seen the very transformation happening in these people's lives - others and my own too... i really have seen this wif my own eyes n i tell you the Good News of Jesus Christ is really true! Frankly, no religion or philosophy or self-improvement values etc... can change that hardest-of-all-things-to-change... the heart. Only God Himself can change that hopeless heart that keep doing hopeless things with a hopeless life and hopeless future ahead. Only God can save us from ourselves!
For surely there IS A GOD who loves us and has come to save us from this shit that we are all in - we all got ourselves into this deep shit, but Christ came to save us from it all... and He died for you and me... and best of all, He rose from the dead, appeared to over 500 EYEwitnesses... and told them to go tell the world about Him, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have life eternal!
So come, taste and see that the Lord is good! You'll like Him! :)
