Conclusions, Warnings & Invitations
It is understandable that some people call into question the basis of authority for books that make such extraordinary claims about God, humanity, morality, life, death, the afterlife, the end times & the intriguing person of Jesus. There are different methods for revealing what is New Testament Scripture. This series has primarily looked at the method of apostolicity – only an apostle or a very close associate of the apostles could contribute writing worthy of being Scripture. In a careful study of the New Testament, three qualifications for an apostle surface:
This does not mean we shouldn’t listen to any post-apostolic Christian teaching – God forbid! God has gifted many Christians in every generation with the gift of teaching & intends them to use it. But they are to faithfully reproduce the teachings of Jesus & the apostles, not introduce new teaching. One sure way to spot new heretical teaching is that it contradicts apostolic teaching. This brings us to another method used to reveal Scripture – orthodoxy.
- Apostolic Qualification #1: An apostle had to be chosen by Jesus.
- Apostolic Qualification #2: An apostle had to perform certain miracles.
- Apostolic Qualification #3: An apostle had to witness the resurrected Christ.
This does not mean we shouldn’t listen to any post-apostolic Christian teaching – God forbid! God has gifted many Christians in every generation with the gift of teaching & intends them to use it. But they are to faithfully reproduce the teachings of Jesus & the apostles, not introduce new teaching. One sure way to spot new heretical teaching is that it contradicts apostolic teaching. This brings us to another method used to reveal Scripture – orthodoxy.
If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. – 1 Timothy 6.3-5
In other words, the teachings of Scripture must be in agreement with one another. God is a God of truth & He never changes because He is perfect & has no need to. If He has revealed Himself through teaching, then there will be no contradiction in that teaching. If Jesus revealed spiritual truth to His apostles & they were to go out & spread this teaching, then you would expect it to be consistent since it came from the same source. In fact, you would expect it to align with any earlier divinely-revealed Scriptures from before Jesus’s time on earth which is exactly what you see with the Old Testament. The Old Testament has many prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament & the New Testament references the Old Testament numerous times. This harmonic string of consistent information spanning about 3,000 years could only be possible if God was the source of its divine truth.
We know that whenever the apostles established church communities in the different areas they took the Gospel, that they also established leadership (Acts 14.23, Titus 1.5). Leadership in a Christian church includes those holding the office of elder (overseer). In letters to Timothy & Titus, the Apostle Paul provided instruction about elders – among other qualifications, they were to be able to teach (1 Tim 3.1-7) & more specifically teach sound doctrine just as it had been taught to them.
We know that whenever the apostles established church communities in the different areas they took the Gospel, that they also established leadership (Acts 14.23, Titus 1.5). Leadership in a Christian church includes those holding the office of elder (overseer). In letters to Timothy & Titus, the Apostle Paul provided instruction about elders – among other qualifications, they were to be able to teach (1 Tim 3.1-7) & more specifically teach sound doctrine just as it had been taught to them.
He (an elder) must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. – Titus 1.9
The next generation was to follow the Apostles’ teaching (Col 2.6-8, 2 Thes 2.15, 1 Tim 4.16, 6.3-5, 2 Tim 3.14, 1 Jn 2.18-19, 2 Pet 1.12-15), not invent their own. The apostles were well aware of false teachers, false apostles & impostors that threatened the pure teachings God entrusted to them. In fact, nearly every book of the New Testament has some sort of warning against false teachers, false apostles, false Christs & the contrary doctrines they promote.
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. – Colossians 2.6-8
Now from Miletus he (Paul) sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him... Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. - Acts 20.17, 28-30
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons – 1 Timothy 4.1
The apostles spread Christ’s teachings in both oral & written forms (2 Thes 2.15). Their writings in many cases were addressed to multiple churches in large regions & meant to be circulated accordingly (Col 4.16, Gal 1.1-2, 1 Pet 1.1-2, Rev 1.4-5). Presumably, the foundational 4 Gospel books (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) were circulated in like manner since they tell about the extraordinary life of Jesus – the very One who commissioned the apostles & who’s teaching they spread. Then other letters seem more personal & private. But as the apostles died off, their writings became more precious to the early Christian church & therefore more sought after as God’s authoritative Word through His apostles. It makes sense then that copies would have been made for distribution & preservation which would account for the remarkable proliferation of early New Testament manuscripts compared to any other surviving ancient documents.
And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. – Colossians 4.16
I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. – 1 Thessalonians 5.27
This accompanying chart compares ancient manuscript copies that have been discovered for many respected writings, including the New Testament. It shows the number that have been found (blue ~ bigger is better) alongside the time gap between the approximate date of the original writing & the date of the earliest manuscript found (red ~ smaller is better). Regarding the New Testament, this chart only pertains to manuscripts written in its original language (Greek) which number about 5,700 with earliest copies of some portions made only 25-50 years after the initial writing by the apostles!
What’s interesting is that if there were mistakes, variations in teaching or the Gospel accounts, or other changes with time, then the ancient manuscripts would be chaotic – they would not be recognized by scholars as the same writings.
In fact, not only are there numerous & stable copies in the original Greek language from those first few centuries, but copies from as early as the 3rd century exist in different languages (mainly Latin, Coptic & Syriac) & raise the quantity of manuscripts to around 20,000! Yet they are all strikingly consistent, having only menial textual variants (largely spelling & punctuation differences) which respected scholars have demonstrated have no effect on the message or doctrine. This demonstrates that when God & His people truly desired to know & make known God’s message, they took tremendous care to preserve the fidelity of these sacred texts – all by God’s design & providence. And faithful modern versions of the New Testament are translated directly from the original New Testament language of these very early documents. Thus we have the successful & reliable transmission of God’s revealed Word known as the New Testament.
In fact, not only are there numerous & stable copies in the original Greek language from those first few centuries, but copies from as early as the 3rd century exist in different languages (mainly Latin, Coptic & Syriac) & raise the quantity of manuscripts to around 20,000! Yet they are all strikingly consistent, having only menial textual variants (largely spelling & punctuation differences) which respected scholars have demonstrated have no effect on the message or doctrine. This demonstrates that when God & His people truly desired to know & make known God’s message, they took tremendous care to preserve the fidelity of these sacred texts – all by God’s design & providence. And faithful modern versions of the New Testament are translated directly from the original New Testament language of these very early documents. Thus we have the successful & reliable transmission of God’s revealed Word known as the New Testament.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ – Romans 1.1-6
Yet there will always be critics of the Bible. Most of the time when people don’t believe the Bible, it’s not because they have actually read it & found fault, nor is it because they truly discovered compelling evidence to discredit it. It is merely because they don’t want to believe it or are afraid of what they might discover. And then there are some who hold to beliefs originated by men that are contrary to the pure teaching & authority of the Bible. For them it is convenient to try to dismiss, invalidate or reinterpret the Bible – or at least the parts competing for authority in certain matters. It’s always easier to go with the flow of emotional momentum than to risk changing direction for the truth.
When dealing with this very issue of divine authority, Jesus invoked the words of an Old Testament prophet saying “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Mt 15.7-9)
But you may be an honest skeptic – just searching to find out the truth about God. Well, if there really was a divine person called Jesus that performed wondrous miracles including being raised from the dead; if He really did establish apostles to spread His teaching & affirmed it through amazing & miraculous acts; and if these teachings did providentially survive to our present age – then it really comes down to: What are you going to do with them?
I would invite you… even dare you…to read the New Testament. But before you get started, you invite God to teach you something; ask God to show you what is true. God is the one who reveals Himself & provides understanding of His written Word - He wants to. God is a personal God & wants you to know Him. Find out how this is possible through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
When dealing with this very issue of divine authority, Jesus invoked the words of an Old Testament prophet saying “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Mt 15.7-9)
But you may be an honest skeptic – just searching to find out the truth about God. Well, if there really was a divine person called Jesus that performed wondrous miracles including being raised from the dead; if He really did establish apostles to spread His teaching & affirmed it through amazing & miraculous acts; and if these teachings did providentially survive to our present age – then it really comes down to: What are you going to do with them?
I would invite you… even dare you…to read the New Testament. But before you get started, you invite God to teach you something; ask God to show you what is true. God is the one who reveals Himself & provides understanding of His written Word - He wants to. God is a personal God & wants you to know Him. Find out how this is possible through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.