Proving the truth of a historical narrative differs from proving the truth of a general worldview. While God’s existence and many attributes are “clearly perceived” in the creation, the gospel message is not visible in the world. We need a preacher to communicate the gospel (Rom. 10:14–15). This does not mean, of course, that we must accept the biblical account on blind faith. Scripture itself argues for its contentions; Scripture presents what we call a rationale.
We have seen that absolute-personality theism is found mainly in the biblical tradition. Only the major religious movements influenced by the Bible think of God as an absolute personality. Since there is no other reasonable candidate for a source of God’s words, we must hear and obey that message. We must realize, of course, that this argument will not carry much weight with some people. It does not rule out every possibility that God’s message to man might not exist or that they might find elsewhere it.
Scripture as Witness in Proving The Gospels
Scripture describes its status and presents its self-witness. God wills to rule his church through the written Word. God’s church is to have a written document. To violate the document is to violate the covenant and vice versa. The great king writes the covenant and kept in two copies, one in the sanctuary of the great king and the other in the servant’s sanctuary-king. It suited the document to the holiest places. As the kings revere their gods, they honor the covenant. To violate the Word is to violate the covenant.
In Deuteronomy 32, God teaches his people a song by which they are to remember his mercies and remember to obey him. It is not (as modern theologians often have it) Israel’s witness to God; it is God’s witness against Israel (31:19). When the Israelites sin and break the covenant, the song will accuse and convict them. The entire law is in the most sacred place of God, the ark of the covenant, as a witness against the people’s actions (Deut. 31:26).
The Old Testament is the covenant document of the people of God. In the New Testament, Jesus comes teaching God’s will. His words are tremendously important, the supreme criterion for discipleship. People sometimes suggest that while the Old Testament presents a religion of authoritative words, the New Testament is more spiritual in content, the importance of the Old Testament remains very relevant. The Old Testament, however, offers the unity of the coming of Christ, aiding in proving the Gospels.
The New Testament records a covenant, the “new covenant in my blood’ (1 Cor. 11:25). Covenants in Scripture, as we have seen, are verbal. Obeying the written Word is the same as obeying God himself, and despising the written Word is despising God himself. God rules his church by a written constitution, with a book. How do we know Jesus died for us? From Scripture. There is no higher authority, no more excellent ground of certainty. The true disciple desires for more and more of God’s Word. The true disciple lives by every Word of God.
The Authority Of The Bible
In the traditional apologetic, inquirers are told not to presuppose the full authority of Scripture as God’s Word until after the apologist has proved that authority. In the first place, however, even the general reliability of Scripture is contested by many scholars. We should never tell inquirers to assume less than the truth. One must initially know the authority of Scripture before an apologetic discussion can be fruitful. If an inquirer cannot agree on the Bible’s authority, we can concentrate on the historicity where we can confirm it. Keeping in mine, the Bible’s purpose is not a historical document. Last, if the inquirer cannot agree on the Bible’s historicity, there may be an emotional or heart issue preventing them from applying logic.
See also: Standards and Obligations for Morality and Moral Arguments
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