Is the Bible is true? What does evidence the say? How well does it stand up to the tests?
🍃 Watch the six-part series by Mescalero Apache, Soapy Dollar, here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm4Y5qad3GcTF3swbs_1mvaD-E-ty_UdV

This series on the Bible for Native American, First Nation, and Indigenous people is taught by Mescalero Apache, Soapy Dollar. He talks about the origin of the Bible, it’s message, and answers the question, can we trust it? He also shares about the central character of the Bible, Jesus Christ. Soapy is passionate about what he calls, the Book of books, the Bible. He’s been teaching from it for over 50 years.

Part 2: Is the Bible True? In Psalm 119:160 we read, “The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.” In fact, throughout it’s pages, it presents itself as truth. If the Bible is not true then many people are deceived. If the Bible is true, many more have been deceived. Either way, their is a lot at stake. But particularly if the message of our eternal destiny is true. Can the Bible be trusted?

Key Points in Part 2:
– Why a book? Oral tradition, though important, may change over time.

– We can know some things about our generally about our Creator because God has revealed Himself to human beings from the beginning through what is called general revelation. Namely, through creation, through consciousness, our own unique human awareness.

– God has involved Himself in the lives of human beings, they have come to know Him and experience God, and then they have written down a record of their experience as God inspired them.

– There are different accepted tests that can be used with the Bible to address the accuracy in what it says and that the text has been passed to us correctly over the centuries and through time. They are the Bibliographical Test, the Internal Test, the External Test, and more recently, Archeology.

-The Bibliographical Test looks at how did the Scriptures come to us? The New Testament was written about 1,900-2000 years ago. There are some tests that we apply from sources very close to the writing of the original, the time of the writing. The time between the copies that we have and the actual happening of the event is very small, and then between the copies that we have and to the original are very small. The Hebrew Scriptures have a different set of tests because the incredible special care that was taken in copying those texts.

-The Internal Test looks at the consistency of the Bible. Does it contradict itself? Many say that over the years. But actually, with more and more knowledge and understanding of the Bible and many of these extant, these already existing copies that have surfaced, like the Qumran scrolls or Dead Sea Scrolls that have come, they have given us greater and greater confidence that some of those things that were thought to be problems have turned out to be not problems at all, but easily explainable from the perspective of the different writers and authors.

– The External Test is consists of comparing the writings of the Hebrew Scriptures or the New Testament. They’re written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, these three languages. You compare what they say happened, the dates, times, places, events with other historical texts, other historical records that we have.

– There are many archeological discoveries that line up with what’s in the Bible. The Dead Sea scrolls would be an example of this. The Bible has been transmitted reliably.

– The Bible passes all these tests.
—–
Outline for following along in the video series (Each part is a video):

Soapy Dollar – A Native American Introduction to The Bible

Part 1 – Introduction and The Bible is Unique
It is Unique
– In it’s consistency
– In it’s circulation
– In it’s translation
– In it’s survival
– In it’s teaching
– In it’s message

Part 2 – The Bible is True and Accurate
Tests and Evidence
– The Bibliographical test
– The Internal test
– The External test
– Archeology

Part 3 – Is the Bible from God our Creator?
Why do we think this?
– It’s amazing consistency
– It has a “ring of truth”
– Fulfilled predictions and prophecies
– The life of Jesus
– Transformed lives

Part 4 – The Message of the Bible
The Central Message of the Bible
– God loves and cares for us
– We are sinful, selfish, guilty, and condemned
– God sends a Savior
– We must respond in faith

Part 5 – The Central Character – Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the central character of the Bible
– His person and redemptive work is foretold in the Old Testament
– His person and redemptive work is fulfilled in the New Testament

Part 6 – Final Thoughts and a Challenge
A Brief Summary
– God has gone to great lengths to communicate with us
– Pick up the Bible and read it for yourself
—–
Listen to Soapy’s personal story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHD0Av50Hss
Visit our website: http://www.withoutreservation.com