The True Gospel (Injil)How can one prove that it is not corrupted? First: Harmony of its ExpressionsGod has generously given us the Holy Book that came in harmonious and historically accurate sequence, seen in the Torah of Moses, David's Psalms, and the Injil of Christ's life. This fact encourages us to be ordered in the matters of our lives, able to make connections between cause and effect in events happening in the world. And because God's Word is not a human production, you don't find that it relies on complicated commandments, and cheap, worldly rewards for following its instructions, and threats for not following. Instead, the reader of God's Word always gains spiritual satisfaction and guidance for both his immediate and eternal life. God started His Word to us with the events of creating the heavens and the earth and all it contains. Then comes Adam and Eve, Cain, Abel and Seth, and their offspring. This was followed by the life of people like Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob (father of the tribes) and Joseph. Also God's Word mentions the history of the Israelites' slavery in Egypt, and the life of Moses, and also Jonah, Job, David, Solomon and Daniel, etc. After that the Bible tells us about the coming of John the Baptist (Yehya), and the birth of Christ, his pure life and unique teaching, his victory over death, ascension into heaven according to the previous prophecies. All of that has been recorded by Christ's disciples, who were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. Satan has been making his efforts to keep the people in the darkness of spiritual ignorance by trying to deceive people, hindering them from reaching God's Word, the source of enlightenment.
Second: The Way of its Writing1- Moses wrote about events which happened before his birth, like the creation of the universe, the life of Adam, Enoch, Abraham and Joseph. He wrote prophecies, and about how God relates to his people. He used scrolls of papyrus in his writing as this method was commonly used by the ancient Egyptians in those days. 2- Other prophets (like Joshua, Samuel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Job, David and Solomon) recorded God's Word given to them. This included the way in which he related to them in their lives. All that is to keep God alive in our hearts and thoughts. 3- Christ's close followers also wrote what He inspired to them by His spirit after His ascension. Some of these followers were Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul and James.
Third: The Miracle of its SufficiencyThe uniqueness of the Holy Bible that we find when we try to compare it with any other book comes from:1- The extraordinary miracles with which God assisted His prophets, which were witnessed by the people, and which affected their lives, proved the truth of their message and the infallibility of the revelation which they recorded. 2- The fact that it includes God's instructions for all that's necessary for the believer's life, the sayings of God's messengers, the accounts of their lives with the necessary explanation. 3- The miracle of its unchangeable message through its translations into thousands of the many world languages, which proves the credibility of God's Word and that He "so loved the world…that everyone who believes in Him would have eternal life." (John 3:16). This is the Good News that everyone can understand, no matter how simple he is. God used many languages to convey His message, such as Hebrew with the people of Israel through Moses, and Aramaic with the Gentiles through Christ. Also some of the scripture came in highly artistic and poetic writing, like the Proverbs of Solomon and the Psalms of David. 4- The high teaching in the Holy Bible about morals, equality, democracy and mercy among people. This ensures the basis of peace, and social and economic welfare and the work ethic which develops the nations. It lifts mankind above the primitive instinct of the ignorant man, helping him towards holiness and progressing in self control. 5- The harmony of the Bible. 40 messengers were used by God to write His Holy Word, in the course of 1600 years. It was written by very different people, including a king (Solomon), a farmer (Habakkuk), a philosopher (Paul), a fisherman (John), and a poet (David). God gave His Word in three continents; Asia, Africa and Europe, used three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. But none of the messengers ever came with a word that conflicted with any other. In fact they sacrificed themselves, even to death, proving their strong belief in that divine Word of God. 6- The honesty of God's messengers in mentioning their mistakes without covering up any of the facts. They didn't claim perfection for themselves, as God is the only one who is perfect. There they set for us a good example of honesty and sincerity, that we might follow. 7- The scientific laws, which weren't known at the time but are mentioned in the Bible, have, in an amazing way, proved the truth of the Bible: a) The spherical nature of the earth, "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers." (Isaiah 40:22) b) The earth is suspended in space: "…He suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight." (Job 26:7,8) c) The rotation of the earth (Job 38:12-15). d) The presence of day and night on the earth at the same time, as is now known: (Luke 17:34-36). 8- The fulfilled prophecies: a) The wiping out of the idols from Egypt, and the long duration of non-Egyptian rule (around 2,500 years), from the 27th dynasty until Alexander the Great came. Then came the Ptolemies, Romans, and Arabs; then the Tatars, the 'Uthmanies, and Mamaluks, up until the July 23rd revolution, 1952, after which Egypt was ruled by the first Egyptian president. As is written in the prophecies of the Bible, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis (Upper Egypt). No longer will there be a prince in Egypt." (Ezekiel 30:13) b) Special prophecies about Christ:- The Prophecy Fulfillment in Christ Birth from a virgin Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:18,24, 25 Descendant of Abraham Genesis 22:18 Matthew 1:1 From the tribe of Judah Genesis 49:10 Luke 3:23, 33 Called the Son of God Psalm 2:7 Matthew 3:17 Birth in Bethlehem Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:1 Eternal Micah 5:2 Colossians 1:17 Called Lord Psalm 110:1 Luke 25:11 Judge Isaiah 33:22 John 5:3 Crucified with thieves Isaiah 53:12 Matthew 27, 38 His hands and feet pierced Psalm 22:6 Luke 23:33 Stabbed in his side Zachariah 12:10 John 19:34 There are many more prophecies and lessons relating to many aspects of life, which were recorded in the Bible without any error. That's because God's Word is true, and He never lies. As He says: "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 1:21) "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35) "I the Lord do not change." (Malachi 3:6) "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17). Christ the Lord said while on the cross, after completing God's work: "It is finished." (John 19:30) Fourth: The Evidence of its ValidityThe validity of the Holy Scripture comes from its logic which makes sense and speaks to the mind, heart and spirit. It is unchangeable, in contrast with the scientific observations which change progressively. The following is some logical evidence of the Bible's Validity: 1- The hostility of the Jews toward the Christians, which made each party on the lookout to prevent anyone who would dare to try to alter it. 2- It was spread throughout the world from early times. This wiped out the possibility of anyone corrupting all its copies. That’s why the Bible of all Christian denominations is the same all over the world. 3- Each prophet put together his recorded revelation, so that the hands of people did not interfere in collecting its verses or in arranging it, thereby protecting it against corruption. 4- The continual discoveries of numerous ancient manuscripts confirm the integrity of God's revelation against human imperfection. Among these manuscripts were those discovered in the Dead Sea, Saint Catherine's, Luxor, and many others… in addition to early Greek and Hebrew manuscripts which are well preserved in world museums. If a person claims that distortion has occurred in the Holy Bible, then it is upon him to provide evidence of his accusation. Let him tell us, for example: When did this distortion happen? Where? What are the passages that were distorted and what were they before the alleged distortion? Who made this distortion? Why? How did all the people agree on the same procedure of distortion in all the copies all over the world? Why would God leave man to distort His word which tells us whether he's going to send us any other prophets or not? Could any protester bring better evidence to prove any other book to be God's Book? |
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