In all of my writing, my articles, and posts, and in my book, “What Do I Say When Asked About Jesus?”, I place a heavy emphasis on scripture. If you’ve read anything I’ve written, you have seen how true this is. Of course, this is not by mistake.

There are times, as you have probably seen, that I state the obvious. These statements of the obvious are, of course, a tool to emphasize a point. So, let me state what may seem obvious: I use and reference scripture, The Bible, because I believe it is true. More than just being true, it is the basis for everything I believe.

However, where the Bible is concerned, and any other teaching for that matter, there is a difference between being “true” and being “accurate.” In reality though, while different, the truth of scripture and the accuracy of scripture are very interrelated. In short: How can we have confidence in the truth of something which we don’t believe to be accurate?

Why spend the time discussing something like the accuracy of the Bible? Most of you believe in the truth and accuracy of the Bible. On the other hand, some who read this may believe that the Bible is full of good teaching but is not accurate. I’m sorry to say that this understanding, held by many, ebbs at the truth and authority of the scripture.

Let me clarify what I mean by accuracy when it comes to the Bible. I’m referring to the confidence that what we read today is what was originally written. To be sure, and I don’t want to mislead, every word of the Bible is not one hundred percent accurately translated. But… and this is a very big but…. the translation issues are minimal. So small, in fact, that they do not affect in any significant way the meaning or message. Consequently, we can trust what Paul says: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 2:16-17).

The idea that the Bible we have is based on the translation, of a translation, of a translation, of a translation, and on and on, is not only misleading but untrue. But it still persists. Sometimes because of ignorance of the facts and sometimes because of purposeful attempts to mislead. Presenting the translation of our modern Bible as a big game of telephone through the centuries that results in laughable differences from what was originally written is, in itself, well, laughable.

As Believers, we must have confidence in the accuracy and truth of the scriptures to bolster our own faith and to confidently share about Jesus with others. This very issue, the trustworthiness of the Bible we read, is foundational. And this may be the very issue which prevents someone you know from trusting in Jesus.

So, how do we know? How do we know that the Bible we read today reliably communicates what the original inspired authors wrote? Of course, in a relatively short article like this, I can’t go into detail about all of the aspects of Bible translation and accuracy. For now, though, let’s simplify with one of the big answers to this question: Manuscript evidence.

When I taught Middle School and High School Sunday School or Bible Study, I would periodically teach on this topic. Again, because it is so important. The way we would learn about manuscript evidence was by making puzzles.

In preparation for the study, I would take a sheet of paper and write a scripture excerpt on it. My favorite was:        

“Blessed is the one

    who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

    or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

    and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

    which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

    whatever they do prospers” (Psa 1:1-3).

I’d make several copies. I’d cut each of the copies into pieces and make puzzles out of them. Once I separated the class into small groups, I’d give each group a puzzle.  Each puzzle had the same size and number of pieces. They were essentially interchangeable.  Then, we’d make a race out of it. The group that finished first would get a prize. Finishing meant, completing the puzzle AND reading what the scripture said.

Here’s what I didn’t tell them. I had removed pieces from each of the puzzles. None of the groups had a complete puzzle. They couldn’t read the whole scripture passage because there were missing pieces. To make it worse, each group had different pieces missing. They were frustrated because they couldn’t finish the puzzle, read the scripture, and, ultimately, win the prize. Cruel, I know, but all part of the master plan.

Of course, they had naturally assumed they could only use their own puzzle pieces. I pointed out that I, being the game master, had never made such a rule. Soon they realized that the only way to complete the puzzle, and see the whole scripture, was by sharing each other’s missing pieces. Which, of course, was the point of the whole game.

That, in a very simplified way, demonstrated what happens with manuscript evidence. We don’t have the original writings of the Bible, what we call the autographs. But we do have lots and lots of early manuscript copies. Far more, by the way, than any other documents of antiquity. These manuscripts are not complete, because of age and time, but we can compare them and, finding the missing pieces, know with certainty what was originally written.

Simply put, we can trust what the Bible says is accurate. Being accurate, we can examine its claims about Jesus. Believing the Bible’s claims about Jesus, we can trust in Him and be saved by His grace.

David Foucar has a passion for teaching God’s word. His first book, “What Do I Say When Asked About Jesus?” is a conversational approach to helping people answer questions about Jesus. The book provides a layman’s perspective on personal evangelism and the basics of the Christian faith. Dave has been married for thirty-six years to the love of his life, Debbie. They have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and two granddaughters. To read more of David’s writing visit his Newsletter.

Image by Jude Joshua from Pixabay