The Dutch philosopher, Baruch Spinoza, lived approximately 350 years ago. He was one of the fathers of The Enlightenment, and his thinking paved the way for what came to be known as “Higher Criticism”. He disallowed any notion that God’s supernatural hand was responsible for the formation of the Bible and insisted that the Bible be critiqued and analysed in the same way as any other historical manuscript. This thinking gave momentum to “liberal theology” which relegated the Bible to nothing more than a piece of fallible human writing, which, being fallible, is revisable. This has led to a large number of Protestant clerics in the Western church becoming “revisionists”.
Revisionists differ from reformists. Revisionists feel free to revise consistent principles taught by Scripture e.g. those surrounding sexual ethics. Reformists, in contrast, want to return people to the consistent principles of the Bible.[1]
History has shown that a significant downside of revisionist thinking is that it empties churches. It is not hard to see why. Revisionist clerics have dispensed with the hope of the resurrection, the hope of God’s coming kingdom, and the reality of God acting in people’s lives. As such, they offer no hope. The only thing they can do is to preach morality – a morality that has no firm basis. This bland diet has been responsible for killing off the Protestant church in the West.
Fortunately, you do not have to kiss your brains goodbye to be a biblical Christian. There are good reasons for challenging Spinoza’s thinking (and the liberal revisionism it spawned), and there is rational evidence for believing that a divine hand was involved in the formation of the Bible. Here are three of them: 1) Patterns 2) Prophecy, and 3) Power.
Patterns
Despite the Bible being written over a thousand-year period, it knits together to form a consistent, coherent story. Right from the start of the Bible, God introduces “patterns” which are reinforced throughout Scripture. Significantly, these patterns all reach their fulfilment in Jesus.
One of the repeated patterns is the concept of a sheep being sacrificed. This theme is first introduced when God provided a sheep (specifically, a ram) for Abraham to sacrifice at Mt Moriah instead of sacrificing his son, Isaac (Genesis 22). This began the theme of God providing a sheep for sacrifice. This pattern is continued in the story of the first Passover. On this occasion, the blood of a lamb was daubed on the doorframes of the huts of the Jews who were enslaved in Egypt. This blood meant that the judgement of God (the death of every first-born creature) would “pass over” the Jews and not harm them.The significance of a sheep being sacrificed reached its crescendo when Jesus came. He is referred to in all the gospel accounts of his life as the “Lamb of God.”
Two other concepts (or patterns) that keep re-occurring are, 1) the pattern of “covenant” (which reaches its fulfilment with Jesus at the last supper), and 2) the concept of “atonement” (of something dying in your stead to pay the price for your sins) – which was what Jesus did).
Prophecy
The hand of God in forming Scripture is also seen in the existence of biblical prophecies.
The Bible records numerous prophecies being fulfilled centuries later. Most notably, it includes prophecies about Jesus, prophecies incidentally, that Jesus expected us to see and appreciate (Luke 24:25-27; John 5:39).
There are also prophecies concerning nations and cities. Ezekiel prophesied that the city of Tyre would be flattened and its stones and timbers thrown into the sea, never to be rebuilt (Ezekiel 26:3-14). This must have seemed highly unlikely at the time. However, about 260 years later, Alexander the Great demolished the city to build a causeway to an offshore island in order to defeat the Phoenicians who were based there. The old city of Tyre remains flattened and desolate to this day, as the new city of Tyre has been built in a different location.
Power
The third piece of evidence indicating the hand of God in the formation of the Bible is the power the Bible has demonstrated throughout history for its ability to transform individuals, families, cities and nations for their good. Authentic biblically-based Christianity has brought civility and goodness wherever its principles have been adopted.
There are good rational reasons for believing that the hand of God was involved in the formation of the Bible. We are therefore not at liberty to revise its consistent principles.
[1] It is worth noting that Christian renewal movements in world history have never failed to return people to biblical principles, i.e. to bring reform.
