Theology
econheypt01
theo.docxREPLIES:
· First, summarize what you think your classmate intended to communicate in his/her thread in order to remind readers of the ideas in your classmate’s thread and to clarify any miscommunication or misinterpretation that may occur.
· Second, commend at least 1 good point that he/she raised in his/her thread. Explain why you identified that particular point raised by your classmate.
· Third, contribute new information or ideas to further the discussion; present additional facts, Scriptures, or applications to the current discussion that have not yet been mentioned, or redirect the discussion to another appropriate path.
· Finally, encourage your classmate to continue growing in their understanding of organization, administration, and spiritual development, and/or type out a positive prayer to the Lord on behalf of your classmate.
· Each reply should be at least 150 words composed in 1 paragraph.
· Do not begin posting your replies until the module/week that they are assigned. Replies are due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of the second module/week the Forum is assigned.
Please reply to each answer. Each reply needs to be a min. of 150 words.
Answer 1:
The authenticity of the Bible as God’s Word is undeniable to me. Based on the points from Dr. Towns’ article, I would like to discuss why I feel that the unity of the message from different human authors is the most convincing argument to me. To do this, I would like to examine the points surrounding the number of authors, the timeline of composition, and the geography of the authors that support that particular argument.
The prevailing thought on the authorship of the books of the Bible points to around 40 different authors that contribute to its canon. These people were not necessarily contemporaries of each other, nor did they all live in similar periods of time. Yet, as Dr. Towns points out, “in spite of the diversity of the authors, there is unity in the Bible, reflecting its supernatural origin.”
According to Dr. Towns, “there were approximately 1600 years during which the various authors wrote the books of the Bible, from Moses, who began writing around 1440 BC to John who finished the last book of the Bible around AD 100.” The fact that there is a consistent unity over that span of time is astounding to me. As cultures and people grew through the passage of time, the message is cohesive and consistent.
Finally, Dr. Towns points out that “The Bible was written in different locations stretching over 2000 miles.” Casually, that may not seem significant at first. However, when you consider breadth of cultural influence that geography can have, the point becomes more substantial. Couple that with the span of time of the Bible’s authorship and the significance increases much more. The Bible maintains a consistent message despite the geographical distribution of its authors.
Dr. Towns points out the diversity of occupations and the dual authorship of the Scriptures as well, but I felt the three points I used are most compelling for me as a believer. I tend to be analytical and logical in assessments, so those demographical evidences really intrigue me. As a whole on this topic, Dr. Towns makes a very well-rounded, strong case.
The unity of the message of the Bible is the strongest argument to me in defense of the Bible as God’s Word. To that end, I have discussed why I felt the points regarding the number of authors, the span of time of authorship, and geographic disparity of the authors are some of Dr. Towns’ strongest points to that end. He makes some other excellent points as well. However, I did not elaborate on them for purposes of this post.
Answer 2:
Of all the arguments cited in the article “Arguments that the Bible is the Word of God,” by Elmer Towns, I believe that the most convincing and undeniable argument is the “Empirical Evidence of the Fulfillment of Prophecy,” specifically, the predictions concerning the Messiah. The fact that the Bible repeatedly predicts the future with perfect accuracy is beyond astounding and demands a response. In Towns article he states, “An English deist once said that a man named Jesus Christ read the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah and then went out and attempted to fulfill them. If this man were correct, Jesus Christ was a lunatic for dying to prove predictions that He knew were not true.” This is a rather foolish and naive concept, although easy to obtain and simplistic in nature. Upon observing the facts, we easily refute the English deists theory. Further down in his article, Towns writes, “The messianic prophecies related to Christ that have already been fulfilled are divided into four areas. The exact details of their fulfillment indicate the supernatural insight that the author had into the future and qualifies the Bible as the Word of God.” Towns cites the prophecies and their scriptural references concerning the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ that were all fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. It is now easily identifiable that it would be impossible to read the Old Testament prophecies and then proceed to fulfill them because the prophecies include specific details on the birth of Jesus, as well as His betrayal, death, and resurrection; not just the events of His life alone. Only God has the power to achieve these things, and only God has the power to resurrect from the dead. The messianic prophecies concerning The Christ comprise only one of four areas of Biblical prophecy that Towns highlights. Towns also observes the areas of prophecy regarding the predictions of names and the nations as well as prophecies about the nation of Israel. The amount of accurately fulfilled prophecies is overwhelmingly convincing that the Bible is the inherent Word of God. Anyone with the most basic level of common sense and logical thought would be forced to this conclusion. However, the work of the Holy Spirit is required to bring an individual to salvation due to the spiritual blindness of our human flesh.
