Thursday,

Confirmation -

There’s a really good study that I led several years ago using a video called, “The Bible on Trial,” a study provided by Lutheran Hour Ministries. In the opening segment of the Bible study we were reminded of a common misgiving people have about the Bible – if it’s so old, copied by hand over and over for centuries, how can we trust that what has come down to us today is actually what the original authors wrote or said? Various groups, from academic scholars looking to debunk Scripture to Muslim and Mormon arguments against the accuracy of the Bible are based on the idea that the Bible you hold in your hands today is corrupt.

One of the biggest archeological discoveries of the 20^th century, the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran, shot holes through that theory by proving the Old Testament Scriptures were unchanged for 1,000 years before our oldest previously known manuscript. Yet, skepticism over the accuracy of Scripture persists. One graphic in the study shows that many other ancient works are held to a much lower standard – writings by Caesar Augustus, Homer and Plato have but a handful of ancient copies, the oldest of which are hundreds and in some cases well over 1,000 years after the original copy. The New Testament is attested to by many thousands of copies, some of which date back to within the same century as the original writings. Despite much older, closer to the original copies and despite a far greater number of copies existing, the accuracy of the Bible being true to what the first authors wrote is still called into question far more often. The world holds Scripture to a far more stringent standard. Indeed, given the exclusive truth claims and the vitality of the message that we share, that is to be expected.

The same is true for Christian people – the world holds us to a higher standard. We can’t control the expectations or perceptions of other people. What we do have is new life from God, that by the power of the Holy Spirit we can resist temptation to sin. Like inspectors bent on finding something to write up, the world examines Christians closely, ready to lob charges of hypocrisy.

We could complain that it’s unfair. Indeed, I know many Christians are feeling disheartened by the state of the world for a slew of reasons. Instead, I’d be curious to see what the world would think to find no reason for charge against the character of Christian people. What if a patient, longsuffering, graceful attitude kept us focusing not on how hard it sometimes is to be a Christian but instead of expressing the joy we have in Jesus Christ? We may sometimes too be scrutinized and held to a high standard. Jesus tells us that is to be expected – it comes with being one of His disciples. Paul writes in Romans 5: “ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Even through the solemn events of Holy Week, Easter hangs on the horizon. We Rejoice in the Lord always!

In Christ,

Pastor Derek

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