Views: 113
[Note: This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles 1 page.]
The Study of Christian evidences is the study of matters that give substance to the claims of the Gospel and its principal figure, Jesus Christ. Such evidences are usually divided into two major fields.
- “Internal evidence” is one of these major fields of proof. By this term we refer to things within the Bible itself that indicate that the Bible is the product of God and not of mere men. Since the Word of God is the seed of the kingdom (Luke 8:11) and Christianity is all that it produces when faithfully followed, to establish the authenticity of the Scriptures is to authenticate Christianity. Internal evidence includes the complete self-harmony of Scripture (it does not contradict itself), the historical, geographical, and scientific accuracy of the Bible, the Bible’s prophetic utterances and their fulfillment, and much more. Such evidences demonstrate that the Bible could not have been produced from the minds and talents of mere men.
- “External evidence” is the second major field of proof. This term refers to things outside the Bible that confirm its beyond-human source. Archaeologists have repeatedly unearthed artifacts that have confirmed what the Bible had said long before it was otherwise confirmed. Archaeological finds have never contradicted Biblical statements, whether historical, geographical, or otherwise. Also, in the sphere of external evidence is the argument from design. My wristwatch could not have spontaneously or accidentally sprung into existence. It is obviously the product of intricate, precise, detailed design. There is no “design” without a “designer.” This fact’s being true about something as simple as a wristwatch, it is equally true of super-complex entities—including the vast universe. The only rational explanation of the way our world and all living creatures began is that an all-powerful and all-wise Designer designed and created them. The Bible reveals and describes this Designer as the true and living God.
- “Practical evidence” is also worthy of consideration as a third field of proof. By this I refer to the effects of the Gospel when it is faithfully obeyed. Without the slightest doubt, true Christianity has influenced civilization for the better—never for the worse—wherever it has gone. The awful blight of slavery has been all but conquered through the influence of the Gospel. Women have been elevated immeasurably by the ennobling power of New Testament Truth. The spirit of freedom that gave birth to our nation is rooted in the Bible. However, perhaps even more powerful than these are the changes wrought in individual lives. Indeed, by this means the Gospel has its widespread powerful effect—as leaven in the dough (Mat. 13:33); it affects one individual after another until the many are affected. It turns the murderer into an apostle. It puts the lazy man to work, sobers up the drunk, and causes the thief and the fornicator to abandon their evil ways. Such is indeed a powerful form of “Christian evidences.”
[Note: I wrote this article for and it was published in The Lighthouse, weekly bulletin of Northpoint Church of Christ, Denton, TX, November 9, 2014, of which I was editor.]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
