I hold these truths to be self evident: There is a rational body of truth for belief in God and in Jesus Christ. God exists and is a personal, knowable God who desires to communicate with us. God has come to earth in the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ to establish a relationship with us. God has used the Bible to reveal himself, his character and his plan. Over the years Hebrew scribes meticulously copied the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. Copying was done one letter at a time and the letters of each page were counted for accuracy. If even one error was made on a page it was destroyed.
The Masoretic text from around 900 AD was the oldest Bible text we had until the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in 1947 hidden in caves above the Dead Sea. These scrolls date from 150BC to 70 AD and were virtually the same as the Masoretic text and our Bible today. We know we have the unfiltered word of God. Only the book of Ester was missing.
An expansive body of evidence on the New Testament has scholars convinced it has come down to us with only minute and insignificant errors from the original text. God has ensured his Word survived intact. The Old Testament canon has long been set. It contains 39 books divided into the Law, the prophets and the writings.
The New Testament is more disputed but we can be sure it contains only the books God has decreed. The 27 books of the New Testament canon were included by virtue of their inspiration from God as decided by a fourth century church council at Carthage. The criteria used for the canon: Was it written by an Apostle, does the church recommend it, and does it conform to sound doctrine as preached in the churches.
Luke 21:33 – Heaven and earth will pass away, says the Lord God, but my words will never pass away.
Witnessing for Christ