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The Blue Letter Bible

Don Stewart :: What Conclusions Can Be Made about the Historical Accuracy of the New Testament?

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Don Stewart

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After looking at the question of the New Testament's historical accuracy we can arrive at the following conclusions.

It Is An Important Subject

The question of the New Testament's historical accuracy is of utmost importance because God has revealed Himself by means of historical events. This is especially true when God became a human in the Person of Jesus Christ.

The New Testament Writers Were Eyewitnesses Of The Events They Recorded

Those who wrote about Jesus were either eyewitnesses to the events in His life or recorded eyewitness testimony. This is their consistent testimony.

The New Testament Was Written Soon After The Events

The New Testament was written soon after the death and resurrection of Christ. There was not enough time for the message to be altered. There were too many eyewitnesses, both friendly and unfriendly that would have corrected any altering of the truth.

Many Of The Books Were Read Aloud

We know that many of the New Testament books were read aloud in the churches. The message was open for all to hear and evaluate.

The Disciples Of Jesus Were Cross-examined By Their Contemporaries

The disciples could be cross-examined by their contemporaries about the events they proclaimed. They preached their message in Jerusalem - the very city where many of the events took place.

Paul Wrote During The Eyewitness Period

Paul's letters were written during the eyewitness period. His writings confirmed many of the main facts of the gospel

Their Accounts Match Up With Secular History

The evidence concerning the events, places, and names mentioned in the New Testament conclusively affirms the basic historical reliability of the text.

They Should Be Given The Benefit Of Doubt In Matters That Are Unclear

Since the New Testament documents have come down to us without any tampering, and since they contain no obvious errors or contradictions, they should be given the benefit of the doubt in matters where there is no independent evidence to confirm or deny its teachings. Therefore, we should rightly assume that the New Testament is a reliable historical document unless it is clearly proven otherwise.

Summary

The evidence leads to the conclusion that the New Testament is a reliable historical document and can be trusted to give an honest portrayal of the life of Jesus and the history of the early church. The books were written soon after the events. The writers were either eyewitnesses or those who recorded eyewitness testimony. The writers were all qualified to write about the subject. Their writing were not only accurate they were minutely accurate. All of these factors should lead us to trust the testimony of the New Testament with respect to the things it records.

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CONTENT DISCLAIMER:

The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.