Don Stewart :: Is It Important That the Bible Is Historically Accurate?

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As we begin to explore the subject of the historical accuracy of Scripture we will discover it is of vital importance. The Christian faith is an historical faith-it records what God has done in history. This being the case, the historical accuracy of recorded events is of utmost importance. This is true for both the Old and New Testament.

The Old Testament is a testimony of the mighty works of God. The Lord reminded Israel of His mighty power. The historical accuracy of the Bible is of the utmost importance because the revelation of God to humankind was accomplished through His mighty words and deeds in history. God said.

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage (Exodus 20:2).

They Are Urged To Remember

The nation was continually urged to remember these mighty deeds of God:

But the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm . . . him you shall worship (2 Kings 17:36).

The prophet Micah records.

O my people, remember now . . . that you may know the righteousness of the Lord (Micah 6:5).

Jesus Christ, God the Son, came into our world.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

We find the writers of Scripture appealing time and time again to actual historical events to testify to both the existence and power of God. The entire biblical revelation centers on what God has done in history.

This Is Unique To Judaism And Christianity

It also must be stressed that historical reliability is unique to Judaism and Christianity. No other religion has any sort of historical base on which their belief system rests.

Many of the key doctrines of the Bible are based upon historical events. These include the virgin conception and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These events must have literally occurred for the doctrines to be true.

If the Bible is the Word of God, then it must be able to withstand the most thorough historical investigation. The Bible claims to be the record of God acting in history. The Bible must be an accurate historical record so we can know what took place, how it took place, and when it took place.

It Is Important To Understand What The Events Mean

We not only need to know what took place we also need to know what it means. Scripture records the events plus the authoritative interpretation of these events. Events do not always carry their own interpretation with them. Why, for example, was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ different from any one else? Scripture gives us both the event and the meaning.

The Scripture contains historical facts plus theological meaning - the facts must be accurate and the meaning must be true. Both the facts and the meaning give us a coherent understanding of God's plan.

The historical accuracy of Scripture is of vital importance, for it is the appeal made by the Bible itself to argue for its truthfulness.

The idea of the Bible being historically accurate is important for the following reasons: The Scripture itself makes the claim that God has intervened in history. Many of these events have been recorded for us in Scripture. The people were urged to remember what God had done for them in the past. They were to call to mind actual historical events that took place. Also the central truth of the Christian faith-that God became a human-happened in history. The historical accuracy of these claims demonstrates the truth of the Christian faith and its superiority over other religions that have no such verifiable evidence. This makes the historically accuracy of Scripture something that is of vital importance.