“Nineveh repented at Jonah’s preaching, but one greater
than Jonah is here.” Matthew 24:37, “As it was in the days
of Noah, so shall it be at the time of the second coming.”
Matthew 11:23-24, “If the miracles done here had been
done in Sodom, it would have repented. It will be more
bearable for Sodom in the judgment.”
It is obvious from Romans 5 that Paul understood Adam
as an historical person. Peter took the flood as literal and
global (2 Peter 3). We are not permitted by Jesus and the
apostles to understand the first few chapters of Genesis as
non-historical literature.
If we resist the pressure from the scientific establishment
(the new “ultimate authority” in our society) and interpret
science in light of Scripture rather than the other way around,
we will see less conflict between the Bible and science and
have fewer alleged discrepancies to try to explain.
Conclusion
If the Bible is verbally inspired (God-breathed down to the
very words), then there will be nothing in Scripture that is
not true when properly understood, even when written by
men with limited and even erroneous views of the world.
I am speaking of not just the “main points” but also the
“minor details.” God is powerful enough to keep the Bible
writers from crossing over the line from the true to the false.
If everything in Scripture really is the Word of God, then
that is what He did—He kept them from claiming anything
contrary to the way things really are.
Dr. Mark Bird teaches theology, evangelism, and apologetics
at God’s Bible School and College in Cincinnati, Ohio, where
he also directs online studies. He is the author of the books
How Can You Be Sure? (Schmul Publishing) and Defending
Your Faith (Answers in Genesis).
FOOTNOTES
1. What about other views of truth like the pragmatic view or the coherence
view? I consider them good tests of truth but not good definitions of truth. A
proposition needs to be coherent to be true, but there are false propositions that
could be considered coherent. That doesn’t make them true. Truth also should
“work,” but sometimes false views can “work” too, so the pragmatic theory can
only be used as a test, not as a definition of truth.
2. John 14:6.
3. “As God the Son, the Word is indeed the source of all truth.” Alan Padgett, “I
Am the Truth,” But Is It All True?, page 107.
4. Jesus said to the Father in His High Priestly Prayer: “Your Word is Truth” (Jn
17:17).
5. Two of my favorite translations are the New King James Version and the Eng-
lish Standard Version. Both of these versions are essentially word-for-word render-
ings of the original text of Scripture, from two slightly different textual traditions.
6. This applies to the assertions of the Bible writers, not necessarily those they
quote.
7. In his book, The Evolution of Adam, Enns argues that even though Paul’s belief
that Adam was the first human contradicts the way evolution happened, this has
no bearing on whether or not the gospel is true.
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