Bible Authenticity

Infant Baptism – Is it Biblical?

August 11, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

There is no explicit evidence of infant baptism in the Bible. The earliest historical reference to infant baptism is in the third century, by Origen.

More importantly, what do we learn from the Bible?

“You must therefore go and make disciples of people of all nations my disciples. You must baptize them.” (Matthew 28:19 Barclay) People would have to become disciples of Christ prior to qualifying for baptism. A disciple is a taught one, a believer, a follower, in this case, of Jesus Christ. read more

Titles of the Gospels – Are They Genuine?

August 2, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

The Titles of the Gospels

History says Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote the books with those titles. People seem to have a highly variable standard in their assessment of what ancient writings are genuine, especially the Bible. What do we mean? Here is an example:

Most people accept Alexander the Great as a real historical figure. Yet, the two earliest biographies of Alexander the Great were written by Arrian and Plutarch more than 400 years after the Great One’s death 323 BCE. Legends about him developed centuries after these two writers. Yet, Alexander’s true, accurate history is viewed as being preserved for hundreds of years prior to these legends. read more

Trinitarians and the Bible – Do They Agree?

July 24, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

The Bible is the court of final arbitration, so if something is true it has to be in agreement with the Bible. Otherwise, it is false. So if Trinitarians want to provide evidence for the Trinity doctrine, their argument should be in agreement with the Bible. Likewise, if we believe the Trinity is false, our belief should be in agreement with the scriptures.

Trinitarians symbol — Does Bible teach the Trinity?

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17) read more

Must a Christian Work So As Not To Lose Salvation?

July 21, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Must a Christian work, or make effort, so as not to lose salvation? Many people who believe in the doctrine of “eternal security” don’t think so. They say all you have to do is believe in Jesus, and “once saved, always saved”, and that your Christian works are completely irrelevant to your salvation. But what does the Bible say? Let’s find out.

Can you lose salvation? — *Must a Christian put forth any effort so as not to lose salvation?*

“Work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.” (2 Pt 1:10 NLT) The Bible does not say we’re saved by works. However, a “called and chosen” Christian can “fall away” if he does not “work hard.” read more

Healings – For Christians, Non-Christians, or Who?

July 20, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Many Christians firmly believe that they or someone they know, or know of, have been miraculously healed. Are healings for Christians today, or for non-Christians, or both?

“This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will”—Hebrews 2:3,4 NIV

In the first century, God gave the Apostles and some of their Christian associates the power to heal. But who did they heal? Were these healings performed on other Christians, or on non-Christians? Or were both healed? Let’s examine the Bible to find out. read more

Modern Baal Worship or Calf Worship

July 17, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Chart of Modern Baal Worship or Calf Worship

Nationalism	Bible
Our way of life depends on the nation, which is “the source of blessings and good things”	Jeremiah 8:9; James 1:17; James 5:17; 2 Kings 17:1; 2 Kings 18:20-45; Daniel 4:17; Daniel 5:21; Acts 17:26; Matthew 5:45; Revelation 4:11; Psalm 47:8; Psalm 99:1-2
Allegiance (worship) to, or of, the nation practiced, along with worship of God of the Bible and materialism	Isaiah 42:8; Exodus 20:3-4; 1 Kings 14:22-24; 1 Kings 16:31-33; Exodus 32:1; Exodus 32:4-7; Acts 17:7 NLT; Hebrews 13:15 NLT; 1 John 3:23 NLT; 5:13 NLT; 1 John 5:21
Rampant immorality normalized	1 Corinthians 10:6-8; 1 Kings 14:22-24; 1 Kings 22:46; 2 Kings 23:7; Hosea 4:12-14 – Idolatry leads to fornication
Child sacrifice (abortion, war dead glorified)	2 Kings 16:3; 2 Kings 17:14-17; 2 Kings 3:27; Jeremiah 19:4-8; 1 Kings 12:21; 1 Kings 14:30; 1 Kings 15:6-7
Extreme violence sanctioned	2 Kings 21:1-6; 2 Kings 24:3-4; Zephaniah 1:4-9; 1 Kings 16:31-33; 1 Kings 18:19; 1 Kings 21:11-19; 1 Kings 21:26
False prophets – speaks lies; lying rulers and religious leaders	1 Kings 19:19; 1 Kings 22:6; 2 Kings 1:2; Matthew 24:11,24; Titus 1:16; 2 Peter 2:1-3

Healing Miracles – What Does the Bible Say?

July 17, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

“Lord, Lord, did we not . . . in your name perform many miracles”—Matthew 7:22 NIV

The gift of healing was given by God on occasion in the Bible as a demonstration of his power to perform miracles. But can miracles come from a bad source? In the book of Exodus, the priests of Egypt were able to perform miracles similar to those performed through Moses and Aaron (Exodus 7:8-12). In Deuteronomy, God’s people were warned about those who practice divination and sorcery (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). read more

Are People Divinely Healed Today?

July 5, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 2 comments

God can do all things that are good! But are people divinely healed today?

Are people still healed today? — Does divine healing still happen today?

“With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) Just because God CAN do all things does not mean he actually DOES all things, at all times.

“Large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet, and He healed them. So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and the glorified the God of Israel” (Matthew 15:30,31 NASB). There is no doubt that many were miraculously healed by Jesus and his apostles. Does this mean that people are miraculously healed today? Well, do we see ‘the mute being made to speak, the crippled healed, the lame enabled to walk, blind people’s sight restored, etc.’? — No, we don’t! read more

Overpopulation – a justified excuse to murder the unborn?

July 3, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Is “overpopulation” an excuse to murder the unborn?

The short answer is “no!” Murder is never justified by God.

Overpopulation doesn't justify abortion — Is overpopulation an excuse that justifies abortion?

“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23)

Using “overpopulation” as an excuse to murder the unborn is no more valid an excuse than starting a war to reduce population. Why not start fires to kill people to reduce population? Why bother with putting older and disabled people in long term care homes? Why not just execute them to reduce population? read more

Salvation Through Faith – What About Christian Works?

June 23, 2017 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

“Faith without works is dead”—James 2:26

In our previous article on salvation, we established that the Bible does not support the eternal salvation (or “once saved, always saved”) doctrine. So how is a Christian saved? Is it by doing good deeds and refraining from doing bad things? Is salvation attained by Christian works? Or is it by faith alone? If by faith alone, then where do Christian works fit in? Let’s see what the Bible has to say on this matter.

Do Christian works produce salvation, or does salvation produce Christian works?

“Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done.” (Ephesians 2:9 NLT) The same verse in the NIV says that salvation is “not by works.” So obviously, the Bible says our own works cannot save us. It is not saying that as Christians, we should not be doing good works. Rather, it is saying that salvation is not attained simply by doing good works. read more