Новые времена Go back to the homepage The business and reliability of the Bible The vision of the organisation I run, Unconventional Business Network, is to see a million business leaders shaping biblical principles in their workplaces.Therefore, trust in the authority and reliability of the Bible is fundamental. Recently, while interviewing a job applicant, I asked about her relationship to the Bible. She said: ‘I believe the Bible is inspired by God, but of course not everything it says is true.’ Since belief in the value and truthfulness of biblical teaching is at the heart of what we do, the complainant's response was a deal breaker for me. In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read: ‘All Scripture is divinely inspired and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.’ Either every word of the Bible is true, or we put ourselves in God's place by rejecting certain texts from His Word. Let me decode the acronym to help you believe in the relevance and practical application of the Bible. Hank Hanegraaf, president of the Christian Research Institute, uses the acronym ‘MAPS’ to emphasise confidence in the reliability of the Bible. The letters stand for M (Manuscripts) manuscripts, A (Archaeology) archaeology, P (Prophecy) prophecy, and S (Statistics) statistics. M means manuscripts. A few years ago I visited the Dead Sea Scrolls site. The process the scribes used to rewrite God's Word was impressive. If they made any mistake, they immediately burned the scroll. Historians judge the reliability of a manuscript by its length and the time lapse between the originals and the earliest manuscripts. The Bible has a stronger foundation than the ancient writers, Homer, Tacitus, or Aristotle. Psalm 18:9 says, ‘The commands of the Lord are righteous, cheering the heart; the commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes.’ The historical manuscript evidence amply proves the reliability of God's Word. A means archaeology. Hanegraaf tells the story of a biblical sceptic named Sir William Ramsay. Trained as an archaeologist, Ramsay set out to disprove the historical accuracy of the Gospel of Luke. Ironically, Ramsay became a believer as one by one the historical claims presented in Luke's Gospel were confirmed by archaeology and scientific methods. The passing years have confirmed that sceptical archaeologists have been proven wrong in challenging the Bible. Do you want to know if the Word of God is trustworthy and true? Just ask the archaeologists who have tried to prove otherwise. P stands for prophecy. Among the most remarkable qualities of the Bible are the predictions made hundreds of years before they came true. Before Jesus was born, more than 50 prophecies about the Messiah were foretold. All have been fulfilled, including that as Saviour He was born of a virgin in Bethlehem and as Messiah He was crucified. No other book can make that claim. In Deuteronomy 18:19 God declares: "…And whosoever shall not hearken to My words, which (that prophet) shall speak by My name, of him will I charge.". S stands for Statistics. A professor named Peter Stoner worked with 600 students to calculate the probability of just eight prophecies about Jesus Christ being fulfilled. The result: 1 in 10,036. Given that He fulfilled over 40 other prophecies, it is astronomically impossible that all of them could have been fulfilled by one man. If not they would have become reality. Statistical evidence supports the reliability of the Bible. God's Word has proven to be reliable.We can trust that it is not only based on facts, but that its wisdom and principles are more than sufficient to guide us in our daily work duties and tasks. Copyright 2023, Unconventional Business Network. Adapted with permission from "UBN Integrity Moments," a commentary on faith in the workplace. Visit www.unconventionalbusiness.org. UBN is a faith in action ministry serving the international small business community Questions for reflection/discussion If someone were to ask you about your attitude toward the Bible, its authority and reliability, what would you say? Explain your answer. Why do you think it is so important that the ancient manuscripts that make up the original texts of the Bible be confirmed as authentic, as well as – archaeological findings that confirm the facts contained in the Bible? Predictions are constant. Some of them turn out to be true, others false. What do you think of the 55 Old Testament prophecies – predictions – about the future Messiah that were all fulfilled by Jesus Christ? Do you think they could have come true in one person's life by chance or coincidence? Why yes or why no? As Mr. Box argues, manuscripts, archaeology, prophecy, and statistics all point to the authenticity and reliability of the Bible as the inspired Word of God. But why do you think this is so important if we are to consider and apply biblical teachings and principles as a guide to our behavior in the workplace? NOTES. If you have a Bible and want to read more, consider the following passages: Psalm 118:9-11, 33-36; Ephesians 6:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21
