Can anyone be 100% certain they are following the true scriptures of the Bible?

Question

When I read it in all its forms I see a combination of Jesus teachings amongst corrupt texts that have been tampered with. How can any of us know for sure what to follow. Is there any wonder we question ?

Answer 1

When reading the New Testament, realize that the writings of Paul predate the four gospels. Paul wrote the majority of his letters between 48AD (within 18 years of the death of Jesus) and his imprisonment in 62 AD. They were already accepted as "scripture" by the other apostles (with Peter specifically calling them that in his own writings.

The gospels, which record the words of Jesus, were not written by the apostles until near the end of their lives. The earliest (Mark) probably coming in the early 50's (after 1/2 of Paul's writings).

The gospel writers (or at least Luke) were familiar enough with Paul's writings that you will find the share a length quote in 1 Corinthians 6 with Luke 20. There are also over a dozen other phrases from the writings of Paul which appear in Luke - including as part of the teachings of Jesus.

As far as the realiability of the current translations of the New Testament: we still have over 2,300 hand written manuscripts of the books of the New Testament which date from the early years of the Christian faith - before any "council" or anyone else had a change to aledged alter those writings. Many of those were preserved by gorups which where NOT part of the Roman church, nor would have altered those documents to favor their doctrine. Plus many were buried away a hundred or more years before any of the supposed changes were made. Yet these 2,300 manuscripts are word for word the same as the text we use today.

Add the over 5,00 other manuscripts of the Greek New Testament from after the council of Nicene, and you have the most documented book in history. Compare it to Homer's Illiad, of which there are 11 known manuscripts, or Caesar's autobiography of which there are 9 manuscripts.

When these manuscripts are compared, they read 99.7% word for word identical. Of the 0.3% difference, most are either different spellings of the same word, or the reversal of the words "Jesus Christ" and "Christ Jesus". Of the over 7,000 lines of the NT, there are less then 40 about which scholars have an debate on the original reading. Most of those are a single word, and none affect any church doctrine. Compare that to the Illiad, where rought 20% of the reading is in doubt, or the writings of Shakespeare where not a single play is not missing a less one speech or scene which scholar have had to recreate.

The earliet NT manuscripts can be dated back to within the lifetime of the original authors. For example, a recently discovered manuscript of John which appears to date about 17 years after the original from which 809 of the 899 verses have so far been reconstructed. Or a manuscript of the epistles of Paul from which 72% of them can be reconstructed. Appears to date within 20 years of his last letter. Both word for word indentical to what is used today.

While you may ba able to debate the interpretation, or understanding that we give to the NT today, if you look at the facts, there is no valid reason to question the accuratcy or reliablity of the NT text from which those doctrines come.; Nor that the writings of the apostles and the gospels were accepted as accurate and in common usage with 20 years of the time the authors lived.

Answer 2

Of course not. There is no such thing as the "true scriptures". First, they are mostly mythology; and second, there is no way to claim authenticity or superiority of one version over another, because the catholic church routinely changed the texts, or chose one text over another, usually because it was more favorable to its own (the church itself) existence. The so-called gnostic gospels were rejected by the church primarily because they taught that "the kingdom of god is within you" rather than found through the church. I hope that helps.

Answer 3

God's Word is the same today, yesterday, and Forevermore!

Isaiah 40:8

'The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of Our God stands Forever.'

JR

Answer 4

You have a lot of false assumptions in your question.

You assume corrupt texts have been tampered with.

However, there is no evidence of that, in fact there is much evidence to the contrary.

Pastor Art

Answer 5

Know the Truth and the Truth will MAKE you free.

Answer 6

Absolutely: Isa 59:21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and forever.

FOREVER God has promised to protect His Word. You can see here also: http://www.centuryone.com/25dssfacts.html

Answer 7

it's true. if you get confused, pray.
or... follow the golden rule! love your neighbors as yourself, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.. just be nice, live for God, believe he died for you &your sins so you dont have to...

(ps) we're allowed to question things, it's why we have free will

Answer 8

Please quiet down and read my former response, which was, I believe, to another of your silly questions... Go do some research...

Answer 9

No.

No one knows who wrote them for sure, or if much of anything in them is true, and they also contradict each other. It's impossible.

Answer 10

no..thats why religions are FAITHS...they have hope ..but dont *know* any of it to be true