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Many years ago, I was astounded by what my preschool child said. No, this is not a story of a precocious child uttering a statement beyond his years. Nor is it the story of an innocent, but humorous, conversation. I was astounded because I caught my son in a lie. So began my learning curve as a parent. I had to learn the signs that my children were truthful, or not. Have you been there?
We face a similar problem when we come to the bible. What are the signs it is true? How do we know Matthew, Mark, Luke and John didn’t exaggerate or fabricate things in their accounts? Thankfully, there are multiple signs showing they told the truth. Several are listed in the book I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Here are three:
- First, the writers include embarrassing details from their lives. For example, they show they were too dull to understand Jesus. They include times Jesus rebuked them. And they tell of their own cowardice.
- Second, they included embarrassing details about Jesus. His mother and brothers thought him crazy. He was called a drunkard and demon-possessed. In addition, a prostitute wiped his feet with her hair. Imagine a politician today found in a similar setting!
- Third, their accounts vary in details. They don’t all include the same things. This matches what you’d expect from eyewitnesses.*
These signs and others show the writers of the New Testament told the truth.
*Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, 2004, pp. 275-286.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.