Why I Believe – History

1 Peter 3:15-16
If we are going to be able to share the reasons for our hope in Christ, then we need to be able to articulate our own answers to the question of, “Why do you believe?”

Reliability
The Great Isaiah Scroll – The oldest known copy of the message of Isaiah. Found in the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1948. Dates to at least 125 BC. An improvement of 1,200 years from the next oldest copy of the Hebrew version of the book.

Accuracy
The aqueduct of Hezekiah can be seen today as described in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
In Romans 16:23 we hear about Erastus, the director of the city of Corinth, whose name can be found in physical form.

Trustworthy
In addition to the documents of the New Testament, there are at least fifteen non-biblical, non-faith based sources from the first and second century that speak of the person of Jesus of Nazareth. We will hear from Flavious Josephus (AD 90) in his writing, Antiquities 18.3.3 63-64.

Romans 10:9-10
Knowing what can be said about Jesus Christ through the historical record helps us see the bright line of faith. Faith is more than knowing and accepting the facts.