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2 Peter 1:16-21 ESV

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

I. CAN I TRUST THE BIBLE?
A. Our greatest question: What do I believe about the Bible?
B. We believe the Bible is the all inspired, all true, all sufficient self-revelation of God.
C. To combat false teachers Peter reminds us he has preached what he saw with his own 2 eyes.

II. WHY I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE THE BIBLE
A. The Bible is not a book but a reliable collection of historical books all telling the same story.
B. The Bible is not a history book. It is the personal writings of eye-witnesses to history. (Luke 1:1-4, 1 Corinthians 15:3-9)
C. The Bible reports the fulfillment of supernatural events prophesied thousands of years before. (Gen 3:15, Psalm 22)

III. DIVINE, NOT HUMAN
A. The Bible claims God as its author and since it has proven trustworthy in all other areas we can trust that claim as well.
B. God using human hands does not make the Bible unreliable.
C. The Bible is not just without error but also is all-sufficient.

IV. PARTY GAMES AND NINJA MONKS
Main Arguments against Inerrancy:
A. Translation argument: We lost what God originally inspired as the Bible has been translated into different languages.
B. Answer: We have over 6,000 copies that date to within 25 years of the original manuscripts of the New Testament.
C. Second argument: Constantine ordered the New Testament altered to make Jesus look more heroic.
D. Answer: There were too many copies of the New Testament already in circulation to ever change it.

NEXT STEPS:
1. Trust what you see when you look into the mirror. (James 1:22-25)
2. Submit to God’s Word because God’s Word is where we see who He is and learn of His grace.