Evidence for God — Additional Evidence
XIV. Reasons Christians would give for their submission to Christ as the one true authority in matters of sin, death and life:
A. His sinless life
B. Jesus of Nazareth invited and commanded us to believe in him.
1. We have found this call to be both compelling and satisfying.
2. Everything Jesus said has a ring of truth to it that is louder and clearer than any other voice we have ever heard.
C. The authority of Jesus Christ extends backward to the Old Testament (the "Law and the Prophets").
1. Jesus endorsed the Law and the Prophets by his frequent reference to its commands and prophecies.
2. He also said that not the smallest letter or the smallest serif on a single letter would ever disappear from the word of God contained in the Law and the Prophets.
D. Jesus authorized the teaching that would come from his immediate followers.
1. He said that the disciples would be inspired by the Holy Spirit to recall truth and explain truth for all future generations. (especially in John 14-17)
2. This points to the teaching of the apostles which are preserved in the books of the New Testament.
XV. Evidence of God's supervision of the Bible from things not recorded
[www.christiancourier.com/archives/silence.htm]
A. The origin of the Creator of the Universe is not explained, but every child asks.
B. The God of the Bible is never given any sort of a physical description.
C. Though Jesus Christ is the central character of the Scripture, and is found either directly or indirectly in every book of the Bible, there is not one line in the New Testament describing His physical attributes.
D. Following Jesus' visit to Jerusalem at age 12 there is a blank space in the narrative that covers eighteen years in the life of Christ. Would not an ordinary human biographer have given to us some interesting data?
E. Miscellaneous omissions
1. The book of Acts briefly says: "And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and works." (7:22). What were those words and works?
2. The most revered item of furniture in Israel's sacred tabernacle was the "Ark of the Covenant," a small wooden gold overlaid chest which contained the tables of the ten commandments, a pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that had budded miraculously. What happened to this ark?
3. What happened to Joseph of Nazareth who was the foster-father of Jesus?
4. There are no descriptions of the Lord's apostles or their families in the New Testament.
5. Unquestionably the Lord Jesus' apostles submitted to John's baptism, but where is the record of such event(s)?
6. After the establishment of Christianity there is no mention of the evangelistic work of Andrew, Simon the Zealot, Thomas, etc.? The labors of most of the apostles are missing from the record.
7. As the book of Acts concludes, Paul has been under house-arrest, daily chained to a Roman soldier, for two years. When did Paul appear before Caesar (Acts 27:24)? What did he say? What effect was produced?
8. Luke was the writer of the largest portion of the New Testament (his literary contributions comprising about 25%), yet the New Testament student knows absolutely nothing of his background (e.g., where he was born, his educational training, his family associations, his conversion, how he accumulated the information to write his histories, his death, etc.).