1 Corinthians 15:3-8

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. -1 Corinthians 15:3-8

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There are two main points to this passage written by the Apostle Paul.  The first is to summarize the Gospel.  We’re messed up by sin which separated us from God.  Jesus came down to earth to die for our sins and to give us new life.

The second is that the believers in the early church of Corinth can trust that the stories of Jesus are true because the people who experienced them were still alive to talk about them.  It’s almost like the Apostle Paul is challenging the church to go and ask these people who were with Jesus and saw Jesus to confirm the miraculous stories.

But what about us today living in the 21st century?  Everyone who saw Jesus and interacted with him on earth have been dead for 2,000 years.  How can we trust the authenticity of Biblical stories about Jesus?

One way is experientially.  As we grow in our relationship with God and begin to see Him intercede in our lives, it increases our faith to trust Him more, including the faith to believe in aspects of Scripture that seems fantastical and miraculous.

Another way we trust in the authenticity of the Bible is we see it’s positive impact upon Christians for generations.  This is the proof of tradition.  For two thousands years, spiritual giants who changed the world have trusted in the truth of the Bible.  I encourage you to read famous biographies of Christian giants like Amy Carmichael, Jim Elliot, George Muller, Hudson Taylor, and the list goes on.

Lastly we increase our trust in the truth of Scripture when we immerse ourselves in Scripture.  The more we spend time in God’s Word, the more we realize how it is more truthful and more powerful than anything else we can ever read.  

Are you reading your Bible?