Sermon Illustrations

there are people who believe that the NT was written so long after the life of Christ that it is not an accurate reflection of what really happened. In other words, all that Jesus said and did was blown out of proportion- kind of like a myth or a legend. Lee Stobel answers this well in his book The Case for Christ. He says that even if most of the NT was written 40 years after Christ’s death and resurrection, that is not nearly enough time for legend to develop. There would have been too many people (many Christians, but also enemies of Christ) still around who had been in Jerusalem and had witnessed the events. They would have set the record straight if it had been blown out of proportion.

-Strobel goes on to say that the earliest biographies on the life of Alexander the Great were written by Arrian and Plutarch more than 400 years after Alexander’s death in 323 BC. However, historians consider their accounts to be factual and trustworthy. Legend did develop about Alexander the Great, but not until more than 500 years after his death. By that comparison, 30 or 40 years after Christ’s death would not be enough time for legend to develop. We could go on and relate other evidence that supports the validity of Scripture, including the fact that other historical documents line up with many of the events of Scripture. However, I think you get the point. The Bible can be trusted! It was not man’s idea, but God’s idea! Jesus quoted an OT Scripture when He was being tempted by the devil. "It is written: ’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’" (Matthew 4:4). Read your Bible! This is how we are to guide our lives!