“How Does the Doctrine of Inspiration Affect My Life Today?”

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." (Matthew 5:18)

Today’s big question: Is it true that we can’t really know what God has said because so much has been lost from the original manuscripts?

There is a disturbing myth being perpetuated in our generation that goes something like this: since it has been so many years since the original biblical manuscripts were written, and since they were copied so many times, we really can’t have any way of knowing what they actually said. This is a disturbing myth because it blasts away at the credibility and authority of the Bible itself.

Anyone with a basic understanding of the copying practices of the Scribes would understand that this myth is completely false. To say that they put extraordinary care into producing precise manuscripts is an understatement.

For instance, the Scribes used a counting system to help them check the accuracy of their copies. After completing a copy, they would count to the very middle word of that document. If that middle word did not match what they knew that word should be, then they would discard the entire copy. They would then count all the letters in the copy and find the middle letter. If that letter did not turn out to be what they knew it should be, then they discarded the entire document. And this is just one example of the many precautions they used in their copying work.

With these types of safeguards in place, it’s no wonder they were able to do their work with such precision. And the more copies that are uncovered from ancient times, the more we realize that God has kept His Word pure and whole.

The truth is that when we compare the preservation of God’s Word to the preservation of any other book from antiquity, we would have to conclude that something truly miraculous was going on with this document. God clearly preserved His Word for every generation.

Today’s big idea: You can study God’s Word with confidence knowing that He has preserved His message in its entirety.

What to pray: ask God to guide you through His Word and to help you to understand His plans for your life.

-Chris Russell