Misdirection

It’s like a minefield being a Christian sometimes. You have to find your way through some pretty difficult terrain. I get asked a lot of questions about the Bible and sometimes it’s a difficult discussion because the person I’m talking to has a great deal of knowledge about “religion” and thinks they know it all. I talked to someone not too long ago who said there are texts written during and after Jesus' time that were left out of the Bible because they would give people real knowledge about the things that happened back then, and the church didn’t want anyone asking questions because then the Bible would be proved to be false.

Hmm, so you believe the email that’s been going around about Bill Gates giving everyone money if you forward the email. I mean, it was written by a lawyer who said it’s a legal document and Bill would get sued if he didn’t pay you, right?

Or maybe you believe the one about little Timmy who desperately needs some kind of operation and would you please help?

Oh, or maybe the one about some guy who went to a party and woke up in a tub of ice with a scar on his belly because they drugged him and then removed one of his kidneys to sell on the black market. Luckily they were nice and wanted him to live and they were also very skilled surgeons. Whew!

And then there’s my favorite, the bazillionaire family in some foreign country that is under siege and the only way to save their fortune is to deposit a few million dollars in your bank account and then get it later, so if you send them your bank account number you can keep half of it for your trouble!

Sheesh.

The fact is that Jesus’ time is no different than our time. There were people back then just like there are people now who make up stuff and try to pass it off as factual. The old writings that are being passed off as real are called Pseudepigrapha. They’re fakes, made to seem real to do what idiots today do, mislead you.

Putting together and translating the Bible was originally done by the smartest, most conscientious people of their time. They went through great pains to ensure the Bible was translated perfectly and the books in it were real and important.

They used processes like Form Criticism, Textual Criticism and Higher Criticism to look at all of the writings of the time. They knew that what they were doing was important and they were almost militant about getting it right. They came up with criteria that made sure the right books were published and they prayed and studied and prayed and studied. Their processes were brilliant and God-led.

So the next time someone tries to convince you that there was a big conspiracy to leave out certain texts, do some real research and find out why. And also ask yourself why you’re so quick to believe anyone who would say the Bible isn’t real, perhaps it’s just because it’s the easiest way to ignore the truths in it.

"Father, the enemy is smart and has been working hard to mislead people. Help us as we try to show them the truth, so their eyes might be opened to the wonderful life of your Word."