Divinely Dependable

Ryan Cox • July 22, 2019

At a recent CTF event, an attendee had questions about the reliability of the Bible. The questions were not scientific or historical, but rather concerned dependability. As has been wondered by many, including faithful Christians: How accurate is the Bible? How do we know that after so many years, no one has tampered with the Biblical text?

These are great questions and worthy of our inquiry. We should desire to know the reliability of our Bibles and whether or not we can depend upon them to accurately relay to us the Word of God.

The answer to these questions is unequivocally YES! We can trust our Bibles. The majority of English versions do a good job at reliably translating the Biblical manuscripts. Some may be more accurate than others, and there are certainly some that are not accurate translations but are paraphrases derived from the composers’ perspectives. A word of caution should be given regarding the paraphrases as they are an interpretation, not a translation.

Someone, however, might ask, “But with so many versions, how can I check to know if the Word of God is being accurately and appropriately translated?”

That is the amazing result of the science of textual criticism! Textual criticism is the process of examining the thousands of ancient manuscripts to make sure we have an accurate understanding of the original, divinely inspired manuscripts.

Regarding the Old Testament, some of the older manuscripts are the Masoretic Text (Hebrew, 800s A.D.), Codex Alexandrinus (Greek, 400s A.D.), the Latin Vulgate (Latin, 405 A.D.), Codex Vaticanus (Greek, 300s A.D.), and Codex Sinaiticus (Greek, 300s A.D.). These, however, are separated from the original manuscripts by several centuries. How are we to tell if they are accurate?

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946 and later answered that very question. Included in the 981 manuscripts (to date) were 225 Old Testament manuscripts dating far earlier than most others. For instance, the “Great Isaiah Scroll” (1QIsa ^a ) dates to possibly as far back as 356 B.C. ¹ This places the manuscript within nearly 300 years of authorship! This is remarkable for a book of the Bible written over two and half millennia ago!

But what is even more remarkable is how these Old Testament manuscripts affirmed the accurate transmission of the text over thousands of years. Dr. Gleason Archer, Jr. stated in A Survey of Old Testament Introduction that it “proved to be word for word identical with our standard Hebrew Bible in more than 95 percent of the text. The 5 percent of variation consisted chiefly of obvious slips of the pen and variations in spelling.” ²

Regarding the New Testament, the data is overwhelming. Based on the databases of The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts and the Leuven Database, there are 5,856 Greek manuscripts, many of them dating from the second and third centuries A.D. ³ This puts some of them within decades or a century of the original authorship. It is estimated that through these manuscripts, the internal consistency of the New Testament today is around 99.5% textually pure. ⁴

But that’s not all! There are also 19,284+ ancient translations by which to verify the texts. ⁵ And, in addition to the manuscripts, there are countless quotations from the early church leaders, with many dating to just decades or a century from the original New Testament autographs. From just 7 early church leaders, one can count 36,289 New Testament quotations. ⁶

By not preserving the original manuscripts but instead preserving tens of thousands of ancient copies, the Lord displays His wisdom in making sure we have the resources that confirm the text has not been tampered with. If there was only the one original, then whoever possessed it could corrupt it, and we might not ever know the difference!

In contrast, it is speculated that there have been 20 versions of the Quran when its adherents claim it to be unaltered. ⁷ It is also speculated that the Book of Mormon has undergone 3,913 changes. ⁸ The “explanation” by Mormon apologists is that all the publishers and typesetters are to blame for the changes. ⁹

With so many ancient sources through which to cross-reference, there is no doubt as to the accurate transmission of the Biblical text. We can trust our Bibles to accurately convey the Word of God. It is divinely dependable! Question is, to whom will we share it?

¹ Joseph A. Fitzmyer. A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature . William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008, pp. 14-15.
² Dr. Gleason Archer, Jr. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction . Moody Publishing, 1996, p. 25.
³ Sean McDowell, Ph.D. “What is the Most Recent Manuscript Count for the New Testament?” 13 March 2018, https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/what-is-the-most-recent-manuscript-count-for-the-new-testament, accessed 16 July 2019.
⁴ Matt Slick. “Manuscript evidence for superior New Testament reliability”. Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. 10 December 2008, https://carm.org/manuscript-evidence , accessed 16 July 2019.
⁵ http://www.biblestudymanuals.net/bible2.htm , accessed 16 July 2019.
⁶ “Are the New Testament Gospel Documents Reliable?” http://www.gospelclearinghouse.com/wordpress/the-new-testament-revised/13 , accessed 16 July 2019.
⁷ “The 20 Versions of the Qur’an today”. http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-quran-changed-20-versions.htm , accessed 16 July 2019.
⁸ http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/3913intro.htm and http://www.bible.ca/mor-1830-changes.htm , accessed 16 July 2019.
⁹ George Horton. “Understanding Textual Changes in the Book of Mormon”. December 1983, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1983/12/understanding-textual-changes-in-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng , accessed 16 July 2019.

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November 2025 Printed Newsletter

November 21, 2025

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, 1914

The Reformation and America’s Founding

By Ryan Cox • November 21, 2025

As many saw corruption not only in the abuse of parishioners, but also in church authority and doctrine, many started to speak out for reform. Martin Luther published his 95 Theses in 1517, and thanks to Johannes Guttenberg’s printing press, was able to print many short treatises on Biblical matters. His publications are thought to amount to ⅕ of all works printed in Germany in the first third of the 1500s. Economic historian Dr. Jared Rubin published in 2014 that “the mere presence of a printing press prior to 1500 increased the probability that a city would become Protestant in 1530 by 52.1 percentage points.” 1 Over in England, King Henry VIII desired to annul his marriage to his first of 6 wives, Catherine of Aragon. Pope Clement VII wouldn’t grant it, so King Henry established the Church of England, with him as the Supreme Head. After his and his son Edward’s deaths, his daughter from Catherine named Mary was able to take over. She reinstated the Catholic faith, although she was quite vengeful, burning at the stake more than 280 dissenters in her 5-year reign, giving her the label “Bloody Mary.” During this time, many Reformers fled to Geneva where they published in 1560 the Geneva Bible. After Mary’s death, her half-sister Elizabeth became queen and restored the Church of England. After her nearly 45-year reign, her cousin James I became king upon her death. He would commence the 1604 revision of the Book of Common Prayer and the Authorized Version of the Bible, published in 1611, known today as the King James Bible. Understandably, with all this political activity, things may not have always been on the up and up in the Church of England. Consequently, there were many reform efforts that sprung up, such as the Anabaptists, Baptists, Barrowists, Behmenists, Brownists, Diggers, Enthusiasts, Familists, Fifth Monarchists, Grindletonians, Levellers, Muggletonians, Puritans, Philadelphians, Quakers, Ranters, Sabbatarians, Seekers, and Socinians, to name a few. Robert Browne was an Anglican priest who was influenced by some Puritan theologians. He eventually rejected the idea of purifying the Church of England, and helped start a separatist church in 1581. In 1592, the Seditious Sectaries Act was passed specifically outlawing Brownists and other separatists, including imprisonment. Still, more continued to be influenced. So, in 1604, Archbishop Bancroft launched his campaign of suspending or firing some 380 Puritan and Separatist ministers, many of whom started new separatist churches, such as ministers Richard Clyfton and John Robinson in 1606. The postmaster and manager of the archbishop’s Manor House in Scrooby, William Brewster, had been impressed by Clyfton’s preaching and invited the separatists to meet in the house. Brewster eventually resigned his position, being fined for his absences at the king’s church. As the congregation grew, one enthusiastic 16-year old William Bradford began attending. An orphan since age 7, he had heard Clyfton preach at age 12. Now he was a member of this house church that grew to some 50 members, making it difficult to avoid the authorities. Bradford wrote, “But after these things they could not long continue in any peaceable condition, but were hunted & persecuted on every side… For some were taken & clapt up in prison, others had their houses beset & watched night and day, & hardly escaped their hands; and the most were fain to fly & leave their houses & habitations, and the means of their livelihood.” 2

Thanksgiving Blessings!

By Matt Miles • November 21, 2025

This year we have focused on History & Destiny. As we ready ourselves for Thanksgiving, I am reminded of the history of the season and of the future to come. It is always great to celebrate this time of year and reflect back. There is so much to be thankful for, but the providence and provision of the Lord is foremost. His enduring guidance never gets old as He takes us to churches and people that need the message He has given us. This year has taken us to many places we have been to before, letting us reconnect with old friends. At the same time the Lord has opened new doors where people have been excited to hear and see Genesis in a new light with new emphasis. What a blessing to make new friends and meet co-laborers for the Gospel! God has given us connections with young and old alike, enabling the Kingdom work to continue and flourish for His praise. We are so thankful. Another year has passed and the Lord continues to provide all we need to continue this mission, including His provision of a new truck when we needed one. Yes, we still need help to pay it off, but just to be in a position to handle all that comes with purchasing a new truck is something for which we give great thanks to the Lord. To have what we need month in and month out, even when our program schedule was thin, has been a blessing worthy of great thanks. Two mornings in November we had the opportunity to teach a group of adults that many in the world forget about - those with special needs. It was a blast to talk with them about dinosaurs and, with several attendees, Biblical history. The Lord allowed us to help a blind young woman to “see” dinosaurs for her first time. All we needed to do was take her hand and let her trace the fossils with her touch. It was a truly exceptional moment to teach someone for her first time that dinosaurs are part of the Lord’s creation. We are so thankful to have been a tool in His providence and provision for those who were able to come. Our continuing mission is supported by each and every one of you who pray for us. The power of prayer is very real and we see its manifestation so often in this ministry. The financial support from family, friends and the body of Christ, His Church, carry us each and every year. We once again enter this season with extraordinary thankfulness for our Lord and for you. Thanksgiving Blessings!