Is the Christian Bible Believable?

                                        Is the Christian Bible Believable?

So many holy books exist, each claimed as the authority for world religion--Book of Mormon, Qur'an, Vedas, New World Translation, Spiritualist Manual--to mention only a few. So isn't authority for any holy book just narrow-minded arrogance? How can we even be certain about past events? What about all the different translations and interpretations? Can we know they are anything more than human opinions or guesses? It all seems incredible! I can't answer every question that arises, but with respect to the above will you give my answers fair consideration? Thank you and I hope I'm helpful.
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Events Accurately Recorded Are True Millenniums Later. If you accurately listed and discussed the events in your day, wouldn't they be true millenniums later? If others observing you from their perspective added more details, wouldn't supplementary facts form an even clearer picture?  We don't have to know everything to know some things. In case of the Bible, many eyewitnesses claimed true events. The prophets and apostles who predicted judgement on hostile evil rulers risked their lives. Many persons knew Jesus was tried, crucified, and then 500 eyewitnesses later saw Him alive as He predicted. Hostile skeptical writers record events of Jesus' life and mention that he was believed to be God and risen from the dead. There is nothing like this in other religious holy books.

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Humans Naturally Use Figurative Speech to Communicate. History, prose, poetry, metaphors are commonly used to communicate in human languages. Understanding requires we acknowledge the type of literature represented. Spiritual darkness means moral evil and ignorance. Washed in the blood means we're saved by Jesus' death on the cross. He was made sin for us says Jesus in love took our place to pay for our sin. Only begotten refers to Jesus as the unique sinless God-man. The  soul can stand for a person, or spiritual part of a person. Jesus as the door speaks of His being the only way into God's perfect Heaven.

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Biblical Events Are Not the Character of Myths. Myths speak of freakish imaginative things said to exist long ago in inaccessible places. For example, Cupid's arrows, Thor's lightening bolts, Poseidon's rising from the sea to blow the winds, moving statues. Medusa's hair of snakes. But Bible miracles are signs traced on a historical time line with consequences evident to persons seeing them. Persons, places, and events known to secular history as well as failures of Bible characters all verify the Bible is reliable and true. Unlike freakish myths, Bible miracles are events that are normal within nature such as water becoming wine, the blind gaining sight, skin diseases healed, food multiplied. All show God's grace, power, authority, and Lordship over nature.

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Many Translations Are Necessary Because Languages Are Always Changing. No translation is perfect as single words can have several meanings. To believe in Jesus means to trust in, rely upon, depend on, and commit to Him. Translators may can't convey the complete meaning. Further, language is always changing so new translations are needed every generation and for every language group.  Meaning of words and ways of expressing them change. New words come into being and old words lose or change their meaning. And yes, translators and readers can be bias. Though scholarship improves, we may feel reluctant to use a newer or unfamiliar translation that may be even better.
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Understand that new translations are not made from old translations. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek, so translations are made from those manuscripts.  Scripture writers believing they were conveying God's Word, were extremely careful counting the letters across the page and the lines down. They would discard a manuscript if they found any mistakes. Now, unlike other ancient accepted classic writings with few copies dated centuries later, Bible manuscripts number in the thousands and are dated only decades after publication. When scholars lay these manuscripts side by side, it's easy to correct  misspellings, word omissions, and word repeats which mistakes we all make. That is why Bible translations are known to be the most accurate of any ancient documents.The New Testament is estimated to be as high as 99% accurate.

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Many Interpretations Arise Because We Humans Have Diverse Backgrounds, Likes, and Beliefs We Don't Like to Give Up. We are all naturally influenced by our age, culture, family, and religious background. It's easier to believe or accept some teachings over others. Our teachers may emphasize some teachings and ignore others. Human sinful nature too can lead us toward legalism--a rigid do or don't behavior system, or one that almost any behavior is O.K. Some Bible passages aren't clear, or their meaning is lost to our culture. The real problem may be that we simply don't want God to tell us what to do and look for an excuse! Could that be true with you?

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The Christian Bible Gives Good Evidences of a Creator Who Has Spoken to Us in Ways We Can Recognize or Understand. Jesus could read minds of persons he just met. Although he dared challenge hostile critics to find sin and fault in him, they could not. He fulfilled detailed centuries earlier predictions of the Jews Messiah. He showed himself Lord over natures forces, angels, demons, disease and death, all the while claiming to be God who walked among us. Absolutely no other religious prophet, wise man, or holy book, gives evidence of one who could do such things and claim to be God, but Jesus did in New Testament history.
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Jesus alone is our Light and Life out of  darkness. He promises us an eternally fulfilled life--John 5:24; 10:10. Such clear evidences show the Bible is God's Word, and Jesus is our only Savior. Astonishing visible evidences are necessary to get our attention, eliminate human guesses and excuses, and to show us a real God acts in our real world and in our human lives.
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Will U Acknowledge the only Savior of Your Soul? Though without sin, Jesus paid for our sin by His death on the cross. By trusting in Him we will be made clean, counted righteous in Him, receive eternal life to one day live in His sin free Heaven in a complete and fulfilled life. Won't you now commit to Him. Say, Lord, I trust You now and forever to be with me, and guide my steps until I go to be with You.  Thank You most holy, just, good, and loving Lord.

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