Winning Ways: Is the Bible Reliable?

In the film Castaway, Tom Hanks played the lone survivor of a FedEx jet crash marooned on a deserted island in the south Pacific. A few packages from the jet washed up on the shore with the castaway, and he opened them in hopes of finding something that would help him survive. When he came to the last package, though, he chose to keep it intact. His determination to eventually deliver that package to its owner was his thin connection to the hope of rescue. In fact, the film ended with the delivered castaway delivering that package to its recipient five years later.


During Super Bowl XXXVII, FedEx ran a commercial that spoofed the movie. In the send-up, after the FedEx employee delivered the package he had protected for so long, curiosity got the best of him. "Excuse me," he asked the recipient, "what was in that package after all?"

She opened it and showed him the contents, saying, "Oh, nothing really. Just a satellite telephone, a global positioning device, a compass, a water purifier, and some seeds."

No doubt those things would have come in handy for a man stranded on a deserted island!

The Bible is also something filled with good things that we miss if we neglect to open it. Many will neglect to open it because they have suspicions about its dependability. They've read or heard enough skeptical reports to doubt that the New Testament takes us right back to the actual words and actions of Jesus.

That's why we need to spend a Sunday in our "Seven Big Questions" series to deal with the reliability of the Bible. This Sunday I'll give you five reasons you can trust the Bible to give you accurate information about Jesus.

The Apostle John said, “What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life . . . we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us” (1 John 1:1-3 NASB). That’s the reason the Bible was written. The earliest followers of Jesus wanted you and me to share in their remarkable experience with Jesus. By reading their words, we can enter into a fellowship with these people who actually walked and talked with him.

Come this Sunday and I'll give you good reasons to open this wonderful package from God called the Bible.

Additional Note: Keep up with all staff newsletter columns at our website. This week, Gene writes about two Hillcrest ladies in leadership with Faith in Action, Steve reminds you of how you can help with the upcoming Craft Show, and Karen reflects on five years as our Kids Minister.

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