Scripture Reading…2 Peter 1:1-21
Devotion
The Word of God is both faithful and perfect. While other works by men who lived near the New Testament times have only 1 to 100 copies extant, there are about 5,357 Greek manuscripts. Add to that the Syriac, Latin, and Coptic manuscripts and the number is well over 14,000 copies of the New Testament! Because there are over 14,000 manuscript copies of the New Testament. Comparing manuscripts easily reveals any place where a scribe has made an error, or where there is a variation.
In those 14,000 copies, there are about 150,000 variations in the manuscripts we have today. However, these variations represent only 10,000 places in the New Testament. Because if a word was misspelled in 3,000 copies, that is 3,000 variations. Of these 10,000 places, all but 400 are questions of spelling, grammatical construction, or order of words. Of the remaining 400 variations, only 50 are of significance. Such as two copies that leave out Acts 8:37! Of the 50 remaining variations, not one alters even one article of faith which cannot be abundantly sustained by other undoubted passages! Some copies date as early as 130 A.D at the completion of the N.T. These are identical to copies made in 900 A.D, this verifies the accuracy of the scribes, 2 Peter 1:19-21.
If you’ve ever wondered if you can trust your Bible, you can! We can have supreme confidence in our Bibles! Remember what the Holy Spirit says in 2 Peter 1:3, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” God gave us everything we need, and nothing that we don’t need. So, when doubt creeps in and is trying to steal your joy, remember that you can trust your Bible. And get back into the Word for spiritual nourishment. “So, faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Your faith will become stronger as you read the Word of God, it will be a shield to guard you and protect you throughout this life!
CHALLENGE FOR THE DAY
Walk at least one mile today.
Respond to the online community.
Write down 3 verses of Scripture that build your faith on post-it notes. Post them in places you frequent, like your bathroom mirror, your car dashboard, etc. Read them over and over throughout your day and find comfort in connecting to God’s Word!