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Preached in Markham Baptist Church,
May 21, 2006
UNLOCKING THE DA VINCI CODE:
PART 1 - CAN SCRIPTURE BE TRUSTED?
Psalm 19
The Da Vinci Code - have you had enough? It’s
been on the top of the best-seller list for the last three years, selling
over 40 million copies worldwide. Special Da Vinci Code tours can be
arranged when you visit Paris and the world famous Louvre. The History
Channel has run a full week of specials on the focusing on the Da Vinci Code
and this week marked its movie premiere at the Cannes Film festival. Of
course Shamis O’Regan and the whole Canada AM gang are in Paris giving
special Da Vinci Code reports.
And here I am using it as a springboard for a 3-week
sermon series. And the question you may ask is why does it deserve our
attention this morning and in the weeks to come? It is, after all, a work
of fiction.
And there are three reasons.
First, we Christians are concerned about truth. We are
called to live truthfully (Exodus 20:16) and we follow the One who is the
truth. John 1 states that the “Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came
from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (vs. 14) and again, “For
the law came through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
(vs. 17) Jesus calls Himself “the way, the truth and the life.” (John
14:6) We are followers of the truth.
Now here is a book that has a large following, and it
states that it is the truth. The author states that, “all descriptions of
artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are
accurate.” In an interview with Barnes and Noble, Dan Brown again states,
“One of the many qualities that makes the Da Vinci Code unique is the
factual nature of the story. All the history, artwork, ancient documents
and secret rituals in the novel are accurate – as are the hidden codes
revealed in some of Da Vinci’s most famous paintings.” The truth is that
there are so many errors in this book regarding history, architecture, art
history, not to mention Christianity, that it has spawned a whole other
publishing field – books disputing the Da Vinci Code.
But as result of Dan Brown’s claim of authenticity for
his book, many people are forgetting this is just a work of fiction and are
assuming all the background detail is true when it’s not. We are people of
the truth and we need to stand for truth - gracefully, lovingly but firmly -
and bring falsehood to light.
Second, we need to understand that history matters. As
Christians we believe that God is at work in our world. He is moving this
world to His own predetermined end, and every minute, day, week, month and
year is infused with His presence, bringing meaning, and purpose. History
matters because through it we see God at work in our world. His character
and His nature are being revealed in history. History matters.
You need to understand that the Da Vinci Code reveals a
cultural shift in the way people are thinking about history. There is a
strong force that is seeking to rewrite history for its own end. I’m not
saying this is a worldwide conspiracy or anything - I’m just saying that if
we are going to engage the culture around us in any meaningful discussion we
must understand this shift and be able to answer it with truth.
Here’s a small example of what is being done. Last
weekend the kids and Janet and I watched the animated film, “Hoodwinked.”
It’s a story based on the old story of Little Red Riding Hood. And the
movie begins with the words, “You know the story of Little Red Riding Hood?
Well, now here’s the REAL truth …”
And as the story unfolds we discover that the wolf isn’t
all bad, but is really a journalist trying to uncover a recipe-stealing
villain. Granny isn’t helpless and feeble but really leads a secret life in
extreme sports and the woodsman is really a German actor who is auditioning
for a woodsman part in a commercial while trying to make ends meet by
selling schnitzel from his truck!
Open the pages of the Da Vinci Code and what do you see?
Jesus Christ really isn’t divine, Scripture really isn’t reliable, and the
church is part of a huge plot that seeks to suppress women. Nothing too
new, but what is new is this shift in culture that says nothing we’ve been
taught is true – everyone who wrote history had an agenda and is out to
deceive you. The only one who can be trusted are the new scholars who have
brought the new history and truth to light.
History matters and must we critically examine any
attempt to rewrite that history.
Thirdly, we need to engage our culture in intelligent
discussion. We read in Scripture, “Always be prepared to give an answer
to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
(I Peter 3:15) Our faith is not dumb or foolish. It stands up to the most
rigorous intelligent examination.
Unfortunately we Christians sometimes look foolish. We
have foolish television evangelists who make foolish promises of wealth,
health and prosperity. We have foolish Christians making foolish
pronouncements about teletubbies, Walt Disney, and the war in Iraq. We have
churches that advertise the trite and the trivial – putting slogans on their
signs like “God answers knee mail.” Or “Our church is prayer conditioned.”
Or the all-time summer favorite, “You think it’s hot out here?” followed by
“The Son can prevent you from burning!”
Kenneth Boa asks, “How do you suppose that sounds to a
non-believer? Do we really expect to hear in someone’s testimony one day: I
was driving by the church building and saw that sign: And I thought to
myself, ‘I do think it’s hot out here. Obviously hell is going to be hotter
than this, so I should probably go in there and give my heart to Jesus
Christ.’ I’ve never heard that.” 1
Is it any wonder why many in the world see Christianity
as foolish and empty-headed and some ask, “Do I have to cash my brains in at
the door if I become a Christian?”
In some ways we fight an uphill battle, but we need to
understand that our faith is historically and intellectually verifiable.
Granted it is much more than that, it is filled with mystery and awe – but
it certainly not less.
So instead of banning the Da Vinci Code movie and burning
the book, we Christians should be engaging the culture in rigorous
intelligent discussion about matters of faith, about who Christ is and what
the Bible has to say. Be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in
you.
So this is why the Da Vinci Code deserves a sermon
series. Truth matters, history matters, and we want to engage our culture
intellectually.
This morning I want to address one question raised by the
book. Can we trust Scripture? Do we have an accurate record of God’s Word?
Read Psalm 19 – it can be entitled, “Who Speaks For
God?” And there we discover that all of creation speaks of God. There we
discover His strength and power and creativity. We also discover that His
Word speaks for God. And then His people speak for God. As they give
themselves to God, God’s people reflect the reality of God in this world.
Now think about what this passage says about God’s Word. It says that the “the
law of the Lord is perfect” (vs 7); “the statutes of the Lord are
trustworthy,” (vs. 7); “the ordinances of the Lord are sure.”
(vs. 9)
Is the Bible trustworthy? This is a major question that
the Da Vinci Code raises. “More than eighty gospels were considered for the
New Testament and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion,
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John among them. Who chose which gospels to
include? Sophie asked? ‘Aha!’ Teabing burst with enthusiasm. The
fundamental irony of Christianity! The Bible, as we know it today, was
collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great.” (page 231)
So basically the Da Vinci Code states that we can’t trust
the Bible, particularly the New Testament. We cannot trust what it says
because it was put together by people with an agenda – particularly Emperor
Constantine in 325 who wanted to solidify his political hold over the Roman
empire. He chose those books that would unify Christianity and bring peace
to the land.
I’ll talk some more about Constantine next week, but the
facts are that while he was emperor of Rome he became a Christian in 312
AD. In 325 he called together the church leaders at Nicea to discuss
theological issues that were plaguing the church.
At this time, according to the Da Vinci Code. “More than
eighty gospels were considered for the new Testament, and yet only a
relative few were chosen for inclusion – Matthew Mark, Luke and John among
them … The Bible as we know it today was collated by the pagan Roman emperor
Constantine the Great.”
So is this true? Was the New Testament put together by
Constantine with a political agenda? Or, is the New Testament a trustworthy
collection of books that reflect the words of Christ, the beliefs and the
history of the time? Are there some books that should have been included
but were not because of some hidden agenda? Is the Bible trustworthy?
Consider how it was put together Let’s pretend for a
moment that I have two sets of documents in my hands about Jesus. In one
hand I have a set of documents that are written within few decades of His
life. In my other hand is another set of documents written one hundred
years to two hundred years after His life. Which do you think would be the
most reliable and most important?
Second question. Among these two sets, this early set is
written by eyewitnesses of the events. People like Peter, Matthew, John and
friends of theirs – Mark and Luke. These others documents were written by …
well, we don’t know who wrote them, but because they were written so late
after the fact we know they were not written by eyewitnesses. Which one
would you choose as historically reliable?
Third question. In this first set of documents there is
a consistent stream of teaching throughout about the kingdom of God, the
person of Christ, the people, the events and the places mentioned. In the
other set of documents you have stories about a dancing cross that follows
Jesus out of the tomb, and Jesus saying such things as, “Blessings on the
lion if a human eats it, making the lion human. Foul is the human if a lion
eats it, making the lion human.” or “Whoever has come to know the world has
discovered a carcass, and whoever has discovered a carcass, of that person
the world is not worthy.” WHAT??? Again, which one would you choose?
Now you have just answered some of the questions that the
early church had to ask itself when it considered what books to accept as
legitimate and what books to omit.
And what you have chosen are the books that we have
today, and what you have omitted are the books known by scholars as the
Gnostic gospels. The gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip and the Gospel
of Peter written up to 200 years after the fact of Christ, filled with wacky
way out sayings.
Now understand that the process of choosing which books
should be considered as authoritative was a process. The Da Vinci Code
makes it sound like there were 80 gospels to choose from and a small group
of people made the decision behind closed doors in 325.
It didn’t happen that way. In fact, there are not 80
gospels to choose from. We don’t have that many, at the most there are a
couple of dozen that we know about.
And secondly, the books considered to be authoritative
were decided upon by a process that began in the first century, long before
the time of Constantine.
Some books were considered to be Scripture soon after
they were written. For instance in 2 Peter we read, “Bear in mind that
our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also
wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all
his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some
things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people
distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2
Peter 3:15).
Paul’s letters, then, are almost immediately regarded as
authoritative Scripture.
The Da Vinci Code is right in one regard - there was an
agenda when choosing the books of the New Testament. But it had nothing to
do with politics and everything to do with truth, history and accuracy.
Look at the following chart and see how close to the actual time of Christ
the documents were written. I’ve given both Conservative and Liberal views.
I don’t know how any one could subscribe to the liberal
view since the temple was destroyed in AD 70 and no writer mentions it. It’s
like writing the history of New York in 2002 and not mentioning the blowing
up of the twin towers. Do you think that would happen?
If you think of these dates – Jesus died around 30 A.D.
The earliest Christian writings we have are those of Paul in 50 – 60 A.D.
(20 to 30 years after the fact).
You know, we have a document called the Muratorian
Fragment that dates back to AD 175 and it evaluates the different
authoritative and non-authoritative books – do you know that scholars can
identify a list that contains about 23 of our present 27 books?
What I’m saying is that you can trust the Word of God to
be an accurate historical, truthful record of what really happened and what
was really said by Jesus Christ. It didn’t come together as late as 325 in
Nicea. The council that gathered there, were only ratifying what the church
had already accepted for nearly 200 years.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statues of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The
precepts of the Lord are right giving joy to the heart. The commands of the
lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure
enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether
righteous.” (Psalm 19:7-9)
Here’s another question we need to ask - Do we have an
accurate copy of our Scriptures?
We need to understand that when we speak of the New
Testament documents we are not talking of about one single body of work. We
are talking about 27 different books that were written on 27 different
scrolls by nine different writers over a 20 – 50 year period. So the New
Testament is not one source but a collection of sources.
Now the problem is that we don’t have any of the original
written documents, we only have manuscripts or copies. Is this a problem? No
not really. If we have a large number of manuscripts we are able to compare
them and discover what is said in the original. It is the same today. None
of us have seen the original type written manuscript of the Da Vinci Code
but there are enough copies around that we can know with certainty what the
original says.
So how does the New Testament fare in this? Well, at
last count there are nearly 5,700 hand written Greek manuscripts of the New
Testament. In addition, there are more than 9,000 manuscripts in other
languages ( Coptic, Latin, Arabic). Put these two figures together and you
have nearly 15,000 manuscripts and some of them are nearly complete Bibles.
The next closest work is the Iliad by Homer with 643 manuscripts.
Not only does the New Testament have this huge manuscript
support but it has a large number of manuscripts that were written soon
after the original. Scholars tell us that the time gap between the original
and the earliest surviving manuscripts for the New Testament is 25 years.
Look at the time gap for the works of Homer… 500 years!
Not only this, but the early church fathers – men like
Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria and Origen, Tertullian and
others who lived in the second and third century - quoted the New Testament
“so much in their sermons, 36,289 times, that all but eleven verses of the
New Testament can be reconstructed just from their quotations.” This means
that that you can go down to your local public library, check out the works
of the early church fathers, and read nearly the entire New Testament just
from their quotations of it. So we not only have thousands of manuscripts
but thousands of quotations from these manuscripts. This makes
reconstruction of the original text virtually certain. 2
How is this done? Let’s suppose we have four different
manuscripts with four different errors.3 Consider a verse like
Philippians 4:13 – Here are the hypothetical copies:
I can do all t#ings through Christ who gives me strength
I can do all th#ngs through Christ who gives me
strength.
I can do all thi#gs through Christ who gives me strength
I can do all thin#s through Christ who gives me strength
Is there any mystery what the original said? No. By the
process of comparing and cross-checking, the original New Testament can be
reconstructed with a great deal of accuracy.
No other ancient book is so well-authenticated. Bruce
Metzger a New Testament scholar and Princeton professor estimated that the
New Testament is 99.5 percent accurate and that 0.5 percent does not affect
a single doctrine of the Christian faith. 4
Well there’s this left to say. Verse 10 and 11 of our
text – “They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are
sweeter than honey than honey from the comb. By them is your servant
warned, in keeping them there is great reward.”
I stressed at the beginning of this sermon that we must
engage the culture around us in an intellectual discussion of the truth. I
stand by that – but at the same time we must also visibly demonstrate the
truth which we proclaim. The psalmist is talking about eating the word of
God. He is talking about taking it in, not only with the head, but also
with the heart.
Some of you have wrestled with the truthfulness of this
word for so long – is this the word of God, is it the word of man? It’s time
to give that over, start reading it, start trusting it and start living it.
I can preach about the errors of the Da Vinci Code till
I’m out of breath and faint with hunger but the greatest argument against
Dan Brown and other like-minded people is a visible demonstration of the
Word of God – by the people of God.
This is the word of God – it is accurate, it is without
error, it is verifiable, it is historical, it is true – let us be a people
who are live by it and the world will stand up and take notice.
Amen.
Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - May 2006
1. Kenneth Boa and John Alan Turner, The
Gospel According to the Da Vinci Code (Nashville: Broadman and Holman
Publishers, 2006), 117.
2. In the discussion about manuscript evidence
I have been greatly helped by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don’t
Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books,
2004), 224-228.
3. Ibid., 228.
4. Ibid., 229. |
