Rain Before The Flood?

Rain Before The Flood?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, December 22, 2025 (Donate)

Sadly, within the church the false claim about there being "no rain before the Flood" keeps getting brought up. A friend contacted me this week and said he just read a prominent Christian who said appealed to the model that there was no rain before the Flood and it threw up a red flag to him—and rightly so!

Initial Springs And Vapor; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (Chat GPT)

It’s a common error that people arrive at when they read Genesis 2:5 out of context—and then readers often make a presumption fallacy that the world remained like this until the first mention of rain at the time of the Flood.

Before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; (Genesis 2:5, NKJV)

Biblical Issues: Initial Conditions

Genesis 2:5–6 does not say it will not rain on the earth for a long time. Instead, it clarified there was no rain in the initial state of earth, early in Creation Week until man was created and was available to work the Garden and fields associated with the Garden. God had not yet caused it to rain and instead used a mist and created, natural groundwater spring system to irrigate the land.

This type of design is brilliant and would be coveted by most farmers today! It really makes the job easier and convenient. Trying to imagine how intricate and perfect this was is tough for us to grasp. Even so, it is a taste of God’s revealed God’s design being impeccable from the start. But this passage describes initial conditions during the Creation Week, not the entire pre-Flood era.

Irrigated fields and paths as possible idea of aspects of the Garden of Eden; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

The Bible nowhere states that rain was unknown for the centuries leading up to the Flood. The idea of a rainless world is an arbitrary inference rather than a direct teaching of Scripture. God’s proclamation of coming judgment with a Flood does not require that rain itself was unfamiliar (e.g., Genesis 6:13-17, 7:4). It’s just that the devasting scope and destruction of the Flood were unprecedented.

Rain is seen as a blessing from God—why would God make the world and deny this blessing? Consider Deuteronomy 11:13–15; Leviticus 26:4; Job 5:10; Psalm 65:9–10; Psalm 147:8; Hosea 6:3; Jeremiah 5:24; Zechariah 10:1 and in the New Testament in Matthew 5:45.

Scientific Issues

Scientific reasons confirm this too. A world with immense water vapor (e.g., seas, great deep, mists, waters, and springs in a warm climate) without rain would cause problems. Where did the water vapor go for 1650 years?

The earth had a “cool of the day”, which can cause condensation. However, all that evaporation during the day is far too much for an immense dew scenario.   Without sufficient rain, famines, and other ecological and hydrological problems in a sin-cursed and broken world would be rampant.

Many plants depend on rainfall patterns for growth, soil health, plant reproductive cycle, and nutrient cycling, making it problematic to sustain a global ecosystem for over 1650 years without rain. The presence of rivers and drainage systems before the Flood, as described in Genesis 2:10–14, indicates a functioning hydrologic cycle that included evaporation and precipitation.

Conclusion

We should be cautious and “set aside” the model that there was no rain before the Flood because it is not clearly taught in Scripture. There are biblical problems with this model and scientific problems too. But because it goes beyond what the biblical text actually says, one should be hesitant and skeptical about this model.

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children. 

 

Making The Christmas Sermon Relevant For Today’s Culture

Making The "Christmas Sermon" Relevant For Today’s Culture

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, December 18, 2025 (Donate)

If you think that the average “Christmas message” doesn’t move non-believers, you’re not alone. It’s that time of year! During this Christmas season, I heard several sermons on the birth of Jesus.

Now, in our Western culture that is rapidly losing its once-Christian worldview, Christians and Christian leaders need to use this time, more than ever, to challenge non-Christians. But will they give the vital message people need to hear at this time of history?

Brought A Friend To Church

I was thrilled to be able to bring a friend who has struggled with the Christian faith for his entire life to church one Christmas season. Just before we arrived, he asked me a question that has been troubling him.

Christmas Church Decor; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

I was fascinated to note that he didn’t ask about Jesus and the manger, or about the shepherds or the angels who proclaimed the birth of Jesus on earth—instead, he asked,

“Why do many Christians use organ transplants to prolong their life or try to prolong the lives of their children when they’re born with problems when God has deemed it was their time to die?”

He continued,

“Why wouldn’t a Christian accept their death that comes from God? Shouldn’t they just accept it if they are true Christians and want to go to heaven instead of trying to survive on this earth?”

Now, why would he ask questions like that? The answer is that increasingly, the culture is losing the true meaning of Christmas because the education system and the media continues to indoctrinate people to reject the Bible as absolute truth. Instead, the Christian faith and the Bible is attacked and ridiculed and condemned as a “book of stories” because so-called science has supposedly proved it cannot be true—particularly in its history in Genesis.

I’m sure my friend wasn’t expecting an answer. After all, such questions as the ones he asked have been leveled at Christians for years. (Sadly, many Christians don’t know how to answer such questions, because they, like him, have not believed the true history of the world from Genesis—which explains the origin and meaning of death.)

Now, I was sure the sermon we were about to hear would be from a pastor who assumed people believed, or at least had a decent grasp on the Bible. I thought he would remind them of the babe in a manger and why He came to earth. I realized that my friend needed answers, so he would know that he could trust the Bible before he even heard the sermon. I was pleased he had asked me what was on his heart and what was obviously stopping him from considering the Christian faith.

My friend had viewed death, suffering and dying as something for which God must be responsible. He did not understand that death was an enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26), an intrusion due to sin.

Death wasn’t something that God made and declared “very good” in Genesis 1:31, but a result of sin. I explained that God created a perfect world, and because the first man Adam sinned, death entered the world as the punishment for sin. I had to explain that the earth was not millions of years old as he had been indoctrinated to believe, and thus there was not death, disease and bloodshed for millions of years before man’s existence.

Fossil layers laid down by the Flood of Noah's day; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

I continued: When man sinned, God as a righteous and holy Creator had to judge sin with death. He cursed the ground and no longer upheld things in a perfect state so as to give us a taste of what happens without God. Thus, God is permitting things like disease, suffering etc., to happen, but He isn’t the one to blame for this—man is.

Then it was like a light bulb came on in my friend’s head. With this new view of God, the Bible started to make sense to him. Sadly, there are many people within the church who accept the supposed millions of years, instead of the truth as given in Genesis.

Because of this, they don’t have valid answers for people like my friend, but instead would ignore his questions and instead relate the babe in the manger (like we always do at Christmas) in the hope my friend would start believing.

Many people struggle with accepting the truth of Jesus and the Bible because they have the wrong view of history. They, like my friend, have been indoctrinated to reject the Bible as a true account of history and the meaning of life. This is a major stumbling block for so many people believing God’s Word and being saved.

Knowing that many non-Christians view God like this and also knowing that they only set foot in church about once a year, I’m praying that Christian leaders will take advantage of this opportunity and address these issues, that are relevant issues for where the culture is at today, while speaking during this Christmas season. This could make such a difference in the lives of many who have a faulty view of God, and thus challenge them concerning the truths of the Bible.

Foundation of Christmas

In one sermon that I already heard, the minister said “let’s turn in the Bible to the foundation of Christmas.” Then he said to go to Luke chapter 2. I immediately thought to myself, “That’s not the foundation of Christmas. That was the first Christmas.”

The foundation of Christmas goes back much further. It starts in the first book of the Bible—Genesis. The initial reference to the birth of Jesus is in Genesis 3:15.

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15, NKJV)

The prediction of the Virgin Birth (a small inkling of the seed of a woman) of Jesus came immediately after Adam and Eve sinned. Though they were sentenced to die, God in His mercy and subsequent wisdom gave a promise of redemption through the one who would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14)—Jesus Christ.

Manger; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

In fact, many references to Jesus’ birth have their foundation in Genesis such as Jesus being a descendant of Isaac (Genesis 26:4) and Jacob (Genesis 28:13-14). Ultimately, the foundation of Jesus’ birth goes back to Genesis.

Genesis is where a Christmas sermon should start—particularly in a culture that has been brainwashed to believe this part of the Bible cannot possibly be true. Why would these people listen to a sermon about Bethlehem, the stable, the shepherds and the wise men—if they already think the Book this all comes from cannot be trusted at its foundation?

Genesis is where we first learn about the bad news of Adam’s sin that allowed death to enter into the creation. In today’s culture, people continually preach the good news of Jesus but fail to teach the bad news in Genesis. This is why many don’t listen to the good news because they failed to understand the bad news in Genesis.

Man's sin brough death and suffering; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

We need to teach people to understand why they need Jesus before they’ll understand their need to receive Jesus. They need a proper foundation—they need to be taken back to Genesis and first of all be taught that modern science has not disproved this historical document but actually confirms it. Then they need to be taught the foundational truths of Genesis that enable one to understand what the babe in a manger is all about.

Why Jesus Had To Be Born

Back in Genesis, the bad news of Adam’s sin was punishable by death (Genesis 2:17). Romans 6:23 confirms that the wages of sin is death. Adam and Eve sinned, so something had to die to cover that sin.

This is why God killed animals to cover Adam and Eve’s sin (Genesis 3:21). Although we don’t know what animals were sacrificed, we have often pictured it as a lamb as a foreshadowing of the Gospel. Jesus, the Lamb of God, was the final sacrifice to cover peoples’ sins on the Cross.

Sacrifice; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

Abel, Noah, Abraham and the Israelites followed this pattern by presenting sin offerings to cover their sins by sacrificing an animal life for their disobedience to God. But an animal can’t take away the infinite punishment we deserve from an infinite God due to the sin of a man. Furthermore, humans are not related to any other creature—man was made in the image of God—not the image of an animal.

But God is a God of grace. When someone rightly decrees punishment to someone for their crime, then, out of love, takes that punishment upon themselves—that’s grace—and mercy. This is why our Creator, in the person of Jesus Christ, had to come into the world—He became a man (but remained fully God) so He could pay the ultimate penalty for our sin—going back to the first sin in Genesis 3.

God sentenced man to death because of our sin. He showed His love for us by exercising grace and took the punishment upon Himself. Jesus, being God, came into the world just like any other person—by being born. Yet Jesus lived a perfect life so that He could be the final sacrifice to cover all people’s sin. This is why Jesus was born and why Jesus had to die. This is why Jesus is called “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45)—He in effect became a “new Adam,” a “second Adam,” a “perfect Adam,” so He could die for the descendants of Adam and offer them a free gift of salvation.

The Bible says the greatest act of love is when one lays down his life for his friends (John 15:13). The God of the Bible displays this kind of love.

Was Jesus Really Born Of A Virgin?

Beside Genesis 3:15, Isaiah also predicted that a virgin would bear a child and this would be a sign.

Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:13-14, NKJV)

These prophecies were manifested in Mary, a virgin. She delivered a baby boy who was called Immanuel—meaning ‘God with us.’ For more on the virgin birth please take some time to read The Isaiah 7:14 Passage (offsite).

Besides, Joseph couldn’t be the father of Jesus! The genealogy of Joseph in Matthew 1:1-16 yields that Jeconiah (variation of Jehoiachin) was a direct ancestor of Joseph.

Why is this significant? Please read the prophecy given to Jehoiachin from Jeremiah:

Thus says the LORD: ‘Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah.’ (Jeremiah 22:30, NKJV)

Jesus, sitting forever on the throne of David, could not have been Jehoiachin’s descendant since no descendant of Jeconiah, thus descendant of Joseph, could inherit the throne of David. Therefore, Mary had to be a virgin. Isaiah confirms that Jesus will reign on the throne of David.

Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:7, NKJV)

Significance Of The Wise Men

How many wise men were there? We simply don’t know; we just know there was more than one but we know they brought three gifts. The passage in Matthew 2:1-11 make it clear that these Magi traveled from the east following a star that led them to Israel.

These wise men were searching for the Christ, the promised Messiah. From the account of the wise men, they were from the "east." This is likely the the land of Persia and Babylon—where Daniel was once the head of the Magi or perhaps even farther toward the orient. The fact that men came from such a vast distance to honor the baby Jesus with specific gifts give a powerful testimony to the history related in Genesis and the faith of these men.

How could men that far off have known about a promised messiah? When people groups were scattered from the Tower of Babel, they went to all parts of the earth. Their descendants continued migrating until people were living on six continents!

The “east” was no exception. The Chinese, for instance, have records of the Genesis account and the message of Christ written in the symbols of their language. They even have records indicating that they were to sacrifice animals to the one true God who was the Creator and the one who rescued man during a huge flood. 

Daniel knew as well during the captivity. You would be surprised who, if their wisdom was passed down, could know certain details. 

This confirms that they knew much of the biblical account at some point after the Tower of Babel and the captivity. While many lost this precious information in the East, we know that some still retained it—the wise men. These men from were no doubt wise. Unlike many of their contemporaries who had lost the history in the Bible, they knew that Jesus was coming. This confirmation of biblical history and trust in the Scriptures is a testimony of the accuracy of the biblical account and the Tower of Babel.

Many in today’s culture have also lost the true history in the Bible. They have accepted the imaginary history of “millions of years” and, just like the contemporaries of the wise men, have failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

Significance Of Baby Jesus

Jesus’ entrance into the world was fascinating! Fulfilling prophecy, having gifts brought from afar, having local shepherd men honor him, having a king attempt to assassinate him (Jeremiah 31:15 and Matthew 2:16-18) and fleeing to Egypt in the middle of the night (Matthew 2:13-15) were a few miracles and events that hint at the importance of this child.

 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6, NKJV)

God, the Son, left His sanctuary to be made lesser in the form of a man by taking on flesh. He left behind heavenly perfection to live as one of us. This child restored the broken relationship, due to Adam’s sin in Genesis 3, between man and God.

“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11, NKJV)

Jesus came to earth at a very significant point in earth history too. Let’s consider the past and get the big picture of this significance. Please see the graph.

Image by Bodie Hodge

In Genesis when Adam and Eve were the only people on earth, 100% of the people believed and trusted in God. As time progressed people stopped believing and trusting in God.

In Genesis at the time of Noah, his family was the only ones on earth that still believed and trusted in God. So the percentage was rather low considering the population had continued to grow.

After God sent the Flood, Noah’s family were the only ones on earth, so the percentage was again nearly 100% of people believing and trusting in God.

As time progressed, God kept calling the Israelites back to Him. Ultimately, though, as the population of the earth re-grew, the overall percentage began to drop. Just before Jesus’ birth the bulk of the world’s people were not believing or trusting in God.

Even the Pharisees, Jewish leaders in the time of Jesus, were not trusting in God but following traditions and not what God was actually saying in the Bible—otherwise they would have been expecting the Messiah.

The wise men knew, and John the Baptist, who prepared many in Israel for Jesus, knew. This is still a very low percentage of people believing and trusting in God when Jesus was born. Jesus came when few believed and trusted in God.

When Jesus came to earth it was a low point in earth history, so His timing was very significant, but the mission was completed perfectly and we now have the opportunity to return to God as a free gift in Jesus Christ.

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9, NKJV)

Should We Celebrate Christmas?

According to Archbishop Ussher, Christ was born around 4 BC. What day was Jesus born? We don’t know nor does Scripture reveal this date. So, the date selected as Christmas (December 25^th by the Gregorian calendar) may not have been the date Jesus was born. Although Christians have records of celebrated December by AD 220s. The issue though isn’t about the actual date but about taking time to remember Christ’s entrance into the world.

There are criticisms from skeptics and criticisms from Christians.

Some people have even suggested to me that Christmas was evil and we shouldn’t partake in it. The Bible says:

The earth is the LORD’S, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1, NKJV)

If we give thanks and honor God in what we do (Ephesians 5:15-21), then how can it be evil?

Some falsely suggest that the day Christmas is celebrated was born out of Roman pagan holiday. Once corrected, I remind them that we should honor and celebrate God on every day of the year anyway. Why should we, as Christians, refuse to celebrate God on this day? We can serve God on any day and at any time. In fact, the Bible encourages this:

I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore. (Psalm 86:12, NKJV)

“Forever,” includes the day we celebrate Christmas.

Some have reminded me of the decorated carved items from trees in Jeremiah 10:1-6. Then I remind them that it wasn’t the tree that was sin but the hearts of those who used them to honor false gods. If they had done it to honor God then the outcome would have been different.

If someone honors God with a decorated tree (as opposed to false gods) then how can it be sinful?

Some have reminded me that Christ never told people to honor His birth with a holiday. I remind them that Christ never forbade it either. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not here to force anyone to celebrate Christmas. 

But there is no reason to forbid anyone from honoring God on this day by remembering Jesus’ birth. For those honoring God in a special way this holiday season please remember that:

• Christmas should be a time when we remember that Jesus came to earth to save us from Adam’s sin.
• Christmas should be a time when we recall that God became lower than the angels to be born, live, suffer and die for us.
• Christmas should be a time for us to remember that we as Christians have an obligation to leave the comforts of our everyday life to help those less fortunate just as Jesus did for all of us.

It is a time for us to answer the questions that non-Christians are asking when they come to church this holiday season. Please visit our Q&A page to be prepared to answer the questions people need to hear.

It is a time for us to explain to people who don’t know God the bad news in Genesis as well as the good news in the Gospels so that they too can enjoy the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Please take some time to read about good news of Jesus Christ.

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council. 

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Originally at Answers in Genesis; Edited and updated; Republished by permission.

 

 

The Doctrine of the Curse

The Doctrine of the Curse

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, December 17, 2025 (Donate)

With over 50 movies with “curse” in the title, like the popular The Curse of the Black Pearl (Pirates of Caribbean movie series) our culture is inundated and fascinated by the concept of a curse. And sadly, our culture is also addicted to “curse” words too! They fill media, books, and film, many workplaces, and public events.

Where did the idea of “a curse” come from? Do people really know the extent of God’s curse? Let’s take a few moments to explore the doctrine of the curse and its ramifications.

The Doctrine Of The Curse In Scripture

The doctrine of the curse refers to God’s righteous and judicial response to man's sin, first introduced in Genesis 3 after Adam’s disobedience. When God completed creation, He declared it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). The world was originally free from “The Seven D’s”:

·       Death

·       Despair

·       Discomfort

·       Distress

·       Decay

·       Disease

·       Disorder

Adam and Eve lived in direct fellowship with God, creation functioned perfectly and harmoniously, and there was no moral or physical corruption. God upheld all things in a perfect state.

Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

This changed when Adam, acting as mankind’s federal head of the human race, rebelled against God’s clear command (Genesis 2:16–17; 3:6). As a result, God pronounced specific curses (collectively call the "curse". The serpent—which was party to Satan’s influence—was cursed above other animals (Genesis 3:14). The ground itself was cursed (Genesis 3:17–19)—which extended to all of creation according Romans 8.

As parallel to the curse, the woman (Eve) was given increased pain (from the new pain they were now already experiencing with their sin and shame) in childbirth and sorrows (e.g., relational conflict; Genesis 3:16). The man was condemned to painful toil, frustration, sweat, and both were to have eventual physical death by returning dust. Thus, death entered the world through sin (Romans 5:12).

The curse did not mean creation became evil in substance, but it became broken, frustrated, and subjected to decay. God now longer upheld everything in a perfect state, but the way He now upholds it gives us a taste of what life is like with His full blessing and perfection.

Scripture later explains that creation was “subjected to futility” and now groans under bondage to corruption (Romans 8:20–22). Thorns, thistles, disease, natural disasters, and predation are all consequences of this curse, not features of God’s original design.

The Curse And The Flood Of Noah’s Day

The Flood recorded in Genesis 6–9 is directly connected to the curse and humanity’s worsening sin. After the Fall, sin rapidly increased, culminating in a world described as filled with violence and corruption (Genesis 6:5, 11–12). The Flood was not a random global catastrophe but a world-covering judgment on those who had become unrepentant and ripe for judgment like twigs waiting to be thrown into a fire.

Image requested Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

The curse set the stage for the Flood by introducing death, corruption, and separation from God. Man’s hearts, already inclined toward sin since the Fall, became continually evil (Genesis 6:5). The Flood showed the curse’s effects in action against a sinful world. God used the Flood to judge wickedness. He also preserved life through Noah, a descendant of the tenth generation of Adam, by grace (Genesis 6:8).

After the Flood, God reaffirmed the curse was in effect. Though the world was cleansed of rampant violence, human sin remained. God said,  

And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. (Genesis 8:21, NKJV)

The curse was not removed by the Flood; rather, the Flood was a severe judgment within a cursed system. The Seven D’s continued afterward, confirming that the curse remained in effect.

Living In A Sin-Cursed And Broken World Today

Scripture reveals that we are still living under the effects of the curse. Though, Christ has done the work through His death, burial and resurrection to solve the issue from an eternal perspective, we endure until the end at Judgment Day.

Physical death remains (e.g., Hebrews 9:27). The earth continues to produce natural disasters, disease, famine, and environmental decay. Human relationships are marked by conflict, injustice, and violence. Even believers experience The Seven D’s (e.g., 2 Corinthians 4:16–18).

The curse affects all of creation, not just humanity. Animals suffer and die, ecosystems collapse, natural disasters wreak havoc and the natural world resists man’s dominion. Romans 8 teaches that creation itself longs for redemption, awaiting the new heavens and new earth that will accompany Christ’s return. This explains why the world does not function as God originally declared it in Genesis, even though He remains sovereign and good.

The Curse In Our Daily Lives

Because man is a fallen creature, the curse of sin in this world affects us body and spirit. We suffer and we die (thus, the need for a Savior in Jesus Christ). But it also affects our minds in our fallen nature. When we hear curse words, cuss words, bad words and the Lord’s name in vain, it reflects the sin nature of man’s heart.

Scripture teaches that man should keep his tongue tame because words flow from the heart and reveal one’s broken spiritual condition. Jesus said,

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34, NKJV)

Speech is not morally neutral—there is no neutrality as one is either for Christ or against Him (e.g., Luke 11;23)! Speech often reflects whether the heart is governed by wisdom from God and His forgiveness or still in our sinful nature. Because man is made in the image of God, our words carry moral weight and are meant to honor God, edify others, and speak truth. Foul language goes against each of these like the stench of rotting flesh.

Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

Idle speech is bad because it is wasteful before God. Jesus warned,

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12:36, NKJV)

Idle words include careless, frivolous, deceptive, or harmful speech that serves no righteous purpose. Scripture consistently calls believers to speak with good intention, wisdom, and restraint (e.g., Proverbs 10:19).

Unrighteous cursing, including corrupt or profane language, is forbidden in the Bible because it contradicts God’s righteous holiness. Man, being fallen beings, don’t do it righteously and thus, it defiles us when we use foul cursing language. God says,

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29, NKJV)

Believers in Christ Jesus should have their speech be “with grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6), reflecting God’s character rather than the world’s sinful corruption due to sin and the curse. Profanity cheapens speech and reverence for God. It often is associate with the sinful heart of anger and unrighteousness. Onlookers also lose respect for those who speak in such ways—whether the speaker realizes it or not.

Cursing others is especially evil because it misuses the tongue (and thus our sinful souls) against those made in God’s image. James rebukes this inconsistency, saying,

But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:8–10, NKJV)

Scripture commands blessing instead of cursing, even toward enemies (Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:14). Ultimately, taming the tongue is an act of submission to God and is the fruit of sanctification (growing in holiness). A controlled tongue shows spiritual maturity, humility, growing in holiness (i.e., sanctification), and obedience (James 3:2). God is glorified when speech reflects godly material.

The Removal Of The Curse

While the curse is real and ongoing, it is not permanent. Scripture points forward to its ultimate removal. The infinitely-powerful Christ bore the curse on the cross, becoming “a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13), addressing the spiritual root of the problem: sin and more specifically, the infinite punishment our sin deserved from the infinite Father.

Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

The final chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21–22, God promises the reversal of the curse. In the new heaven and new earth, “there shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3). Death, pain, sorrow, and decay will be eliminated (Revelation 21:4).

There will be a “new heavens and a new earth”, exceeding the former glory or the original creation. We will have direct fellowship with Christ eternally.

Conclusion

Cursing, if done properly in pure righteousness, would be acceptable. But with man in our fallen and sinful state, we fail to live up to proper righteous cursing—thus, that remains the prerogative of God and His provision only.

The doctrine of God’s curse in Genesis 3 explains why a world created “very good” now experiences The Seven D’s: Death, Despair, Discomfort, Distress, Decay, Disease, and Disorder.

Due to Adam’s sin, the curse affected all of creation. The taste of the curse was swallowed at the divine judgment such as the Flood. It also continues to shape life today until the final judgment.

Yet God, in His perfect wisdom, also promises that the curse is temporary by the grace of God through Jesus Christ His Son. Through Christ work, God will fully undo the curse (Revelation 22:3) and restore a new creation to its intended eternal glory.

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children. 

 

The Police And The Resurrection

The Police And The Resurrection

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, December 16, 2025 (Donate)

After an event where I spoke on the relevance of Genesis, a man stood first in a long line to talk to me. He loved what I said about Genesis, but as the conversation continued, I found that he denied the New Testament.

He kept saying he loved who Jesus was, and held Him as a great prophet, but he couldn’t get behind the books that followed the four Gospel accounts—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. He told me he didn’t believe Paul for instance. He tried to get me to deny the New Testament as well, which I didn’t—though I was exceptionally kind in the conversation.

Nevertheless, as the discussion progressed, he would make claims and I would cite Scripture—especially from the four Gospel accounts with which he claimed to agree. And then it happened. As we were talking about the nature of who Christ was and what He did for us, I realized that he didn’t believe the four Gospel accounts that he previously professed to believe.

When we got to the resurrection, he went ballistic—he aggressively got in my face, threatened me, and used an explicative. He flatly denied the resurrection of Christ. This obviously goes against the four Gospel accounts! Bear in mind there was a huge aghast crowd here listening intently while waiting in a long line.

I knew the event had a couple of police officers and I knew they were positioned up the steps behind me about 20-25 feet. I immediately said, “this conversation is over, I need security”. I immediately turned and rushed up the steps and darted over to the police.

When I got to the two officers mere seconds later, I turned around the man was right there—in my face again—he had charged after me. One officer stepped between us to restrain him and pull him aside.

They calmed him and then escorted him out the door where he finally left. My heart was beating! I went back to a huge line of people and met some great people that day. But that was the only time I’ve had to call for security with a guest.

Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

The Resurrection

Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. (Acts 14:19, NKJV)

The resurrection is not just an important doctrine—it is vital for salvation (e.g., Romans 10:9). I had a brief taste of what the Apostles and prophets endured—many of them were sadly put to death for their defense of God’s Word and the resurrection. 

Paul, in Acts 14:19, was stoned, and they thought they killed him but he survived. This man that I had a lengthy conversation held with fervor the religion of Judaism—or a variation of it. So it is essentially the same religion the Apostles dealt with in first century Israel. Who would have thought that bringing the good news of Jesus Christ would be have such bitterness and hatred. Jesus said:

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:18, NKJV)

When it comes to the resurrection, it is pivotal. There are those who believe in Jesus Christ, who is the Creator and the Son of God, who took on flesh and became a man and died on the cross and subsequently resurrected. And there are those who deny the resurrection or the biblical nature of Christ. There are eternal consequences to these beliefs.  

Thus, a defense of the resurrection for any believer should be warranted—you never know who is going to be standing in line that needs to hear it. I laid the foundation for the Gospel with the man who came to my talk—and in the talk itself, he heard the Gospel—including Jesus' resurrection. But it was as though a veil was over his eyes so as to blind him from understanding it.

But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (2 Corinthians 3:14-16, NKJV)

Even though he got heated, I hope our discussion about the resurrection prompted this man to study the Bible—particularly the Gospel accounts and the rest of the New Testament. I pray that the Holy Spirit open his eyes to the truth of what Jesus did (1 Corinthians 12:3).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is essential and defensible.

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children. 

 

Fractured Bones In A Fractured World

Fractured Bones In A Fractured World

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, December 15, 2025 (Donate)

So…. my son fell on his left hand several weeks ago and it just hasn’t healed up. As a high-level baseball player, it affects his swing and so we decided to take him to a sports medical professional to get a medical examination. Sure enough, it was fractured.

Photo by Bodie Hodge

The good thing is that it is healing but it should take about another month and there are some things we can and need to do to help but really time is what heals this minor bone hiccup.

The Theology Of Fractured Bones

Though medical knowledge is great and God is the Great Physician, it’s nice to step back and look at things like this from a biblical worldview perspective.  

Starting in Genesis, death and suffering were not original parts of God’s perfect creation but are intrusions that entered the world as a result of man’s sin. The Bible teaches that when God finished creating the world (Genesis 1), He said that it was indeed “very good” (Genesis 1:31). This is what we expected from a perfect God (Deuteronomy 32:4).

Death, disease, or broken bones did not exist originally. Death entered the world through Adam’s disobedience (i.e., sin) when he rebelled and committed high treason against God. God commanded man not to eat from a particular fruit and they (Adam and Eve) ate in disobedience (Genesis 2:17; 3:6).

Romans 5:12 explains that “through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men.” Adam was the responsible party for his wife—where she was deceived (1 Timothy 2:14)—he willing ate. Those who had dominion fell and the whole dominion of man fell with them. God cursed the ground, the animals, and sentenced man die and return to dust (Genesis 3).

Suffering, like bone fractures, exists because the entire creation was subjected to the consequences of sin (Genesis 3:17–19; Romans 8:20–22). This is why we see pain, decay, disasters, disease, and death today. These things are not acts of cruelty from God but results of man’s rejection of His authority.

God warned Adam clearly, and He kept His word. God basically gave man a taste of what life was like without Him upholding everything in a perfect state. We now taste death and suffering in a very real way. We live daily in God’s fractured world.

However, God is not indifferent to suffering. From the before the moment sin entered the world, God revealed His plan of redemption (Genesis 3:15). Throughout Scripture, God, in His infinite power and wisdom, even uses suffering for His good purpose. Our brokenness from sin shows the seriousness of sin.

God uses suffering to humble man’s pride and slow the spread of sin. God also uses suffering and death to be an obvious reminded of how we need a Savior—Jesus Christ. Without death and suffering, the gospel itself would be meaningless, because Christ came to defeat death through His suffering, death and resurrection. His infinite and eternal sacrifice (which due to His eternality can be paid in just a moment) satisfied God’s eternal and infinite wrath on sin to make salvation possible.

Jesus Christ entered a fallen world and took on the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3) and suffered and died in our place, though He was without sin (1 John 3:5). Through His death and resurrection, He conquered death—that punishment we deserve—and made salvation possible (1 Corinthians 15:21–22, 54–57).

Christ’s work on the Cross dealt with both God’s justice against sin and His grace and mercy toward sinners who receive Jesus Christ. This is why believers in Christ are seen as spotless before God on Judgment Day—we have been given Christ’s pure righteousness (called “imputation”).

No More Fractured Bones

The Bible does not promise a suffering-free life while we tread in this sin-cursed and broken world—and my son knows that through many examples and this fractured bone is one more example. God, though, does promise a time when there will be no more death or suffering or broken bones in heaven (technically, “a new heaven and new earth” commonly denoted simply as “heaven”).

God will one day remove death, pain, and sorrow entirely (Revelation 21:3–5) and the curse will be removed (Revelation 22:3) for those who are saved. Until then, suffering reminds us that this world is broken and temporary, and that our hope rests in God, not in man-made ideals and solutions. Death and suffering exist because sin is real, God’s Word is true, but take heart, God has provided a way of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children. 

 

 

 

That Unique Christmas Star

That Unique Christmas Star

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, December 11, 2025 (Donate)

Introduction

It’s that time of year again when people start asking questions about the unique star that guided the wise men to Christ around 2000 years ago. The Star of Bethlehem was a real, historical, supernatural sign created by God and not an ordinary astronomical event. The star behaved in ways no natural celestial object can replicate, pointing to its miraculous uniqueness.

Real, but Not Natural

The Christmas Star described in Matthew 2 was a real phenomenon but not a normal astronomical object such as:

·        A conjunction or alignment of planets (such as Jupiter and Saturn)

·        A supernova or nova

·        A comet

·        A meteor

·        A regular star or wandering star

Natural celestial bodies cannot move in a purposeful way, guide travelers along a specific route, or stop directly over a single house as the text describes.

Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

Matthew records that the star “went before” the Magi and then “stood over” the place where the young Child was, which means there was intentional movement and standing positions different from normal heavenly bodies that move as the earth rotates. The star first guided them from the East all the way to the Jerusalem area—and then shifted to a southern direction to lead the Magi from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. This cannot be explained by planetary motion.

Wise ancient astronomers and sky watchers, without today's light pollution and nightly distractions, were skilled enough to not have mistaken this for a routine planetary alignment. But they would see that something unique is definitely at hand. Natural objects follow predictable orbital paths and cannot behave in the uniquely directed manner that Matthew depicts of the Christmas Star.

Because of these factors, the star was a special, unique light or star provided by God. When looking back over the Scriptures, we read that God caused similar manifestations. Consider the pillar of fire and cloud that guided Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22; Exodus 14:19-20) or other Old Testament instances where God’s glory appeared as a localized, brilliant light (1 Kings 8:10-11). Even in the New Testament Paul was surrounded by light at his conversion (Acts 22:6).

The star’s ability to guide the Magi step by step and pinpoint a specific home is like these earlier examples of the Shekinah glory (2 Chronicles 5:13-14). The use of the word “star” fits ancient terminology, which often referred to any bright light in the sky as a star, whether natural or supernatural (as well as meteors, comets, planets, etc.).

Night Sky Objects; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

Theological Knowledge

The Magi still needed divine revelation to understand its meaning though. God had to reveal that this sign announced the birth of the Messiah and that the Magi should travel to Judea to honor Him.

The Magi may have inherited knowledge of Messianic prophecy from Daniel’s earlier influence in Babylon since he was the legendary leader of them after he saved them from destruction. Recall that some of Daniel’s prophecies were sealed up. Were these Magi familiar with them as they were passed down? Possibly. Then there is the prophecy of the Star in the book of Numbers (Numbers 24:17; Matthew 2).

Conclusion

The Magi were truly wise men—even their gifts are of great significance—gold, frankincense and myrrh. God is a kingly gift, frankincense is a priestly gift (used in the Temple) and myrrh was medicinal and often used on bodies of the dead—which sadly, far too many prophets were put to death in Isreal. Thus, it was a fitting gift to representing the office of the prophets. Jesus fulfilled all three offices of Prophet, Priest, and King.

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

The Christmas Star was not a natural event like a planetary conjunction or comet. Instead, it was a supernatural, God-directed light—likely the Shekinah glory—that moved purposefully, guided the Magi tot eh exact place they needed to go—the Christ child.  

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children. 

 

 

The Doctrine Of Textual Criticism (and Preservation)

The Doctrine Of Textual Criticism (and Preservation)

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, December 10, 2025 (Donate)

The Doctrine of Textual Criticism is a good thing. Some confuse it with “higher criticism”, which is an 1800s attack on the Bible, but textual criticism is something that is done to honor the text of Scripture and systematically study its manuscripts.

What Is Textual Criticism?

Textual criticism of the Bible (specifically the New Testament) is the scholarly process of comparing all available manuscript copies to determine the earliest and most accurate form of the biblical text.

Just to give you an idea, there are over 24,000 ancient copies and fragments of the New Testament and over 86,000 quotes of the Bible in church fathers’ writing in the first 200 years alone. How do we assess these and study all these? It is through textual criticism that it is done.

Paul (and his colleagues) were authors of several New Testament original-autograph books; Photo of a discontinued exhibit in the Creation Museum by Bodie Hodge

Because the original autographs of specific Bible books, by apostles for example, no longer exist, scholars examine thousands of handwritten manuscripts, early translations, and quotations from church fathers to identify where small differences (variants) occur and which readings best reflect the original wording.

The method works by analyzing external evidence and internal evidence. External evidence considers the age, geographical distribution, and textual family of the manuscripts. Earlier manuscripts and those found across different regions often carry greater weight.

Internal evidence evaluates what the author is most likely to have written and what scribes were likely to have changed, whether accidentally or intentionally (e.g., cultic groups or enemies infiltration for instance). Scholars consider context, grammar, style, and which reading best explains how the others could have arisen.

Most variants are trivial, such as spelling differences (as languages change) or word order changes that do not affect meaning—keep in mind that many later copies of Koine Greek New Testament were made by people who were not fluent in it—the language was a dead language by around AD 400. So spotting a misspelling was more difficult and copying mistakes were more prone.

Even so, only a small fraction of variants are meaningful enough to warrant deeper study, and none undermine essential Christian doctrines. With the massive number of manuscripts available, especially for the New Testament, scholars can cross-check readings rather easily.

Through this comparison process, scholars using textual criticism identifies the reading that makes the most sense in the context based on manuscript evidence. Modern Bible translations use this research to present a text as close as possible to the original.

Overall, textual criticism works by carefully sifting the manuscript evidence, weighing the text in context, and reconstructing the earliest attainable form of the biblical text (often called “standard texts”. Most Bible translations today come from standard texts like the (1) Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, (2) United Bible Societies Greek New Testament, and (3) [for Hebrew] Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia text. The result is that believers can rest assured the Bible has been preserved.

Erasmus and Early Textual Criticism

Erasmus (Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus) produced the first printed Greek New Testament (1516) using only a small handful of manuscripts, mostly late Byzantine copies (I discuss this text family in a later section). His textual criticism relied on collation and comparison: he placed his manuscripts side by side, noted differences, and selected the reading he believed was original, usually favoring the majority or clearest reading.

Erasmus, AD 1500s, Public Domain

Because he lacked complete manuscripts for some sections (such as the ending of Revelation), he back-translated from the Latin Vulgate into Greek to fill gaps. Erasmus also consulted earlier editions of the Latin to judge which Greek readings seemed most authentic.

His work was rushed for publication, yet subsequent editions refined his choices as he attainted more manuscripts. Over time, later printers incorporated marginal notes and corrections until this adjusted printed text became known as the Textus Receptus, the “received text,” which shaped Tyndale’s Bible Translation, the Geneva Bible and the King James Version.

Despite limited resources, Erasmus sought to restore the New Testament’s earliest attainable form. As more manuscripts became available it was time to look at them in a systematic way.

Discussion On Textual Criticism

Dr. Ron Rhodes, a well-known evangelical scholar and apologist, affirms the value of textual criticism as a necessary and God-ordained tool for preserving and understanding the biblical text. His position is broadly in line with conservative evangelical scholarship. The reliability of Scripture and the usefulness of textual analysis is a great confirmation of that reliability.

Rhodes points out that the Bible we possess today is trustworthy, even though it has been transmitted through thousands of manuscripts. He stresses that textual variants do exist, but the vast majority are minor issues such as:

·       Spelling differences

·       Word order changes

·       Stylistic variations that do not alter essential doctrine.

The existence of variants is expected because these copies were being done by fallible people. This actually shows the transparency and honesty of biblical scholarship.

Textual criticism is the primary means by which God has ensured the preservation of His Word (more on this in the next section). The New Testament manuscripts are exceptionally numerous (tens of thousands) and very early compared to other ancient texts (many in the first and second century).  

Christians should reject skeptical or liberal approaches to textual criticism that assume the biblical text is fundamentally corrupt or that reconstructing the original autographs is impossible. This violates God’s Word where He promised to preserve His Word. Textual criticism shows a continuity with the original text and confirms Christian doctrines rather than threatens them.

No essential Christian doctrine hangs on any of the alleged disputed textual variants. While acknowledging a handful of passages discussed in scholarly literature (for example, the ending of Mark is debated in variants), Rhodes rightly points out that these do not affect the core message of Scripture—since all things at the end of Mark match with other Gospel accounts. Christians should understand the basics of textual criticism and be informed, not fearful of it.

What Does Textual Criticism Look Like?

Dr. Ron Rhodes give a nice example of what textual criticism looks like in practice. Once you see it, it is difficult not to understand. The process is rather easy to grasp. Rhodes brilliantly explains:

“Let us suppose we have five manuscript copies of an original document that no longer exists. Each of the manuscript copies are different. Our goal is to compare the manuscript copies and ascertain what the original must have said. Here are the five copies:

Manuscript #1: Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole worl.

Manuscript #2: Christ Jesus is the Savior of the whole world.

Manuscript #3: Jesus Christ s the Savior of the whole world.

Manuscript #4: Jesus Christ is th Savior of the whle world.

Manuscript #5: Jesus Christ is the Savor of the whole wrld.

Could you, by comparing the manuscript copies, ascertain what the original document said with a high degree of certainty that you are correct? Of course you could.

This illustration may be extremely simplistic, but a great majority of the 150,000 variants are solved by the above methodology.

By comparing the various manuscripts, all of which contain very minor differences like the above, it becomes fairly clear what the original must have said.”[1]

Of course, when you look at families of manuscripts (copies of copies from the same text tradition), you tend to get the copy variants. For example, there are two primary families of text—the Alexandrian and the Byzantine.

Alexandrian Text Family

Alexandria was a Greek city in Egypt. It was very influential and a hub for Christianity for about 600 years. Many manuscripts came from this area. The Alexandrian text family consists of Greek manuscripts that are earlier and generally considered closer to the original wording by most scholars—because of their age. They come mainly from Egypt and include Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus.

The obvious reason this text family ceased being copied after some time was due to the Muslim invasions and the imposition of their false religion by the sword which stifled the copying process in these lands.

Byzantine Text Family

The Byzantine text family represents the later, majority of Greek manuscripts which had wider use in the Greek-speaking early church. This family of texts is what Erasmus used to generate the Textus Receptus and many other Western texts. With a thousand more years of copying—there are a lot more in this text family.

There are other text families as well. But even with all these variants, it is rather easily to see using all these texts to largely see what was clearly written in the original autographs of Scriptures. Having more copies actually helps.

Modes of Preservation

God promised to preserve His Word. This task is easy for an all-powerful God. Consider some of the Scriptures relating to preservation:

1. Psalm 12:6–7 (NKJV) “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.”

2. Psalm 119:89 (NKJV) “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.”

3. Isaiah 40:8 (NKJV) “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

4. Matthew 24:35 (NKJV) “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

Peter, in 1 Peter 1:23–25, explicitly cites Isaiah 40:8 and applies it to the preached Word of God showing that it is enduring and incorruptible. However, Christians have generally appealed to two very different models of how God preserved Scripture.

One Inerrant Copy Model

The “one inerrant copy” view teaches that God kept a single, perfect, error-free manuscript line intact through history. Some say this is done for each language as well. According to this model, a particular copy or printed edition (often associated with the Textus Receptus (TR)—although the TR was developed by 6 copies—none of which were complete). Adherents of this position suggest the TR, which all its updates over the years, uniquely represents God’s preserved Word without meaningful variation. Preservation is understood as perfect, continuous, and traceable through one providentially protected “stream”.

Body of Manuscripts Model

The “manuscript copies with textual criticism” view teaches that God preserved His Word through the entire body of manuscripts, not one perfect copy. Because Scripture was copied thousands of times, minor variations arose, but the abundance and geographical spread of manuscripts allow scholars to compare them and rather easily determine the earliest, original readings. Preservation is understood by the abundant copies that exist and through careful comparison.

Both methods still rely on textual criticism to a degree (Erasmus’ early form with only a few fragmented copies) versus the latter systematic form utilizing thousands of copies.

Conclusion

Textual criticism is a good thing. Having a multitude of copies and following their ever so slight variants spellings and word order show that what we have today is an accurate reflection of the original autographs of Scripture in the New Testament text.

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children. 

 

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[1] Ron Rhodes, Manuscript Support for the Bible's Reliability, Accessed December 10, 2025,  https://www.gospeloutreach.net/manevbib.html.