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The Bible: Exploring Facts and Myths About the Word of God  /  The Apostle's Bible (Part 2)  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 1
David Bercot argues that the apostles used a different Old Testament “text” (not different books) than most Christians do today; what view of God’s providence and priorities is implied by the claim that God would not found the church on a “corrupt and unreliable” Old Testament?
Another way to ask: If God would not build His church on a “corrupt and unreliable” Old Testament, what does that say about how you think God protects Scripture and what He cares most about?

Direct Answer Based on David Bercot’s teaching, the claim implies that God actively guided and preserved the Old Testament text Christians needed, because He would not inspire the apostles to build the church on faulty Scripture.

Support from Transcript:

  • He clarifies the issue is not “some entirely different Old Testament,” but “a different Old Testament text.”
  • He argues God prepared the Septuagint in advance “to pave the way for Christianity,” so Scripture would be available in Greek across the world.
  • He asks pointedly whether God would “permit His church to be founded on a corrupt and unreliable Old Testament text.”
  • He frames it as an inerrancy issue: would the Spirit inspire quotations “actually in error… Isaiah really had never said that?”
  • His conclusion is decisive: “Of course not… the Septuagint is the Old Testament that God wanted preserved and used by Christians everywhere.”
Discussion Follow-ups If God’s priority included a widespread Greek Bible, what does that suggest about His priorities for accessibility versus “original-language” purity?

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