The Doctrine of the Bible 8 - Preservation of Scripture

"Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll (scroll), and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, "Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned." (Jeremiah 36:27-28)

God, who inspired the Scripture, has throughout the years protected His Word from the attacks of evil men so as to preserve its content and existence. While the autographs (the original manuscripts) have long since disappeared, ancient copies and quotations from early Christian leaders demonstrate the preservation of Scripture. If there were no manuscripts, a complete copy of the Scriptures could be reproduced simply from the many quotations found in the writings of the church fathers.
Illustration: God's preservation of Scriptures was demonstrated in the ministry of Jeremiah. When the king destroyed the first scroll of his prophecy, God had it reproduced to ensure its preservation.
Application: As we read the Scriptures, the fact that God has preserved them for us over the years should emphasize their importance.
(This doctrinal point comes in perfect timing as I just received an email from someone asking "How can we be sure the Scriptures haven't been altered in the past 2,000 years?")