The Inbox #2: Can We Trust the Bible?

Can We Trust the Bible?

When people ask this question, what they usually mean is, “Can I really believe that this book is from God?” Or, going even deeper, “Is there absolute truth?” After all, we’re talking about making this book the very foundation of our lives. We worry that we’ll get it wrong and end up having misplaced our trust by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. These are understandable concerns.

I personally believe that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God. And why’s that? Because there are so many proofs that the Bible is indeed the true Word of God. Here are seven.

1. No book like the Bible has ever been made.

The Bible is actually comprised of 66 books written over 1,500 years by more than 40 human authors from various backgrounds and places. It was written in three languages — Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. Despite that multiple authors wrote in their own styles, it is easy to tell they were guided by one mind — the Holy Spirit’s — because of the unity of theme across all 66 books in the Bible (2 Peter 1:20,21; 2 Timothy 3:16,17). And that theme is the unfolding of the story of God’s plan of salvation for mankind through Jesus Christ.

2. No historical document has so many copies.

There exists 24,000 partial and complete manuscript copies of the New Testament alone, so closely dated to the original writings. We don’t doubt Homer wrote the Odyssey, and yet the oldest existing copy we have today was copied 2,200 years after it was originally written. In comparison, the earliest fragments of the Bible we have today date only at 120 A.D., a mere 30 years after Revelation was written. The closest book to match the Bible in the way of near original copies is Homer’s Iliad with 643 copies, but they’re dated nearly 500 years after Homer’s death.

3. The Bible is infallible in its inspiration and recording.

The Bible we have today can be verified as accurately translated by comparing its books to ancient versions such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are copies from about 2,100 years ago. In making copies over the centuries, the priests recording conditions were so strict that if they made even one misprint the whole copy had to be thrown out. True, minor typographical errors like crossing a “t,” dropping a letter or misspelling a name have occasionally happened, because the copyists are human, but they’ve never ever affected the meaning of the text and its doctrines.

4. Archaeological discoveries substantiate the Bible’s history.

Archaeological finds continue to support every single historical reference in the Bible. Cities, scrolls, pottery, graves and many more discoveries are found each and every day that continue to prove that biblical accounts are historically accurate.

5. The Bible’s events were testified to by its critics.

The Bible’s own critics, such as King Festus (Acts 26:24–26), the Jewish historian Josephus, and Romans like Tacitus testified and agreed to events recorded in the Bible.

6. Fulfilled Bible prophecies.

We can trust that the biblical teachings about Jesus are the real deal because Bible prophecy has been fulfilled — 100% of the time! Prophecy in the Bible has a perfect track record. For example, in the Old Testament alone there are 300 general and 109 distinct, detailed prophecies concerning the First Coming of the Messiah, and 500 prophecies concerning His Second Coming. Jesus fulfilled all 300 First Coming prophecies!

7. A relationship with Jesus changes lives.

When people read the Bible, they learn about God’s plan for salvation — the sacrifice and victory of Jesus Christ. When people accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord of their lives, a radical transformation occurs in the way they live. Millions of lives over thousands of years have been fundamentally changed because of the reading of the Bible.

Summary

So, based on these 7 proofs and many more, we can trust that the Bible is the one, true, and inspired revelation of God Himself, and put our faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. With the Bible as our foundation and Bible prophecy as our guide, we can know with assurance God’s plans for you and me.

Oh! As you can believe, whole books have been written on why we can trust the Bible. If you want to dig deeper, here are a few to get you started:

  • Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door (Josh McDowell)
  • Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Josh McDowell)
  • How Do We Know the Bible is True? (Ken Ham & Bodie Hodge)
  • What Does the Bible Say About…? (Ron Rhodes)
  • Inerrancy (Norman Geisler)
  • The Case for Christ (Lee Strobel)
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