Can the Bible be trusted?
The Bible is either true, or it is a forgery. It is
either God's Word or the deceptive words of mere men. There
is no alternative. I will try to briefly answer this
question and share with you why I am convinced beyond a
doubt that the Bible is God's Word.
1. In a court of law the defendant is allowed to speak for
Himself. It helps the jury to determine sometimes if the
defendant is truthful or not. What does the Bible have to
say about itself?
2 Tim 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work. NIV
Here the text clearly states that God breathed out the
Bible. He is the source of it. In other words, God did not
only approve what the writers of the Bible wrote, these men
actually wrote His words. His ideas became their ideas, and
they wrote down what God wanted us to know.
Here are a few more claims from the OT:
Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the LORD has
spoken: NIV
Jer 1:2 The word of the LORD came to him in the thirteenth
year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah. NIV
Claims from the NT:
1 Cor 14:37-38 If anybody thinks he is a prophet or
spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am
writing to you is the Lord's command. If he ignores this, he
himself will be ignored. NIV
1 Thess 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when
you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you
accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is,
the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. NIV
2. Prosecutors tell us that lies can seldom withstand close
scrutiny. If an accused is cross-examined, his words will
either be confirmed or come unraveled. Let us take the Bible
to a close scrutiny and discover if it is consistent
throughout.
Consider the following acts:
* It was written over a period of 1500 years in 3 different
languages. A lot of political and economical events happened
during that time (some civilizations were even completely
eliminated), but none of this had an effect on the unity of
the Bible.
* It was written by 40 different human authors, all
belonging to different strands of society (some were kings,
others were shepherds, fishermen, tax collectors, prophets…)
Although they all wrote in different periods of world
history, their writings don't contradict one another and
form a harmonious unity.
* The books were written in different countries, in
different cultures and in different circumstances (e.g.
Africa, Asia, Europe).
* Diverse theological matters are covered in the Bible (e.g.
nature of God and His purposes, characteristics of good and
evil angels, nature of man, God's salvation plan…). It would
be very hard to find 40 people to agree on one of these
subjects today, even les so if these people came from
different cultures and different time frames!
Imagine a medical book being written over a period of 15
centuries, by 40 people from different cultures, and yet
have information that is still so up to date that it is used
in the medical academy. Impossible!
The Bible addresses subjects that are even more
controversial that those, yet it does so with authority and
unity. The fact the Bible has unity despite obvious
difference in content, style, perspective is a powerful
witness that although every writer was independent, they
were led by God's Spirit.
3. Archeology proves that all the facts in the Bible are
accurate. Listing all the archeological discoveries that
confirms the reliability of the Bible would be very long.
Unbelievers grudgingly had to agree that archeology is a
friend of the Bible, not a foe.
Some great links about archeology proving the Bible (there
are many more):
http://www.aiias.edu/ict/vol_26B/26Bcc_457-477.htm
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a008.html
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a005.html
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a010.html
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a026.html
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a009.html
http://www.christianstudycenter.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=23
http://quitplaying.com/~neirror/neirr.org/informerjan2003arch.htm
http://www.proclaimtheword.org/0027arch.html
http://www.seeking4truth.com/historical_accuracy_of_the_bible.htm
4. Biblical prophecy, very unlike Nostradamus and other
secular predictions, are not written in riddles and obtuse
references. The Bible names places, events, and even people,
in detail. It is written in plain language for all to
understand.
Prophecies about Jesus:
http://www.messiahrevealed.org/category-index.html
http://www.amazingchange.org/PropheciesConcerningJesus.htm
http://www.bbie.org/english/Study07OriginofJesus/0701OTPropheciesOfJesus.html
Other fulfilled prophecies:
http://www.100prophecies.org/
http://www.tributess.com/questions/aboutbible.htm
Considering the odds that one man could fulfill 8 messianic
prophecies by chance (Jesus fulfilled at least 450 of them)
(The odds of any one man fulfilling 8 messianic prophecies
is 1 chance in 10 to the 17th power. In other words 1 in
100,000,000,000,000,000. The probability was taken from
Peter Stoner in "Science Speaks") I have no other choice but
to say that God's is absolutely reliable.
5. What did Jesus Christ say about the Bible? What is Jesus'
opinion concerning God's Word?
* Jesus confirmed events mentioned in the Bible:
Matt 19:4-6 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the
beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said,
'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and
be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?
So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has
joined together, let man not separate." NIV
Matt 24:37-39 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be
at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the
flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving
in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they
knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came
and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming
of the Son of Man. NIV
John 6:31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it
is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" NIV
Matt 12:39-42 He answered, "A wicked and adulterous
generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be
given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah
was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish,
so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the
judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they
repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than
Jonah is here. NIV
* Jesus quotes the Bible by heart when being tempted:
Matt 4:4 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not
live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the
mouth of God.'" NIV
Matt 4:7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not
put the Lord your God to the test.'" NIV
Matt 4:10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is
written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
NIV
* Jesus is convinced that people are in error because they
do not believe the Bible.
Mark 12:24 Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you
do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? NIV
* Jesus believes in Biblical prophecy
Luke 18:31-33 Jesus took the twelve aside and told them, "We
are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by
the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will
be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult
him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he
will rise again." NIV
Luke 22:37 It is written: 'And he was numbered with the
transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled
in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its
fulfillment." NIV
Luke 24:25-26 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
NIV
John 5:39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you
think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the
Scriptures that testify about me NIV
John 5:46-47 If you believed Moses, you would believe me,
for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he
wrote, how are you going to believe what I say? NIV To me,
if Jesus believed in the Bible as being trustworthy, then
that belief is true.
6. The most convincing proof that the Bible can be trusted
is its power to change a poor sinner like me. I have met
literally thousands of people (Besides myself) who testified
what a difference the God mentioned in the Bible made in
their life. Drunkards were freed from alcohol addiction.
Homosexuals and sex addicts were liberated from the
addicting power of pornography. The transforming power who
made the Bible possible, made His presence known by
answering the petition of people who had no hope. This is
real my friend! I have experienced that transforming power
as well.
Christianity is the only religion that is backed by its
founder: Jesus Christ. He is alive and has become my closest
friend. You can experience Him in your life as well. It
isn't too late yet. Why don't you take the first step by
answering His call at by
http://www.answers2prayer.org/saviours_call.html
Rob Chaffart
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The Bible is the word of God
Since the Bible is the word of God; we can trust Him as well
as the Word He has spoken.
Let’s look at a brief characteristic of the Bible to answer
your question more.
A. GOD’S SPECIAL BOOK The word of God – the Holy Bible – is
God’s special Book. It is not like other books, but is a
supernatural Book. It was written be many different people,
who wrote by the inspiration of Holy Spirit {see 2 Timothy
3:16}.
The Bible is the world’s best seller. It consistently
outsells any other book.
The Bible has been translated into more languages than any
other book in the world. It was originally written in three
languages –Hebrew, Arabic and Greek. The Bible you have has
been translated by dedicated people so that you can have
God’s words, thoughts and plans.
The Bible is also one of the oldest books in the world. The
most ancient portions of the Bible dated back almost 4,000
years. Yet it is still the most modern book in the world
today; for in it we found the answers to life’s greatest
questions:
“Where did I come from?”
“Why am I here?”
“Where will I go?”
Even though the Bible is made up of 66 smaller books, it has
only one central theme: God’s loving plan to rescue mankind.
At the front of the Bible you will find a list of the 66
books that can be found in the Bible.
The Bible is divided into two sections:
The Old Testament and
The New Testament.
The Old Testament tells us about God’s work with His people
before the birth of Jesus.
The New Testament tells us about Jesus’ birth, His life, His
great ministry of healing and forgiveness for sick and
sinful people, His death on a cross, His being raised from
the dead and His ascension {going back to Heaven}
It also tells us about the continuation of His healing,
forgiving ministry through those who saw Him after His
resurrection.
Those who follow Jesus’ teaching do many miraculous works
just has He said they would {see John 14:12}
The teaching of those who saw him after he was raised from
the dead is contained in the epistles (letters). These were
written the first 50 years after Jesus resurrection. These
make up about half the New Testament.
The Bible has been tried a number of times in my life and in
other people’s life and has been found to be true and can be
trusted. It is the Word of God that gets you born again.
Jesus overcame the devil through the spoken word in Matthews
Chapter 4. The spoken Word of God created the Heaven and
earth. All of these testify to the fact that we can trust
the Bible.
Make of the signs and wonders that Jesus did in the New
Testament were as a result of the spoken Word. When you
apply all of these principles to your life and you speak the
exact Word of God in situations and life of the people you
have the same result if not more than the result that was
gotten from the Scriptures. Jesus said, greater works that
these would you do as along as you believe in my name.
Needless to say that there are agreements of what were
recorded in the Old Testament with the New Testament.
Friend, the Bible is the only authentic Word of God. All
other things would fail but the word of God would never
fail.
CONCLUSION
I Peter 1: 24b, 25a ”The grass withereth and the flower
thereof falleth away. But the Word of the Lord endureth
forever - (KJV)
Have you been born again? If this is not so, the Word of God
can influence your life for good and you can be sure of
eternity. Jesus told Nichodemus – Unless you are born again
you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That spoken Word of
Jesus to Nichodemus in John 3:3 was appropriated by some of
us many years ago, and we got born again and have been
living correct life. You too can trust the Word of God to
deliver you from your sin and your life will have focus.
Repent today and be converted.
God Bless you.
Rev Debo Adeyemo
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Yes. It is often said that there is more external evidence for the truth of the Bible than there is for any other religious text. Recent archaelogical research has provided historical prof of many Biblical events. Even though the the canon of Scripture wasn't finalized until the Council of Nicea, the early Christians based their doctrines on Paul's letters and the Gospels that became part of Scripture. The writings of the Church Fathers can attest to this.
What does Scripture say about itself?
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.-2 Timothy 3:15-16 (KJV)
Critics of the Bible will often point out contradictions in some of the Biblical accounts, lack of outside evidence for some events, and events that seem to depict God as being unloving. However, I think these problems stem from reading Scripture out of context, not from God's Word itself. I urge those who have doubts about the witness of Scripture to pray about it.
Here is a prayer I thought would be appropriate to this question:
Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be
written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise
hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that
by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace,
and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.-The Book of Common Prayer, 1928 (US)
In His love from your sister in Christ,
AJ Demers
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To me, this question is the same as asking, “Can God’s Word be trusted”? After all, the Bible is God’s word as I hope you will agree from the verses of Scripture below.
Collins English Dictionary defines ‘bible’ as “the volume which contains the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments”, and the word ‘scripture’ as ‘the bible’.
John 1:1-2 NIV, tells us “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
I believe the ‘Word’ mentioned in this context refers to Jesus, God the Son.
Verses of scripture that prove God’s word is eternal and true are:
As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all thou that trust in Him. Psalm 18:30 KJV
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands for ever.”
Isaiah 40:8
“For this reason also thank we God without ceasing, because when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
1 Thess. 2:13 KJV
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
(16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:15,16 KJV
“Know this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
(21) For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:20, 21 KJV
I believe these texts prove the Bible is God’s word and that it is as true (and can be trusted) as God Himself is true. If this were not the case, why would the devil take such drastic measures as trying to eliminate it from the annals of history?
Layne
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Yes, the Bible can be trusted and for the following
reasons:
1) God is big enough to make sure it is right.
2) The Old Testament scribes had elaborate & painstaking
accuracy safeguards in place.
3) The New Testament is over 99% accurate based on the
thousands of copies found.
4) Thousands have done what it prescribes and have found God
& lived better lives.
5) The testimonies of Christ's resurrection found in the
Bible would stand up in court as proof of it.
6) The prophesies of Christ's first coming came true against
all odds.
7) From a human biographical viewpoint it is bad literature,
but for glorifying God it is incredible.
8) Yearly, Archeologists unearth hard evidence backing the
facts of the Bible.
9) Satan keeps discounting it.
10) Hundreds have died for it.
Todd Shilt
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How can it not!!! It is the word of God.
The writer's of the Bibles personalities, writing styles,
ideas and distinctives are reflected in their words. But
their accounts are more than the words of just men; they are
the Word of God. The writer's of the Bible were guided in
their writing to go where God wanted them to go and to
produce what God wanted them to produce.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that
the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Jesus bears witness to the Bible's inerrancy where He
emphasizes that the actual written words of Scripture CAN be
trusted, not just the ideas they contain. Jesus demonstrated
the power of the words of Scripture to defeat Satan when he
tempted Him. We have that same weapon available to us today
- the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph.
6:17).
I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not
the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by
any means disappear from the Law until everything is
accomplished. (Matthew 5:18)
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who
loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I
too will love him and show myself to him. (John 14:21)
Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my
disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free." (John 8:31-32)
DeeDee
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Yes the Bible can be trusted. The Bible is the only book that I know of that is able to confirm the principles from with in itself. If we question what scripture says all we need to do is look up other texts that cross reference to the scripture in question. With so many different writers saying the same message in their own words we can be reasured that the book is in fact divinely inspired.
Don Rosenbalm
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Well, before we determine this it will be necessary to
find out what the bible is. Is it a collection of historical
writings or is it the work of God?
Certainly, the bible makes some rather elaborate claims
about itself. It claims to be written by inspiration of God.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and
[is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness:
That may be all right for those who believe it but what if
you don't?
Here are some proven facts about the bible.
The bible is more loved and more hated than any other book.
The bible has remained indestructible throughout the
centuries. Millions have given their lives for it. It is the
world's number one best seller. It changes people's lives.
These five things alone set it apart from any other book
ever written. No intelligent person should simply dismiss it
without a careful examination.
Many have done this and some have discovered some unusual
things about it. For instance, the Hebrew and Greek in which
it is written, have letters that have a numerical
equivalent. When numbers are exchanged for letters some
rather unique properties can be observed.
For instance. The seal of 7. The bible reveals to us that 7
is God's number for perfection. There are patterns,
arithmetic and geometric progressions etc. all based on the
number 7 running throughout the bible in a way that no other
book has. When one considers that the bible was written by
40 different writers over a time span of some 2000 years,
and all scripture exhibits this feature, it does make one
wonder. Also there is a seal of 7 on all nature. A human
baby takes 40 weeks from conception to birth; (40x7). A
chicken egg takes three weeks to hatch; (3x7). A seed will
remain in the ground in a viable condition for up to 7
years. A flee egg also can remain alive and able to hatch
for up to 7 years; and will only hatch if there is a host
animal present. Our time is measured in a 7 day weekly
cycle.
Here is another example. The number for sin is 13. Consider
some of the names of Satan.
The word 'dragon' occurs in the bible exactly 13 times. It's
gematria is 975 (75x13) Tempter has a gematria of 1,053
(81x13) Belial has a gematria of 78 (6x13) Murderer has a
gematria of 1,820 (140x13) Serpent has a gematria of 780
(60x13)
Consider a phrase from Revelation 12:9; "The great dragon
was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan."
This phrase bears the amazing gematria of 2,197 (13x13x13).
These are just a couple of examples taken from a little book
called 'The Seal of God' by F.C. Payne. Should your interest
be aroused you should be able to purchase this book from
most Christian booksellers for only a few dollars.
In recent times researchers in Israel have uncovered a
hidden code in the bible, referred to as the 'Bible Code',
maybe you have heard of it or even read about it? The
researchers submitted their findings to a peer review
science magazine. This magazine circulates among the leading
scientists of the world and will not publish just anything.
For research to be published it must first be subjected to a
peer review and must have a probability or 'p' factor of
1:10. That means that statistically, there is a 90% chance
that the research is accurate.
Because this research proved that whoever gave the Torah
(the first five books of the bible) to Moses, who wrote it
down, knew the names and details of modern men and events.
Because such research would impact rather heavily on a
largely non biblical evolution believing readership, the
magazine lifted the probability barrier to 1:1000, an
unheard of requirement of 99.9999% accuracy, for publication
and referred the research to a committee of peer
mathematicians for review. The peer group worried the
research for 6 years during which time they insisted on a
second study, developed their own mathematical model instead
of using the model developed by the researchers, and
succeeded in establishing a probability factor of 1:63,000.
Remember, they tossed this around for 6 years and were
unable to reduce this unbelievably high p factor. It is in
the same category as saying 'the sun rises in the east'. The
article was published and books were written. The best I
have read on the topic is a book called 'Cracking the Bible
Code' by Dr. G. Satinover.
This is only a very limited study and I recommend the books
quoted to you. However I believe I have shown sufficient
evidence to at least spark your curiosity. What I have
quoted is factual and can be verified. There can be no other
explanation than the claim made by the bible about itself
that it was inspired by God, is true.
Lance Wearmouth
