What is the Bible?
The Bible is often referred to as God’s love letter to mankind. It is the story of man’s rebellion against God and God’s faithfulness to us as He saved us from that rebellion.
The Bible is called the word of God because it was written by those who were inspired by the Spirit of God to write it. It was physically written by men, but the words are the words of God. The Bible is not merely another book written by men; it is uniquely different from all other texts. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:16)”
The Bible is how God has primarily chosen to reveal Himself to mankind. In it, we are told the truth of how the earth and heavens came to be. We see how mankind came to be corrupted by sin and brought evil into a perfect world. We are also told how God, because of his great love as our Father, redeemed mankind from this evil nature by sending His Son to pay for our transgressions.
In the Bible, God shows us His nature, character, and attributes. God reveals His love for mankind and His plan to redeem us from the evils brought into the world when the first man and woman rebelled against Him in the Garden of Eden.
How can we know the Bible is the truth?
In today’s world, knowing what is true can be increasingly difficult. There are many who believe there is no absolute truth, but that everyone can have their own truth. For many of us though, we have come to know that the Bible is the truth, in it we learn the origins of the universe, how humans came to be, why there is so much evil in our world, and how God intends for us to live. But with so many claiming that they know the truth, how are we supposed to believe that the Bible is God’s word and not just another man-made book?
Historical, archeological, and scientific validation:
History, archeology, science, and philosophy have shown Scripture to be factual and consistent. Modern archaeology has helped us realize that the Bible is historically accurate even in the smallest of details. There have been thousands of archaeological discoveries in the past century that support every book of the Bible. After 30 years of archaeological research in the Middle East, archeologist Sir William Ramsay found no historical or geographical mistakes in the Book of Acts. This is amazing when we realize that in the book of Acts, Luke mentions 32 countries, 54 cities, nine Mediterranean islands, and 95 people and he did not get one wrong.
The prestigious Smithsonian Institution’s Department of Anthropology has offered the following official statement pertaining to the historical reliability of the Old Testament: “… the historical books of the Old Testament are as accurate historical documents as any that we have from antiquity and are in fact more accurate than many of the Egyptian, Mesopotamian, or Greek histories”.
In other words, not only does archaeology confirm that the Bible is historically accurate, but professional archaeologists actually use the Bible as a guide in their work. The Jewish archaeologist Nelson Glueck, who is known to be one of the top three archaeologists in history, has stated the following: “No archaeological discovery has ever contradicted a single, properly understood Biblical statement. ” After thousands of years of being thoroughly scrutinized by skeptics, the Bible continues to prove itself to be historically, scientifically, archeologically, theologically, and morally true and accurate.
Prophetic validation:
The scientific and historical accuracy of the Bible is important evidence of the Bible’s trustworthiness, but the Bible also contains fulfilled prophecies, predictions of future events. Approximately 2,500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2,000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter—no errors. (The rest are prophecies pertaining to future events.)
Since the probability of even one of these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance averages less than one in ten, and since the prophecies are for the most part independent of one another, the odds of all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than one in 102000, that is 1 with 2,000 zeros written after it! That in itself is miraculous.
Given that the Bible proves so reliable a document, there is every reason to expect that the remaining 500 prophecies, those slated for the “time of the end,” also will be fulfilled to the last letter.
The 300 messianic prophecies fulfilled by Jesus could not have reasonably been fulfilled by one person unless some greater power was involved. Specific prophecies like Jesus’ birthplace, activities, manner of death, and resurrection demonstrate the supernatural accuracy of Scripture. When it is put to the test, the Bible is proven true in every area.
How is the Bible different from other books?
The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1,550 years, with at least 40 human writers, most of whom did not know each other and were from varying backgrounds. Three different languages were used to write the Bible, and, despite covering controversial subjects, it carries one harmonious message. The circumstances surrounding the writing of the Bible would seem to guarantee its fallibility, and, yet the message from Genesis to Revelation is uncannily consistent.
It has been found that the Old Testament has been handed down accurately through the centuries. The Bible makes claims about the creation of the universe, the nature of the God who created the universe and reigns supremely over it, and the fate of mankind. If these claims are true, then the Bible is the most important book in the history of mankind. If the Bible is true, then it holds the answers to life’s biggest questions: “Where did we come from?”, “Why are we here?”, What is the best way to live and “What happens to us when we die?”.
The importance of the Bible’s message demands it receives fair consideration, and that the truthfulness of its message is observable, testable, and able to withstand scrutiny. The Bible, for instance, teaches that mankind is inherently sinful and deserving of eternal death. If man were responsible for the content of the Bible, the view of humanity would not be so dark—we tend to make ourselves look good. The Bible also teaches that humans can do nothing of themselves to remedy their natural state. This, too, goes against human pride.
