How Do You KNOW that the Bible is True?

I am blessed with the incredible opportunity to be able to teach a Bible study that my youngest sons attend on a weekly basis. This morning, my youngest asked me to talk about why we should believe in the Bible. Let's face it. Every blog article that I've written so far has cited the Bible as truth. If you don't believe in the veracity of scripture, then nothing that I've written makes any sense. In fact, everything that I write about could be just another Internet opinion!

So what evidence do we have that the Bible is truly the word of God? Is it just another religious book, like the the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas, the writings of Siddhartha Gautama, the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, the Word of Wisdom, the Apocrypha, the New World Translation, the Tanach, the Zend Avesta, Jain Texts, the Kohiki & Nihongi, the Tripitaka, the Tao Te Ching, the Analects, the Adi Granth, the Kitab-i-Aqdas, or the UUA Principles? The short answer is NO.

First, the Bible is completely different from these other texts in that it is not a book that explains how man can work his way to God, or to reach enlightenment, or to accomplish some other selfish pursuit. In fact it clearly explains that there is NO WAY for man to do ANYTHING that would merit God's favor! This fact in and of itself is not "proof" that the Bible is true, but it definitely sets it apart from the other "scriptures".

The Bible is unique in other ways. It is a compilation of 66 books written by 40 different authors that was penned over the span of 1,500 years, and in all of those books there are no errors and no inconsistencies. (I know that this statement will generate a ton of emails from folks that will beg to differ, but though many have tried, none have been able to demonstrate that the Bible has any errors. There are no errors of fact, or history, or science, or language. There are no inconsistencies of theology and in spite of an ENORMOUS effort to discredit the miracles that are spoken of in its pages, there have been no successful assaults on the veracity of the word.) There are certainly paradoxes in the Bible that need to be studied to be resolved, but that is not the same thing as error. Major paradoxes exist such as God's sovereignty in salvation with respect to man's responsibility, or the relationship between work and faith, or the origin of evil. However, these seeming "contradictions" serve to glorify God, because they change our contact with God from a formula, which is the basis for all other world religions, into a RELATIONSHIP. Proverbs 25:2 "It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out."

There are many external proofs that the Bible is true. First the Bible is and has been the dead center of geopolitics on earth. Israel, (Jacob), the central character in the Old Testament, was born in approximately 2026 B.C. In the ensuing 4,033 years, his genetic progeny have managed, (in spite of MANY attempts to wipe them of the face of the earth), to maintain their position as CENTRAL to every conflict and major event in history. Think about today. Every player in the Iraq conflict, whether or not they are actually engaged in the battle or not, has taken a side. Those "sides" are always in some way related to Israel. You can name the nations and without thinking too hard about it, and you KNOW which side they are on. The United States, Great Britain, Australia and Poland are on one side. China, Russia, Iran, Korea, and the host of Islamic nations are on the other. Look at wars of the past, ancient and otherwise. Israel and his children are always somehow involved! It strains credibility to think that this tiny family, that didn't even reclaim its "homeland" until 1948, is so very important in the grand scheme of things that they would under "natural" circumstances, merit this kind of attention! (Remember that the Jews were being persecuted BEFORE they "occupied Palestine".)

Another external proof is the martyrdom of the men that walked with Jesus. Unlike the martyrs of today, the so-called suicide bombers, men like John, Matthew and Peter actually WALKED with Jesus. Many folks will die for their faith, but these men died for Jesus because they actually SAW him die on the cross and rise from the dead. The natural response of the disciples of any religious leader is to scatter when he dies, especially when there is a personal risk of persecution. In fact, that is EXACTLY what Jesus' disciples did. They took off and hid! Peter actually denied Christ three times and cursed his name. That is what men will naturally do when they face their own death for a "cause". In the case of Jesus' disciples, however, we see an entirely different response. All of his disciples came back AFTER his death and risked EVERYTHING for Him. Why? There would be absolutely NO rational explanation for their "eyes wide open" response unless Jesus ACTUALLY was raised from the dead. If Jesus never came back to life after the crucifixion, then everything He promised them was a lie. Who is going to risk life and limb for a liar? You might be able to make that case that these guys might want to profit from some sort of deceit that they perpetrated on the rest of Jesus' followers, but all the way to their deaths? Again, it strains credibility to believe that ALL of these men marched in lockstep toward terrible persecution and violent deaths, unless the Biblical account of Jesus' resurrection was true.

In addition to the external proofs of the Bible, there are internal proofs. People of many faiths and many belief systems are stumbling through life, hoping against hope that the worldview that they hold is true. All of the other systems are flattering and appeal to the "boastful pride of life". These systems make man the linchpin in his own destiny. Man is ALWAYS the center of the action. (You might object and point to Islam as the exception, but you would be wrong. Islam may teach that Allah is high and exalted, but man can still perform certain acts, like martyrdom, that will EARN his selfish desires.) The Bible clearly teaches that God is the center and that man is almost incidental in the grand scheme of things. Unlike other faith systems, the Bible declares man to be totally depraved. In fact, only the restraining hand of God keeps man from being as evil as he could be. Genesis 8:21b ". . . for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. . ." There is NOTHING in the Bible that appeals to man's selfishness. Even the goal of eternity in Heaven is for one purpose, for the glory of God through fellowship with Him. There is only "dying to one's self and selfish desires" and "humbling" one's self before the Lord. It is all about giving up what you love for the love of God. It is about God's discipline on those He loves. In spite of the painful and humbling nature of the Bible, men KNOW that it is true. Romans 1:21-23 "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles." People that vehemently or even violently deny the truth of the Bible know in their hearts that it's true. Make no mistake about it. Non-Christian folks don't object to the Bible and its tenets because they believe that Christians are always trying to jam it down their throats, though in some cases that might be true. They object to the AUTHORITY that they KNOW God has over them and they hate it. If it were just a religion that wants to "jam it down their throat" the media would be screaming bloody murder about Islam. Muslims want to take over the world and yet we see a "why can't we all just get along" attitude from the intellectual elite. (These are the same "elite" that would happily throw the Bible and all things Christian out with the trash!) In their deep consciences they KNOW that Islam is a fraud and the Bible is true.

Another internal proof is the changed lives of true believers. True Christians aren't reckless madmen looking to blow up buses and bridges in order to appease their god. They are people that are willing to endure insults and persecutions and return love to their persecutors. They are people that are willing to give their time and treasure to people that will seldom if ever show appreciation. True Christians would agree that the greatest victory in life is to see a sinner come into a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. From a worldly perspective, they get NOTHING out of it. What power could effect such a change in the lives of people? The truth of the Bible is the ONLY truth. John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." "

His servant,

D. L. Culiver