Is the Bible true – can you trust the Bible?
Is the Bible True?
Is the Bible true? Many people question the validity of the Bible. Even Christians have doubts about the accuracy of the Bible. Yet the Bible claims to be true. Jesus said the Word of God is true. (John17:17) The real question is what do you believe? Do you believe the Bible is true? How you answer that question will impact how your view of the world and ultimately your life. The following are some facts about the Bible that can help you develop a better view of the Bible.
All About the Bible
In order to make a proper decision about the accuracy of the Bible we need to know all about the Bible. Most form their opinion about the Bible on limited and often inaccurate information. The Bible is the most important book ever written. It has withstood the test of time. No other book has been attacked and challenged like the Bible, yet year after year it is a best seller. Many question the accuracy of the Bible and try to dismiss it as irrelevant. Yet the message of the Bible has changed countless lives throughout history. It freed slaves, raised up orphans, reformed prisoners, gave hope to the dying, brought comfort to the lonely, brought peace to murderous tribes, and countless other feats made possible because of faith in the words of its ultimate Author – God Almighty. It is the only source of absolute truth and the message of eternal life. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Bible will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35)
The Word of God is Like a Seed
First, the Bible isn’t a novel or history book. It is not a science book or psychology book. The Bible is not like other books. It is the living Word of God. It has life in it. Jesus compared it to a seed. When you plant a seed in good ground, fertilize it, and water it it grows. The seed has DNA in it that brings forth life – a flower – a tree – corn stalk, etc. each seed producing after its own kind. The Word of God when planted in the soil of a person’s heart and is watered with faith it grows. The DNA in that Word brings forth life – salvation, hope, peace, joy, healing, etc.
Over 40 Writers – but ONE AUTHOR
The Bible is a collection of books written over 1600 years by 40 or more writers, but only ONE AUTHOR. God is the author of the Bible. The Holy Spirit inspired men to write the books. God didn’t dictate the content, He didn’t send it by email or text, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He used and allowed the personalities and experiences of these writers to influence the style and flavor of the writings, but not the content.
66 Different Books – Old and New Testament
There are 66 books in the Bible and parts of it are written in 3 different languages – Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
> The Old Testament has 39 books total, which consist of…
- The Pentateuch (the first 5 books) – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
- Historical books – Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
- Poetic/Wisdom – Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations
- Major Prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel
- Minor Prophets – Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
> The New Testament has 27 books total, which consist of . . .
- Historical Books–Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
- Pauline Epistles–Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
- Non-Pauline Epistles–Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation
The Bible is the Truth – but not everything in the Bible is True
All of the Bible is inspired by God, but not all of the things recorded in the Bible are of God. There are many things recorded in the Bible – things the Devil said, things ungodly men said, bad information, and wrong assumptions. Just because it is in the Bible doesn’t make it right. It has been rightly recorded, but it is important to rightly divide the word.
3 Main Purposes of the Bible
There are 3 main reasons God gave us the Bible. There are many more revelations and purposes within the Bible, but these 3 are foundational:
- God revealing Himself to us. He wants us to know Him. We can have a personal relationship with God through His son Jesus. This is what makes being a Christian different. The Word gives us an understanding of who God is, what His nature is like, and what His character is. In addition, we have the life of Jesus revealing to us what God is really like. Jesus is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1 &14) Jesus said, “when you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father (God)”. (John 14:9)
- God sharing His plan for human creation. God created us to “tabernacle” with us. In other words, to have a relationship with us – to walk and talk with us, God created us in His image so we would have the capacity to commune with Him and be with Him forever.
- God revealing His plan of redemption for all of man. God created us to rule and reign on earth and have fellowship with him, but we lost our dominion and fellowship with God because of disobeying Him, and as result, all of mankind was separated from God. However, God had a plan to redeem man back to Him and that plan was His son Jesus. As we read through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we discover God’s love and mercy for us through His son Jesus and His plan of reconciling man back to fellowship with Him.
God is Serious about His Word
God, Himself, stands over and watches over His Own Word, making sure it is fulfilled. He is not obligated to perform your word, but He is duty-bound to execute His Word. “The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” (Jeremiah 1:12)
God makes sure His Word accomplishes what is sent to do! “My word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11)
God is dependable and faithful to His Word. (Hebrews 10:23)
God keeps His Word even if men don’t keep theirs. God’s Word is true and will come to pass no matter what people do, say, or believe. (Romans 3:3-4)
The Word of God is Personal – it is God speaking to You
Often, I have people ask me if God will speak to them? They want to know how to hear God. I tell them if they have read their Bible, they have heard God speak to them.
When you read the Bible read it as God writing it to you personally. Personalize it. It is God’s love letter to YOU! Ask yourself what is God teaching me about Himself? Is there something about God’s plan for man being shared, and how is God revealing Jesus the redeemer in these verses?
You Can Trust the Word of God
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. Jesus fulfills over 300 of the prophecies. The tomb is empty. Jesus is alive. The resurrection is the greatest historic event ever. Fulfilled prophecy alone demonstrates the divine inspiration of the Bible.
“May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you and show you his favor and give you his peace.” Numbers 6:23-24