Many people have asked me how would I defend the Bible to someone who seriously questions its value for life and faith today? First, you must understand that you cannot “prove” to anyone that the Bible is true. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. (John 7:17) But we do have good reasons that provide a solid base to put our trust in God’s Word.
- The Bible is historically accurate. The writers of Scripture gave careful attention to detail. This shows that they were concerned with an accurate record of words and events. The historical and geographical data that the Bible presents has been confirmed by other books, documents and archaeological discoveries. Then there’s the specific prophecies concerning Old Testament Israel, its neighboring countries, and Jesus Christ which have been fulfilled in great detail (Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Matthew 8:16-17; Matthew 27:30-31).
- The Bible is remarkably consistent. The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years by 40 different authors in three languages. It presents a unified description of who God is and what He has planned for mankind. The plan of salvation is the focus of the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation.
- The Bible is wonderfully preserved. No other book in history even comes close to matching the manuscript evidence that points to the conclusion that the translation we have today accurately expresses what was originally written.
- The Bible is highly recommended. First, the Bible comes recommended by those whose opinion should matter, the writers themselves (Jeremiah 1; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). Second, Jesus considered the Old Testament to be God’s authoritative revelation. (Luke 24:47) The New Testament is a record of His life and inspired teachings and the teachings of His disciples. To doubt the truthfulness of the Bible is to question the word of Jesus. Third, you and I have experienced the blessings of claiming and walking in the fullness of God’s Word. His promises have sparked a deep abiding hope within us and to multiplied thousands of other Christians.
There’s no other book like the Bible. It’s accurate in what it records, consistent in its message, preserved in its contents and recommended by those who know. The bottom line is this: you don’t have to have a degree in archeology or theology and you don’t need to know Greek or Hebrew to have certainty about the truthfulness of the Bible. I challenge those I witness to, who question the Bible, read it and at the same time ask God to prove Himself and His Word to their heart. And you’ll come to the place where you will say, like me, “I know the Bible is true!”
— Patrick Street, The Marion Star, The Bible is True, October 6, 2016
Street is the pastor of Salem Evangelical Church, Marion, Ohio.
I suppose the Bible is highly recommended, though not by people whose opinions I particularly trust. I guess he got one out of four mostly right.
The reason why there are bible scholars, theologians, apologists, and all the rest of the crew, is because the bible is so hugely the opposite of what this guy claims. It absolutely is inconsistent, both in itself and when compared to our present knowledge of science, medicine, history, and morality.
I’m not even sure that ‘highly recommended’ is accurate. Citing some of the characters in the book in this regard is pretty ridiculous, when even their very existence is questioned by many. It’s like saying Harry Potter books are great because Harry Potter says so.
Exactly! The only reason congregations say the bible is totally internally consistent is because apologists/ theologians have to devote their lives to proving this. The text itself is not obvious.
Bart Erhman tells a funny story about when he was an evangelical and he wrote a 10,000 word essay on explaining some contradiction in Mark’s gospel. His tutor responded ‘Interesting points. Or maybe Mark just made a mistake?’
Also Harry Potter’s books mention real cities that actually existed at the time! So it must be true!
The Art of the Deal is also highly recommended by the “author” (its going to be yoooge). However it has less inconsistency and needs no apologist to interpret it correctly. Im sorry but the authors opinions dont matter when it comes to recommending books
Since I’ve read 1984 a while ago this kind of stuff sounds Orwellian to me. “The Bible is historically accurate.” I remember how cheated I felt that so many things in the Bible didn’t actually happen. The Exodus, the census in the Christmas story; the list goes on and on when you start researching it. All of it myth or if there is a kernel of truth, hugely inflated and exaggerated.
I had always assumed that God didn’t lie and so that it was historically accurate. But at some point it becomes hard to believe that the academic world has changed and hidden all the evidence just to spite the Christians. If only because they really don’t care enough to do so: they don’t see Christians as nowhere near as enemy-like as Christians see them. Christians that believe in literalism cause them to shrug and laugh a little; that’s all the time that’s spent on them and their ideas.
Great post. About the only thing he gets correct is that the Bible is recommended by those that wrote it. That is laughably obvious. Jesus’ endorsement only brings questionability to Jesus. (Jesus in fact contradicted many Biblical teachings such as working on the Sabbath, redefined divorce as adultery, the list goes on)
Of course the flock doesn’t know or care that he is wrong. In that respect a Pastor is regarded as a trusted authority. We defer to authorities all the time. Most people aren’t going to do their job and care for their family and then spend their last moments trying to puzzle through the Bible, no that’s what they’ve got Pastor Patrick to do it for them. That’s how the guy earns his salt. So reading the Bible? fuhgettaboutit! Pastor Patrick already read it for you!