can i really trust the bible

CAN I REALLYTRUST THEBIBLE?

CCan I find good reason to accept its ancientperspectives? It’s an old

book in a world where age is nolonger considered a virtue. If I’mgoing to trust it, I have to havegood reason to do so. At stakeare issues as timely as myapproach to sexuality, marriage,work, and worship.

If such thoughts go throughyour mind from time to time,then we would like to offer somehelp. This booklet has beenwritten by our staff to show theongoing reliability of the Bible.We hope that it will give you anew appreciation for this book,which countless generationshave found to be more thanworthy of their trust.

Martin R. De Haan II

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo:Terry BidgoodScripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by ThomasNelson, Inc. Used by permission.All rights reserved.© 1986,200,2003 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTS

Objections To The Bible’s Reliability . . . 2

This Book Is Different . . 4

You Can Trust The Bible! . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Its Personal Claims . . . . . 7

Its Protected Text . . . . . 12

Its Proven Accuracy . . . . 17

Its Profound Impact . . . 24

How We Got Our Bible . . . . . . . . . . . 28

“We Tried To Prove It Wrong” . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Thinking It Over . . . . . . 32

Q0402 Trust The Bible 2col pp 10/28/04 5:03 PM

© RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.

OBJECTIONS TO THE BIBLE’SRELIABILITY

MMore than 55,000different booksare published in

the United States each year. They cover everysubject imaginable, from artichokes to zucchini, from anthropology tozoology, from Afghanistanto Zimbabwe. But peoplewho trust the Bible say it is different from any otherbook ever published. Theysay it is the only bookauthored by God and thusthe only book that shows us how to know Him, howto live, and how to receiveeternal life.

Many people don’tagree. They think the Bibleis flawed and unreliable,and obviously not writtenby God. Here’s what someof them are saying:

“The Bible is notscientifically reliable.”

A person who thinks thisway feels that the Bible isfull of scientific errors andtherefore cannot be trustedin spiritual matters either.

Because of theirnaturalistic assumptions,many scientists take issuewith the miracles in theBible. They question thescientific validity of theaccounts of the sunstanding still, the Israelitesbeing fed with quail, orJonah surviving in the bellyof a huge fish for 3 days.

“The Bible ishistorically inaccurate.”People who believe theBible insist that it comesfrom God and is error-free.That’s why those who donot agree often point outwhat they feel to behistorical inaccuracies.Whenever they findsomething in archaeologyor ancient records thatseems to contradict abiblical statement, theyjump to the conclusion that

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the Bible is wrong. Unlessevery biblical name isauthenticated throughresearch and every factverified by historical study,they assume that the Bibleis in error.

“The Bible is outdated.”Not too many books are stillbeing printed today thatwere finished 2,000 yearsago. But that very mark of the Bible’s greatness isinterpreted by some as apoint of weakness anddisinterest. Modern-daythinkers who havedeveloped new philosophiesand theories about life claimthat no book written somany centuries ago couldhave anything relevant tosay to our modern world—especially on such specifics

as sexuality, marriage,ethics, and business.

“The Bible is the workof man.” The people whosay this think that the Bibleis the product of man’sfertile imaginations andancient mythologicaltraditions. They place it inthe same category as theGreek stories of the gods onOlympus or the writings ofConfucius or Muhammad.To them, the Bible is justanother religious book.

So, many people rejectthe claim that the Bible isGod’s Word. And theyobject to the idea that it is a book we can trust withour life and destiny. But toreject the Bible, as we willsee in the pages to follow, is to close one’s eyes to anoverwhelming amount ofevidence in its favor. Andmore important, it is toignore the reality ofmankind’s own spiritualneed—and the rescueoffered in its message.

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Many people thinkthe Bible is flawed

and unreliable.



THIS BOOK ISDIFFERENT

TThe Bible is notdifferent just becauseit claims to have come

from God. The Koran wassupposed to have beenrevealed to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel.Similarly, Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism,claimed to have been givena special revelation fromGod engraved on goldenplates. Other religions alsomaintain that their sacredwritings were revealed byGod.

The Bible is totallydifferent, however, in itsview of God, its view ofman, its view of salvation,and its view of truth.

1. Its View Of God.The Bible presents God asSovereign Lord of all (1 Chr.29:11); as a God of mercy,love, and goodness (Ps.145:9); and as one God (Dt.6:4). But Mormon doctrine,

for example, teaches thatthere are many gods, thatGod Himself was onceman, and that man has thepotential of becoming God.

By contrast, the Bibleclaims that the one trueGod became a man in theincomparable Person ofJesus Christ. A British experton comparative religions, J. N. D. Anderson, wrote:

Other religions mayindeed include the beliefthat God, or one of thegods, manifested himselfonce, or many times, inhuman form. . . . ButChristianity alone hasdared to claim that “the one, omnipresent,omniscient ground of all existence” hasuniquely intervened in His creation, not byassuming the mere formor appearance of a man,but by actually becomingincarnate (ChristianityAnd Religion, p.51).2. Its View Of Man.

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While the holy books ofmany other religions eitherexalt man or debase him,the Bible gives a morebalanced and realisticpicture. First, it does notmake man out to be morethan he is, as did theancient Greek Heraclituswho said, “The gods areimmortal men, and men are mortal gods.” Second, it does not make man lessthan he is, as psychologistB. F. Skinner did by sayingman is nothing more than acomplex organism controlledby his environment.

By contrast, the Biblealone does justice to boththe high and the low sidesof human nature. It tells ofman’s creation in the imageof God, is realistic about hissin, upholds his personalresponsibility, and giveshim hope for the future.

3. Its View OfSalvation. The salvation of man as presented in theBible differs vastly from the

cruel and inhumane viewsof the world’s religions.Hindus, for example, often involve themselves inagonizing acts to merit God’sfavor. Buddhists follow aneightfold discipline of self-denial. Muslims engage in a strict regimen of fastingand prayer to earn God’sapproval.

The Bible, however,offers man salvation in theGod-man, Jesus Christ. It isnot a salvation by works,but by grace through faith.

4. Its View Of Truth.While other religious booksare filled with unconfirmedclaims and philosophies,the Bible supports its claims with historical andgeographical facts. This is why the first-centuryChristians gave so muchemphasis to the good newsof the resurrected Christ.Their message was to beaccepted not merely on theauthority of their words buton verifiable evidence.

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YOU CAN TRUSTTHE BIBLE!

IIf the Bible can give usgood evidence that ithas come to us from

God, then we can see whyit makes so much sense totrust its authority. This isthe pattern we follow inother areas of life. When we are sick, we don’t ask apainter for a diagnosis anda prescription. Instead, welook for someone qualifiedto give us reliable medicaltreatment.

And what about the deeper, most basicdecisions of life? Where do we go when we want to know what’s right andwhat’s wrong? Who do weask about the origin andmeaning of life? Where do we turn when we areoverwhelmed with a senseof sin and our terribleweakness? How can we find rescue, informationabout the future, and

hope beyond the grave?Once again, if we can

show that we have goodreason to believe that theBible has come to us fromGod, then we also have abook we can trust—a booklike no other book thisworld has ever known.

In the following pages,we will organize thisevidence for the reliabilityof the Bible into four basiccategories: its personalclaims, its protected text, its proven accuracy, and its profound impact. More specifically, these categories can be brokendown into the following 10lines of evidence: (1) theBible’s claims for itself, (2) Christ’s claims for it, (3) the writers’ claims for it, (4) its textual unity, (5) its textual preservation,(6) its historical accuracy,(7) its scientific accuracy,(8) its prophetic accuracy,(9) its social impact, and(10) its personal impact.

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As we look at these 10lines of evidence, whichsupport our conviction thatthe Bible is the Word ofGod, our sincere hope isthat you too will beconvinced that the Bible isa book you can trust.

ITS PERSONALCLAIMS

The evidence for thereliability of the Biblebegins with the unusualclaims surrounding it. Asyou spend time reading theBible, you will soon findoverwhelming evidence that

the writers of this bookwere convinced that it wasuniquely God-given. Wewill look at three claims inthis section: (1) the Bible’sclaims for itself, (2) Christ’sclaims for it, and (3) thewriters’ claims for it.

1.The Bible’sClaims For Itself. TheBible claims, first of all, tobe the Word of God to man(2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). That may not seem tobe a very strong reason forus to trust it. But it is agood place to start. If theBible didn’t make that claimfor itself, we would have totake it upon ourselves to doso. In this regard, the Bibleclaims that even though itwas written by humanauthors, it was inspired byGod. And if it truly is whatit claims to be—a God-inspired book—then it isabsolutely trustworthy.

When we say the Bibleis inspired, what do wemean? For one thing, we

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MAN’S TRUST

GOD’S WORD

10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3. Writers’ Claims2. Christ’s Claims1. Bible’s Self Claims



do not mean the kind ofinspiration that comes to an author trying to write abook or a mechanic tryingto find out what’s wrongwith a car. As they strugglewith a problem, they maysuddenly see a solution andsay they were hit with abolt of inspiration.

This is not what wemean when we say that theBible writers were inspired.Rather, we mean that theirwriting was initiated andcontrolled by God Himself.In a supernatural way, the Holy Spirit led Moses,Isaiah, Matthew, Paul, andthe other Bible authors towrite the message of God to man.

The Bible’s unusualclaim to be the inspiredWord of God is made clearin several key passages.Let’s look at three of them.The first is in Paul’s secondletter to Timothy:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,

and is profitable fordoctrine, for reproof, forcorrection, for instructionin righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).The word translated

“inspiration” means “God-breathed.” This tells us thatthe Bible originated in themind of God. The HolySpirit influenced theindividual Bible writers toput down the message Godwanted mankind to have.

A second importantpassage that expresses the Bible’s claim to be theWord of God is in one ofthe apostle Peter’s letters:

Knowing this first, that no prophecy ofScripture is of any privateinterpretation [origin], forprophecy never came bythe will of man, but holymen of God spoke as theywere moved by the HolySpirit (2 Pet. 1:20-21).These verses make a

tremendous claim! They saythat the Bible prophets did

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not originate what theywrote. Rather, they recordedwhat was given to them byGod. They were moved(literally “borne along”) by the Holy Spirit. Now,that doesn’t mean that their individual personalityor style of writing wasoverpowered. It means thatthey were kept from havingany error creep into whatthey wrote. They weremoved by the Holy Spirit to record only what Godwanted man to know.

The Bible’s claim, then,is that it was written byGod. It is not man’s book, it is God’s book. Paulinformed us that thespiritual truth he gave was “not in words whichman’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spiritteaches” (1 Cor. 2:13).

Yes, the Bible claims to be the inspired Word ofGod—powerful, living, andindestructible (1 Jn. 1:1-3;Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:23-25).

In both the Old and NewTestaments, it is the messageof God to people of allages—a book you can trust!

2. Christ’s ClaimsFor The Bible. WhileJesus Christ was on earth,He affirmed the Bible’sclaims for itself. In what Hesaid about it and in the wayHe used it, the Son of Godshowed the Bible to be theWord of God. Consider thefollowing:

a. He used titles forthe Bible that showed its authenticity:• “The Word of God”

(Mk. 7:13; Jn. 10:35).• “Scripture” (Lk. 4:21;

Jn. 5:39; 10:35).9

That Christ reliedon the Scriptures

may be ourgreatest reason

to do so.



• “The commandment of God” (Mk. 7:8).b. He accepted

the persons and events mentioned in the Old Testament as historical:• Adam and Eve

(Mt. 19:4-5).• Noah and the flood

(Mt. 24:37-39).• Lot, Lot’s wife, and

Sodom (Lk. 17:28-32).• Jonah (Mt. 12:38-41).

c. He saw His ownwords as Scripture andtherefore to be believed(Jn. 12:48-49).

d. He held peopleresponsible for what waswritten in the Scriptures(Mt. 12:3).

e. He used Scripture as conclusive evidence inanswering His critics:• John 10:35, quoting

Psalm 82:6.• Matthew 22:32, quoting

Exodus 3:6,15.• Matthew 22:42-44,

quoting Psalm 110:1.

f. He used theauthority of Scripture torefute the temptations ofSatan in the wilderness(Mt. 4:4,7,10).

In the way Jesus Christquoted and used theScriptures, He made it clearthat He accepted its claimsfor itself to be true. WhileHe was on earth, the livingWord affirmed the writtenWord.

3.The Writers’Claims For The Bible.The individual writersaffirmed the Bible’s claimsfor itself by accepting theother parts of the Bible asthe Word of God. They alsoaffirmed it by the way theysaw themselves as part ofGod’s plan for makingHimself known to man.

First, let’s look at howthe Bible authors viewedthe Scriptures:• When Daniel read

Jeremiah’s prophecy thatthe Babylonian captivitywould last 70 years, he

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accepted it as true andbegan to pray and planaccordingly (Dan. 9:2).

• Peter accepted thesupernatural origin ofthe writings of the OldTestament prophets (2 Pet. 1:21).

• Peter also accepted thesupernatural origin ofthe writings of Paul,even though he foundthem hard to understand(2 Pet. 3:15-16).

• John said that the writingsof the apostles, along withhis own writings, wereinspired by God andauthoritative (1 Jn. 4:6).Second, the Bible

writers saw themselves ascommunicating the Word ofGod. Look at the followingpassages:• The prophet Isaiah

began his book byproclaiming, “For theLord has spoken” (1:2).

• Jeremiah opened hisprophecy by saying,“Then the word of the

Lord came to me” (1:4).• God commissioned

Ezekiel to go to hispeople and tell them,“Thus says the LordGod” (3:11).

• Paul claimed that thewords he spoke weredirectly from God (Gal.1:11-12; 1 Th. 2:13).

Let’s sum up what wehave said. The Bible claimsto be the book of God.Christ affirmed this claim.And the Bible writersthemselves affirmed it byaccepting as Scripture thewritings of their fellowbiblical authors and byseeing themselves as writing the words of God.

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If the evidence iswhat it seems to

be, then the Bible isnot just a book—

it is the book.



ITS PROTECTEDTEXT

The supernatural protectionof the text of the Bible isanother reason for trustingit. This protection occurredin two forms: (a) its unityamid great diversity, and (b)the miraculous preservationof the text itself. Let’s lookat the two ways God hasprotected the text of HisWord.

4. Its Unity InDiversity. The writings ofman are marked by disunityand contradiction. Bookswritten by more than one

author often contain glaringdiscrepancies in philosophy,facts, style, or ideas. Eventhose written by one authormay contain contradictionsin fact or logic. Those whohave given their lives to astudy of the Scriptures,however, are continuallyamazed at its unity andconsistency of doctrine.

Josh McDowell, a well-known apologist forChristianity, was approachedby a salesman for the GreatBooks Of The Western Worldseries. This set includes thewritings of the leadingthinkers throughout thehistory of Western man.McDowell challenged therepresentative to take 10 ofthe authors from the samewalk of life, the same timeperiod, the same country,and the same language andask them about one basicsubject. “Would they agree?”Josh asked. The man said,“Are you kidding? You wouldhave a conglomeration!”

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MAN’S TRUST

GOD’S WORD

10.9.8.7.6.5. Textual Preservation4. Textual Unity3. Writers’ Claims2. Christ’s Claims1. Bible’s Self Claims



The amazing unity of theBible, therefore, merits ourtrust. From Genesis toRevelation, the Bible tells asingle story: the rescue ofmankind from sin throughthe death of Jesus Christ.The Old Testament presentsHim as the hope ofmankind; the NewTestament shows Him to bethe fulfillment of that hope.

Now, if the Bible hadbeen written by one personat one time, one couldunderstand how it would beunified in general thoughtsand specific details. Butconsider these diversities in its origin:• It was written by 40

different authors.• It was written over a

period of 1,600 years.• It was written in three

languages: Hebrew,Greek, and Aramaic.

• Its writers came frommany walks of life:prophet (Jeremiah),priest (Zechariah),

shepherd (Amos), king (David), servant(Nehemiah), doctor(Luke), tax collector(Matthew), and Pharisee (Paul).

• It was written on threecontinents: Asia, Africa,and Europe.

• A gap of more than 400 years separated the writing of the OldTestament from the NewTestament—equivalentto the timespan from thedays of Sir Francis Draketo today.In spite of this wide

diversity, the Bible is onebook. As branches, roots,trunk, and leaves are partof one tree, so the parts ofthe Bible make up a singleunit. It agrees in doctrine,details of prophecy, what itsays about Jesus Christ,and its offer of rescue tomankind. It is a unifiedbook made up of manybooks. It is a book you can trust!

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5. Its TextualPreservation. The Bibleis also a book to be trustedbecause its text has beenmiraculously preserved.None of the originalmanuscripts written by thebiblical authors are still inexistence. All of them wereeither lost or destroyedcenturies ago. This has

caused some critics of theBible to question the purityof the texts we now have.But we can be confidentthat the Bibles we hold inour hands were translatedfrom texts that for allpractical purposes are thesame as the originals.

The Old Testament.The Old Testament bookswere written primarily inHebrew. They were recordedeither on papyrus (a grassyreed whose inner bark wasdried and glued together toform a paperlike substance)or parchment (the scrapedand dried skins of animals).When a copy wore out, anew copy was made and the old one destroyed.

But that was not an easytask. They did not havecopy machines like we dotoday, so it had to be doneby hand. Stringent ruleswere followed by the scribesto keep errors from creepingin. The methods used by the Masoretes had beenfollowed for centuries, from AD 500-900. Thesededicated Hebrew scholarshad an elaborate countingsystem for assuringaccuracy. First, they would count all the letterson a page. Then, when theyfinished copying the page,

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“The grass withers,the flower fades,

but the Word of our God

stands forever.”Isaiah 40:8



they would count the letterson the copy to see if thenumbers agreed. This wouldkeep them from copying aword twice, omitting a word,skipping a line, or copyingthe same line twice. If thecounts did not agree, theywould destroy the copy theyhad just worked over solaboriously and start again.

Because of this system,the Hebrew texts since AD900 are virtually free fromerror. But what about theyears before 900? Most ofthe Old Testament waswritten centuries earlier, andthe last book, Malachi, wasfinished nearly 400 yearsbefore Christ was born.Couldn’t a lot of errors havecrept in during that time?

That question could not have been answeredwith certainty before thediscovery of the Dead SeaScrolls. One hot, dusty dayin 1947, an Arab boy threwa stone into one of thehundreds of caves that

pocket the cliffs surrounding the Dead Sea.To his surprise, he heardsomething shatter. When hecrawled in to investigate, hefound a broken pottery jarand some old manuscripts,including one of the book ofIsaiah. This was the first ofthe collection of what cameto be known as the DeadSea Scrolls.

Word of the discovery spread, and soon archaeologists wereexcavating caves throughoutthe area. They foundfragments of every OldTestament book and somecomplete manuscripts.

But how did thesecompare with the Masoretictext? The careful work oftextual comparison began,and soon it was found thatthere was no differencebetween the text of theDead Sea Scrolls and thoseof the Masoretes. Eventhough these scrolls werecopied almost 1,000 years

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earlier, they were almostidentical to the Masoretictext! On the basis of thisastounding evidence, wecan be assured that the OldTestament text has beenaccurately preserved andthat we can read it as thereliable Word of God.

The New Testament.What has been said of theOld Testament can also besaid of the New. It also hasbeen kept from error over thecenturies. Although its bookswere copied thousands oftimes and distributed widelyamong the early churches, ittoo has been protected fromerror.

New Testament scholarsand textual experts havestudied with painstakingcare the thousands ofmanuscripts that have beendiscovered. They assure usthat the texts from whichour Bibles were translatedare virtually identical tothose written by Matthew,Paul, and the other New

Testament writers. There aresome minor variations, butnone of them change themeaning of the passage inwhich they are found. Mostof these differences arevariations in spelling, likethe British “labour” and theAmerican “labor.” A hugenumber of manuscripts orfragments of the NewTestament have beendiscovered and compared. It is by far the most well-attested document of its era.Consider these comparisons:

• Caesar’s Gallic Wars10 ManuscriptsEarliest Date: AD 900

• Livy’s History Of Rome20 ManuscriptsEarliest Date: AD 400

• Thucydides’ History8 ManuscriptsEarliest Date: AD 900

• Herodotus’ History8 ManuscriptsEarliest Date: AD 900

• The New Testament14,000 ManuscriptsEarliest Date: AD 125

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Two important finds havebeen made in recent yearsthat have added significantevidence for the authenticityof the New Testament text.The first, the RylandsLibrary Papyri, contains afragment from John 18 thathas been dated at AD 125.The second, the ChesterBeatty collection of papyri,contains almost all of the New Testament anddates between AD 200 and AD 275.

The meticulous workbeing done in textual studies of both Testamentsby brilliant scholars, most of them non-Christians, has given us every reason to be confident that weknow what the originalmanuscripts said—eventhough we do not have anyof them. True, there arevariants, but they are veryminor in importance andaffect no essential teaching.The protection of the text,both in unity and in

preservation, is anotherreason we can trust theBible.

ITS PROVENACCURACY

When the Bible mentionshistorical facts, alludes toscience, or predicts thefuture, its accuracy givesevidence that it is a bookyou can trust. What would you expect from acookbook? You certainlywould not want a collectionof original recipes writtenby a chef whose greatestculinary achievement was

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MAN’S TRUST

GOD’S WORD

10.9.8. Prophetic Accuracy7. Scientific Accuracy6. Historical Accuracy5. Textual Preservation4. Textual Unity3. Writers’ Claims2. Christ’s Claims1. Bible’s Self Claims



pouring milk on a bowl ofbreakfast cereal. You wouldexpect the author to haveproven cooking skills andbe able to give accuratemeasurements and exactcooking times. You wouldalso expect the ingredientsto be tasty and nutritious.

What, then, should weexpect from a book thatclaims to be the writtenrecord of the word andworks of God and Hisrelationship with mankind? We have every right to expect thisbook to meet the higheststandards of accuracy.

Did the Bible writersknow what they were talkingabout? Can the history,science, and prophecy of the Bible be trusted?

In a book where thehistory of man and therevelation of God are sointertwined, if we havedoubts concerning what itsays about man and hisworld, we will also have a

right to doubt what it saysabout God. If part of theBible were to be provenwrong, then the rest of itwould be suspect. However,the Bible has proven itselfto be reliable in history,science, and fulfilledprophecy. Its record isaccurate and trustworthy.

6. Its Accuracy InHistory. The Bible claimsto present an accuraterecord of the real history of man. The Old and NewTestaments are filled withreferences to specificpeople, places, and events.The biblical world is not aworld of make-believe. Theevents of the Bible took

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If part of the Biblewere to be provenwrong, then therest of it would

be suspect.



place in our world withpeople like you and me.

The serious challenges tothe historical accuracy of theBible are being answered bythe work of archaeologists.They are uncovering moreand more evidence to verifythe historical record of theBible.

For example, the OldTestament mentioned apeople known as the Hittitesnearly 50 times. But forcenturies, those who studiedthe ancient world questionedthe Bible because they haddiscovered no evidence ofsuch a people. In 1906,however, the Hittite capitalwas uncovered about 90miles east of Ankara, thecapital of Turkey.

As time goes on, thequestions of the critics arebeing answered by reliablescholarship and the findingsof the archaeologist’s spade.Nelson Glueck, a Jewisharchaeologist, said, “It maybe stated categorically that

no archaeological discoveryhas ever controverted abiblical reference” (Rivers In The Desert: History OfNeteg, p.31).

The discoveries not longago of tablets in the ancientcity of Ebla in northern Syriahas brought to light a wealthof historical material thatsupports the biblical record.An article in Time magazinereported, “Their discoverydoes more than providedocumentary evidence of alittle known kingdom thatexisted between 2400 and2250 BC; it also provides the best evidence to datethat some of the peopledescribed in the OldTestament actually existed”(October 18, 1976, p.63).

The New Testamentrecord is also supported byresearch and discovery. Thegospel of Luke and thebook of Acts (both writtenby Luke) have gained therespect of scholars whohave investigated their

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numerous references topeople and places in theJewish and Roman worlds.Concerning Luke, F. F.Bruce has written, “A manwhose accuracy can bedemonstrated in matterswhere we are able to test itis likely to be accurate evenwhen means of testing himare not available” (The NewTestament Documents: AreThey Reliable? p.90).

So the believability of theNew Testament in mattersof our physical world lendscredibility to what it saysabout the spiritual world.John Warwick Montgomeryhas written, “What, then,does a historian know aboutJesus Christ? He knows, firstand foremost, that the NewTestament documents canbe relied upon to give anaccurate portrait of Him.And he knows that thisportrait cannot berationalized away by wishfulthinking, philosophicalpresuppositionalism, or

literary maneuvering”(History And Christianity,p.40).

7. Its Accuracy InScience. Do the Bible andscience conflict? Do we haveto make a choice whetherwe are going to live by eitherreligious faith or scientificdata? From the way somepeople talk you might thinkthere is a legitimate choice.But there is not. Theapparent conflicts resultfrom unjustified conclusionsmade on both sides—eitherby those who go beyond thelimits of proper Bibleinterpretation or by thosewho go beyond the limits ofscience to equate theorywith fact.

Debate arose in Galileo’stime because some religiousleaders foolishly spoke outon a matter of science andsaid that the earth was thecenter of the solar system.And conflict still exists todayon matters of science. Onegroup uses scientific data to

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conclude dogmatically thatall of life is the result of anevolutionary process thatbegan with the mostelemental forms of life.Others interpret the datadifferently to say that thecomplexity of life as we seeit today could only havebeen the result of divinecreation. Those who denymiracles are at odds withthose who say that themiracles recorded in theBible actually happened.This is because people whodeny God reject the view ofthose who believe in asupernatural God who attimes intervened in theaffairs of men.

The heart of the apparentconflict between science andthe Bible is not the actualdata; it is in the underlyingbeliefs of the two sides andtheir conclusions. Theinformation is the same forboth.

The Bible is not a sciencetextbook. It often uses

figures of speech to describefacets of life that sciencewould explain in differentterms. For example, it speaksof the sun setting and of thefour corners of the earth.Scientists, of course, wouldnot accept these statementsas accurate. But they werenever meant to be takenliterally. When the Bibledoes speak directly aboutmatters of science, however,it speaks correctly.

In the final analysis, the Bible and science are inperfect agreement. The God

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The God whocreated the

universe and set in motion the laws

that govern ourworld is the sameGod who inspired

the Bible.



who created the universeand set in motion the lawsthat govern our world is thesame God who inspired theBible. He is the God of truthand does not contradictHimself. Therefore, when theBible is interpreted correctlyand science arrives at provenconclusions, they will be inperfect agreement.

8. Its Accuracy InProphecy. What wouldyou think of a doctor whohad told you that you wouldnever have any heartproblems, and then yousuffered a heart attack asyou walked out of his office?What would be your opinionof a politician who promisedeconomic prosperity, butwhose policies actually ledto a serious depression? You would have a legitimatereason to doubt what theysaid about the future. Youmight wonder whom youcould believe.

The Bible is not like that. The Word of God has

proven that it can be trusted.It has never been wrong inits diagnosis of man’s ills. It has never made falsepromises. It has never givenman reason to think it is acollection of fables and lies.

One clear confirmation ofits reliability is the accuracyof its prophecy. The Bibleitself offers the standards by which to test those who claim to speakauthoritatively about the future. It says inDeuteronomy 18:20-22 that the test of a prophet’sauthority is the accuracy ofhis predictions. The Biblecontains hundreds ofprophecies, so we canmeasure it by its own test.

Some of the mostdramatic examples of fulfilledBible prophecy are thoseconcerning Jesus Christ.Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12and Psalm 22, for instance,record specific details about death by crucifixionhundreds of years before this

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terrible form of execution was ever practiced.

Note these specificprophecies about JesusChrist that were literallyfulfilled:

Another example offulfilled prophecy was thedestruction of the city ofTyre. Hundreds of yearsbefore, Ezekiel hadpredicted that the city wouldbe destroyed and the ruinsscraped off and dumped intothe sea, never to be rebuilt

(Ezek. 26). It happenedexactly as predicted. First,Nebuchadnezzar destroyedthe city, then Alexander hadhis men use the ruins tobuild a causeway out to

an offshore island where the people had fled. Thatcauseway may still be seentoday as a silent witness tothe accuracy of Bibleprophecy.

Daniel accuratelypredicted the succession of four great world powers:

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PROPHECY FULFILLMENTIsa. 7:14 Born of a virgin Lk. 1:26-35Mic. 5:2 Born in Bethlehem Mt. 2:1Isa. 7:14 Called Immanuel Mt. 1:23Isa. 9:1-2 Ministry in Galilee Mt. 4:12-16Zech. 9:9 Triumphal entry Mt. 21:1-11Ps. 41:9 Betrayed by a friend Mt. 26:20-25Ps. 35:11 Falsely accused Mt. 26:59-68Isa. 53:7 Silent before accusers Mt. 27:12-14Ps. 22:16 Hands and feet pierced Jn. 20:25Isa. 53:12 Crucified with robbers Mt. 27:38Ps. 22:18 Lots cast for clothes Jn. 19:23-24Ps. 34:20 Bones not broken Jn. 19:33Ps. 22:15 Thirsted on the cross Jn. 19:28Isa. 53:9 Buried in tomb of rich Mt. 27:57-60



Babylonia, Medo-Persia,Greece, and Rome (Dan.2,7).

The predictions of thejudgment of God againstNineveh (Nah. 1–3),Ammon and Moab (Jer.48–49), Babylon (Isa. 13–14;Jer. 51), and Edom (Isa. 34;Jer. 49; Ezek. 25,35) were allfulfilled as prophesied.

Whenever the Biblespeaks prophetically,therefore, it is accurate.Hundreds of prophecieshave been literally fulfilled.On this basis, we can alsobelieve what the Bible hasto say about things to come.It has already proven itself!

ITS PROFOUNDIMPACT The Bible has also provenitself trustworthy in itsimpact on societies and onindividuals. Its power tochange lives is seenwherever it has been takenby messengers of the gospel.The Bible is called the “word

of life” (Phil. 2:16). Itsmessage is the gospel, whichit calls “the power of God tosalvation” (Rom. 1:16). Andit refers to itself as the“living and powerful” Wordof God (Heb. 4:12). It’s onething to claim to be livingand powerful; it’s quiteanother to live up to it.

9. Its Impact OnSociety. Wherever theBible has been taken and itsmessage accepted, it hasprofoundly affected theculture into which it wasbrought. When an honestinvestigation is made, it

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MAN’S TRUST

GOD’S WORD

10. Personal Impact9. Social Impact8. Prophetic Accuracy7. Scientific Accuracy6. Historical Accuracy5. Textual Preservation4. Textual Unity3. Writers’ Claims2. Christ’s Claims1. Bible’s Self Claims



becomes evident that theBible has been instrumentalin bringing about highermorality, social change,improved living conditions,and a better life. In landswhere slavery was practiced,the power of the Word ofGod brought conviction ofthe wrong and emancipationfor those in bondage. Inplaces where women weretreated little better thananimals, the preaching ofthe gospel brought themnew respect and freedomfrom tyranny anddebasement. In areas where cruelty and severeoppression were common,the coming of the Biblebrought kindness, toleration,and humane treatment. Theplight of children and thehandicapped, who weresometimes shamefullymistreated, improved greatly when the Bible cameand its truth was accepted.

When the Bible isreceived, the aspirations

and the spirits of men arelifted. Try to imagine whatwould have happened tomankind without the highview of the Bible. Take awayits teaching about humandignity and individual worth, and see what is left.Eliminate the moral impactof the great preachers andChristian reformers, andconsider the plight the worldwould be in. Remove fromour art galleries thepaintings inspired by JesusChrist. Take down from ourlibrary shelves the booksthat find their inspirationand theme in the Scriptures.Empty the world of the loftyoratorios and uplifting musicof the church. Eliminatefrom the cities and villagesof the earth the magnificentcathedrals and little white-frame church buildings thathave been centers of hopeand peace for troubled livesdown through the ages. Takeit all away, and what is left?A Milton without a poem; a

25



Michelangelo without atheme; a Dante without avision; a Handel withoutinspiration; a Whitefieldwithout a sermon.

Or take from mankindthe high moral code of theBible. What happens to ourlaws, our police, and ourjudges? What happens tothe weak, the defenseless,the downtrodden, the lonely, and the despairing?One shudders to think of the tribulation that wouldfall upon our world. One trembles at theheartlessness, the cruelty,the deprivation of anunrestrained mankind.

Yes, the Bible has made aprofound impact on society.That is undeniable.

10. Its Impact OnIndividuals. Not only hasthe Bible had an impact onsociety, it has also changedindividuals. Despairing,helpless, wicked men andwomen on the brink ofmadness have found rescue

in hearing and believing themessage of the Bible. It hasprovided new hope to thedespondent. It has broughtquiet peace to the restless. It has led lowly people togreatness. It has raisedmorality to its highest levels. It has workedamazing deliverance andchange for millions.

Think of Augustine,brilliant scholar of thefourth and fifth centuries.Although his godly motherprayed for him, he used hisintellect and energies to livein wicked indulgence. Buthe could not find peace. Sohe began a long period ofsearching and intense self-examination. Tortured anddriven, he continued hisquest until he read thesewords in the Bible: “Let us walk properly, as in theday, not in revelry anddrunkenness, not inlicentiousness andlewdness, not in strife andenvy. But put on the Lord

26



Jesus Christ, and make noprovision for the flesh, tofulfill its lusts” (Rom. 13:13-14). Augustine later wroteabout his response to thispassage: “No further wouldI read; nor needed I. Forinstantly at the end of thissentence, by a light as itwere of serenity infused intomy heart, all the darkness ofdoubt vanished away.” Thisformer drunkard eventuallybecame the bishop of Hippoin northern Africa, foundedthe first monastery in thatregion, and influencedmuch of Christian thoughtby his brilliant writing.

Charles HaddonSpurgeon vainly searchedfor peace until he heard thisverse quoted by a countrypreacher: “Look to Me, andbe saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God,and there is no other” (Isa. 45:22). He became a popular and influentialLondon pastor of the mid to late 1800s.

Martin Luther founddeliverance for his sin andthe spark that ignited theProtestant Reformationwhen he read these words:“The just shall live by hisfaith” (Hab. 2:4).

Chuck Colson, convictedWatergate conspirator, cameto the truth through thefaithful witness and clearteaching of the Bible bysome of his friends. He now directs PrisonFellowship, a ministry forprisoners. His book BornAgain has influenced manywho were trapped by theconsequences of their own behavior.

These stories could be repeated hundreds of thousands of times bypeople of all ages and fromall walks of life who havehad the deepest needs oftheir lives met by the powerof the Bible. And it can dothe same for you if you will open your heart to itsmessage and believe.

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HOW WE GOTOUR BIBLE

WWhat determinedwhich booksbelong in the

Bible? How did we end upwith 39 books in the OldTestament and 27 books inthe New Testament? Thesequestions are answered in a discussion of the “canonof Scripture.” The wordcanon means “a measuringdevice” or “a standard.”

Out of the many religiouswritings that have beencirculated, only 66 bookswere accepted as inspiredby God. While some wererecognized immediately asauthentic, it took some timefor others to be endorsed as Scripture. Throughout the process, however, thecanon of Scripture wasbeing determined by God,not by man.

The Old Testament.The writings of Moses andthe book of Joshua were

immediately accepted asScripture (Ex. 24:3; Josh.24:26). The remainingbooks were tested by thefollowing principles:

1. Authorship by arecognized prophet of God or leader in Israel.

2. Internal evidence of its inspiration andauthority. The reader was able to recognize it asunique in communicatingthe revelation of God.

3. Writings containingobvious doctrinal andfactual errors wereeliminated. Books acceptedby the community thatreceived them were givenpriority consideration.

4. Further validation was given to certain OldTestament books when theywere quoted from by Christor the New Testamentwriters and referred to as Scripture.

The 12 books of theApocrypha were notaccepted as part of the

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biblical canon for thesereasons:• They appeared in no

Hebrew canon.• None were quoted in

the New Testament.• They were not included

in any early lists.• Their content was too

mythological.The New Testament.

The acceptance of the NewTestament books was basedon the test of apostleship.They were received if theywere written by an apostle,such as Peter or John, or bysomeone close to an apostle,such as Luke or Mark, whohad apostolic authorization.We know that some falseaccounts of Christ’s life werebeing distributed (Lk. 1:1-4),as well as some false epistles(2 Th. 2:2). Therefore,positive identification of theNew Testament books wasnecessary.

The church fatherssupported the inspiration ofthe New Testament canon

and carefully identified andeliminated questionableworks. The Councils ofHippo (AD 393) andCarthage (AD 397)accepted the 27 books that now appear in the New Testament.

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“The church no more gave us

the New Testamentcanon than Sir

Isaac Newton gaveus the force of

gravity. God gave usgravity by His work

of creation, andsimilarly He gave usthe New Testamentcanon by inspiringthe original booksthat make it up.”

J. I. Packer



“WE TRIED TO PROVE ITWRONG”Joan Olsen’s parents wereChristians, but she and herphysician husband wereagnostic. This led to manylong discussions about theBible between these couples.Finally, the young doctorand his wife agreed to studyChristianity. Here is Dr.Viggo Olsen’s account:

I implied that our studywould be honest andobjective, a sinceresearch for truth. But ouragnostic bias made usbegin the search in adiabolically clever way.We would prove that theBible is not the Word ofGod . . . .

“First,” I said [toJoan], “we will review allthe agnostic argumentswe heard duringuniversity and medicalcollege years. Second, wewill pick out and list the

scientific mistakes in theBible. These mistakes willprove it to be the word ofmen, not the Word ofsome infallible Creator.”The Olsens began their

quest. The first questionthey confronted was, “Isthere a God who created theuniverse?” An intense studyled them to conclude thatGod does exist. But that stillleft them agnostic, for theyweren’t convinced that Godcould be known. They couldnot see the mark of thesupernatural in the Bible.

“Is it even reasonable toconsider that God mightreveal Himself to ourrace?” I asked one day at dinner. “Well,” Joanreplied, “I just readsomething on thatquestion. It made thepoint that we humanbeings are here, the only rational creatures in God’s creation. It isunlikely that God createdus whimsically, for no

30



reason at all. And havingmade us, it is logical thatGod should reveal to usHis reason for creatingus. Also, if God loves us,He would want to tellus—love is like that.” When the Olsens

looked carefully, they foundthat the Bible does claim tobe “God’s book for revealingHimself.” Here is what theydiscovered:

The Bible . . . representsGod, motivated by aneternal love, reachingdown to tell us aboutHimself and His plan forus. . . . We also noted theremarkable unity andconsistency evident in theChristian Scriptures. . . .

Contrary to ourprevious understanding,we found the Bible to be historically accurate.To the science ofarchaeology the Bibleowes its vindication inthe matter of historicalaccuracy.

Then there is theremarkable scientificaccuracy of the Bible.Here was the exact targetof the attack Joan and Ihad launched to disproveChristianity and Christ. . . . We encountered greatdifficulty, however, infinding scientific mistakesin the Bible. Again andagain we were forced tocancel out seemingmistakes because of more up-to-date evidence or information. After months of serious

questioning, Dr. and Mrs.Olsen concluded that theBible is indeed God’smessage to mankind. Basedon this belief, they bothaccepted Jesus Christ astheir Savior. Later, theyjourneyed to East Pakistan(now Bangladesh), wherethey have served asmissionaries since 1962.

From Daktar: Diplomat In Bangladesh. Used by permission.

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THINKING IT OVER

WWe have presented 10

reasons, 10 linesof evidence, for answeringyes to the question, “Can Ireally trust the Bible?” Onthe basis of what we havepointed out, we believe theBible is the one book youcan trust. Take a moment tofill in the following graphicas a way of reviewing theevidence we have presented.

This topic leads to aconsideration of two very

important questions. First, if you are a Christian, doyou trust the Bible enoughto put it into practice? Areyou as willing to obey itscommands as you are toclaim its promises?

Second, if you are not abeliever, what are you goingto do about the Bible? Youcannot be neutral about itsclaims. You must eitheraccept what it says aboutGod, Jesus Christ, andsalvation, or you mustreject it. We therefore urgeyou to believe what it saysabout your need to trust inJesus Christ as your Savior.Acknowledging your sinand believing that He diedto pay its penalty, ask Himto save you. The Bible says,“Believe on the Lord JesusChrist, and you will besaved” (Acts 16:31). Thenyou will know by firsthandexperience the benefit ofbelieving the Bible—thebook you can trust!

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MAN’S TRUST

GOD’S WORD

10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.



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