Is the Bible the Word of God?

 

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

What is the Bible?

The word Bible comes from a Greek word meaning, “the books”. The Bible is a book of books as there are sixty-six books within the covers of the Bible. They include the life and times of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, letters written mainly by the Apostle Paul to various Churches, prophecy books such as Daniel and Isaiah, historical books such as Genesis and Acts, books of the law such as Leviticus and Exodus and poetry books such as Psalms. The Bible is split into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Bible has at least 40 different human authors that God used over a period of about 1500 years. They were from all walks of life some were kings and priests while others were fishermen and doctors. Ultimately, the Bible has one author, Almighty God Himself. The Bible is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) which means God used human authors under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit to pen the words of the Bible. The result of this is the Holy Bible (2 Peter 1:21).

Is the Bible true?

Christians believe that the Bible is the full, complete, and true word of God, but is that true. How can we know that for sure? Before we go into this let us just be clear about what is meant by this statement. The Bible is true in all that it affirms. For example, Satan speaks in the Bible, and although it is a true account of what Satan has said the words of Satan are not true. Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). The Bible for Christians is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

This is a very important question because of the claims the Bible makes about mankind. The Bible teaches that all who believe and trust in Jesus Christ to pardon their sin will be saved from the penalty of their sin and all those who reject Jesus Christ, and his message will be judged forever in a fiery hell. So, with that in mind what the Bible has to say is very important to us all. If the Bible is true then we must read and obey its teachings, but if the Bible is not true then it ought to be rejected. I am not here to convince you one way or the other. I am merely going to present you with some information to think about and leave the decision-making up to you. However, think about and consider this question carefully, it is a question that demands an answer with eternal consequences.

There is internal and external evidence that the Bible is the Word of God, meaning that there are proofs within and outside the Bible that testify to the trueness of the text.

Internal Proofs

The Bible is a unique book. It is the world's best-selling book. No other book is written by 40 different authors over 3 continents in 3 languages over a period of about 1,500 years and has 1 message that is consistent throughout.

Prophecy is another internal proof of Scripture. The Bible contains many extremely detailed prophecies, over 300 concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no logical way to explain these prophecies coming to pass other than the work of God throughout human history. One good example of this is in the Book of Daniel predicting with perfect accuracy the coming of the four great kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greece, and Rome. On the subject of Jesus Christ, the odds of one man fulfilling just 16 of the prophecies about the Messiah are 1 in 10^45. Yet we see that Christ fulfilled all the claims in the Old Testament about the Messiah.

The final internal proof I would like to draw your attention to is the many testimonies of people who have had their lives transformed by the power of Scripture. There are countless testimonies of drug addicts who have been set free from their addiction as a result of being a believer in Holy Scripture. There are also many stories of people who have been transformed from a life of sin to a life of righteousness. Hardened criminals have been reformed, sinners have been set free from their immorality, drunkards have been given a new way of sober living, and many more people have seen great changes in their lives for the better.

External Proofs

Archaeology is one of the best sources to prove the accuracy of the Bible. From the discovery of the Cyrus Cylinder in 1879 to the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 to the Pool of Siloam in 2004, archaeology has provided an independent witness to the truth of the Bible.

The Bible is not only the best-selling book of all time it is also the most hated book of all time. Throughout history, mankind has sought to destroy the Bible. Roman Emperors like Diocletian, communist dictators like Mao Zedong, and modern-day atheists like Richard Dawkins have all worked to discredit and destroy the Bible. Our society is trying to ban the Bible from public life and shame anyone who believes in it’s so-called “old-fashioned values.” Anyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the One and only way to God is branded as “narrow-minded” or “bigoted”. No matter what man has done over thousands of years of history still the Bible stands. The Bible remains part of human society and culture. The indestructibility of the Bible speaks volumes and those who are against the Bible cannot see why the Word of God can never be destroyed. After all, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mark 13:31).

Why Believe the Bible?

With all this being said it is clear that the Bible is the Word of God and is living and active. The Bible is more than a historical record of events. The Bible is powerful and true. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

The purpose of this short paper is not to make you believe anything, but to provide you with some food for thought. I can't make you believe anything, you must reach your own conclusion on this matter. If the Bible is true, then it gives us the answers to some of life’s biggest questions such as Why I am here? What is the meaning of life? and What happens when I die?

It is important not to let circular reasoning become the justification for believing the Bible. We cannot say that someone should believe the Bible because the Bible says it should be believed and obeyed. The Bible ought to be tested to see if it is true before putting your trust in its claims. Some arguments have already been made in defence of believing the Bible in this paper. Here is another one to consider. For many years it was a standard medical practice to bleed sick people as a cure for their illness. Many died because of excessive blood loss. Now doctors know that bloodletting is counterproductive. The Bible has always taught that “the life of a creature is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11).

When tested the Bible is proven to be true in every area and this is why we ought to believe the Bible and all that it claims.