How do we know that the Bible is actually the Inspired Word of God?
Is the Bible actually God's message to us? When you think about it, this is one of the most important questions a person can ask. If the Bible is a message from God, we must listen to it and set our lives by it. If it is simply a religious text from antiquity, we might marvel at it, but we certainly won’t submit to it.
So, IS the Bible inspired? Many people would say “yes” but not be able to give much support. Others would say “no” and might cite something they learned from a college professor or the DaVinci Code. Others would say “I’m not really sure and I don’t really care.” If you’re in any of these groups, I urge you to read closely what we’re about to cover.
If the Bible was inspired, what would expect from it? Pause right now and think about that. What would you expect from the Bible if it were truly a message from God?
I would imagine that you’d probably expect it to be deeply meaningful, deeply important, deeply inspiring. If you thought longer about it, you’d probably also think that when it spoke of things that were related to fact—such as geography, science, history, etc., it would be true. Lastly, if there were areas that it foretold events to come, you’d expect them to actually come about in the manner that was given to us. Well, let me encourage you that the Bible is all this and more!
Let’s start with some foundational concepts that we need to build upon.
First, we need to recognize that the Bible claims to be God’s message to us. Now before you start shouting “circular reasoning!” hear me out—in just a few moments, I’ll attempt to show you how we know the Bible is from God. But we need to know that it really presents itself this way. No one reads the ingredients on Fruit Loops and wonders if it’s a message from God. Why would they? It never claims to be. Likewise, Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat doesn’t claim to be a message from God so no one really wonders about its implications for life.
But the Bible is different. In over 3000 separate instances, it claims to be a message from God. Over and over it says, “Thus says the Lord…” Over and over it says, “Grace to you and peace from God…” Over and over it says, “Hear the Word of the Lord…” So, with 3000 statements like this, we need to sit down and consider the validity of statements such as these. Has the Lord really said these things? Is the Bible a clear and faithful copy of what God wants us to know?
As we dig deeper into this point, let’s think through some of the ways we’d expect God to show that He has indeed given us His message in the Bible.
For one thing, if the Bible is God’s message to us, then it ought to be true in areas of history, right? Indeed! The Bible is the most consulted ancient text in existence. It is frequently used to explain the archaeological findings in the Middle East and often countries in those areas will have parks & monuments at places where biblical events took place. Modern archaeologists routinely use the Bible to triangulate their findings. The New Testament book of Luke is considered one of the most reliable sources to understanding the political conditions of ancient Rome.
So, these days, the Bible is regularly acknowledged to be historically reliable, even by secular scholars. But this wasn't always the case. A couple centuries ago, scholars used to say that the Bible was filled with factual errors in relation to historical events. They’d cite a few examples of people/places that they assumed never existed. For instance, they use to say that the most famous king of Israel, known as David, never existed. He was just myth. And then they'd tease out the conclusion and say that since David never lived, massive sections of the Bible must be historically inaccurate. This "factoid" (a false fact presented as true) was often cited until the early 1990s. Then in 1993, archaeologists found steles (historical monuments of the ancient world) that referred to King David. Suddenly, one of the key examples of "biblical errors" came to an abrupt end. Wow, David really lived.
The same is true for ancient people groups such as the Hittites, mentioned in the Bible. For much of modern scholarship, there had yet to be found any trace of the Hittites. The notion of Hittites really living was laughed at by scholars. But over time, not only has archaeology found proof of the Hittites, they now have the capital in along the Turkey/Syria border. Google “Hittite Capital” and you won’t find anyone saying “the Hittites were mythical people.”
It might be helpful to give one more example with the book of Exodus. If you were to google, “When did the exodus happen?” You’ll find a wide range of beliefs about when it should have happened, and you’ll even find various archeologists that claim it never happened because they cannot find any evidence for it occurring during the time period when they say it must have happened (based upon their secular dating assumptions). The thing is, modern archeology continues to reset these old dating theories. As modern archeologists have studied the Middle East, they have found loads of evidence for the Exodus, just not in time frames that have fit the secular dating hypotheses. They still don’t admit to it having happened, but if they would recalibrate their assumptions back to the biblical record, the modern archeological discoveries give tremendous evidence for the exodus!
Well, we could go on and on with more examples, but the point is that the Bible IS historically accurate and these attempts to discredit it consistently end up being disproven.
How about geography? Did all those places really exist? When we read the book The Wizard of Oz, we hear about the Emerald City and the Yellow Brick Road. Other ancient myths speak of places that have never existed. Yet, when you look at the Bible, not only do we have evidence for those places existing in the past, they’re still there! Places like Jerusalem, Jericho, and Gaza are mentioned throughout the Bible. But they’re also mentioned on the evening news all the time! They are real places! Sure, some cities have changed their names but that’s not a problem—if you look at the history of many towns in America, they often change their names (note Hagerstown, MD). But where the Bible is concerned, there are NO lost continents, no mysterious lands, nothing like that at all. It’s just straight fact—in fact, as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the Bible is actually used in archaeology to help determine what cities are being discovered when they’re dug up.
Let’s go on to science…is the Bible scientifically reliable?
People often say that the Bible is full of scientific inaccuracy. What they’re talking about is really the first few chapters of Genesis, because (let's be honest) these chapters are a pretty jarring read if you’ve never read anything like them before. You’ve got God creating things in the blink of an eye and not in the order we'd expect. To our modern senses, it seems so contrary to what we learn in High School and College. If that's you, I can relate. I didn't grow up reading or believing the Bible. At first, these chapters threw me too. So, I was once there too…but then I gave the Bible an honest look.
Think about it, if God COULD do anything, He certainly could do everything Genesis 1-11 contains. Likewise, if the Bible is truly from God, then either it really happened as it is described (which I personally believe) or at least it’s something God wants us to understand because the theology of the first eleven chapters of Genesis is amazing. If you are interested in this topic, there are many books that seek to prove the reality of Genesis through REAL science. Don’t let the skeptics drown out the voices of these up and coming scientific discoveries. Increasingly, our ability to examine nature is proving (rather than disproving) these things. Studies in String Theory, Time-Dilation, DNA, and astronomy continue to verify rather than discredit the Bible. Likewise, Creationist theories such as Irreducible Complexity and Apparent Age answer many (perhaps even most) questions from skeptics. And while we don’t have the space or resources to dive deeper into this exciting branch of science, look into these links and consider for yourself if perhaps the Bible is saying things that are true after all.
Another important point to understand is that the Bible is a book written to all mankind from God. Not everyone in history had 145 IQs. Not everyone in history understood cause and effect, scientific theory, etc. Yet the Bible is written FOR the professor of Harvard just as much as for the Motilone Indian tribe in Columbia, South America—all people need to be able to read it and understand it. The wording had to be accurate, but meaningful. Therefore, the wording God uses accurately explains His truths in a manner that actually makes sense to all people groups throughout history. When you consider this point, it's quite astounding that a Berkeley Professor and a NFL football player and a CEO can all find out that indeed, God's Word is true.
So, we need to understand that when the Bible talks about science, it’s accurate—it might not use the same terms as we do, and it might not be as precise as our modern science, but when it speaks to matters of life and nature, it is accurate. For instance, the Bible says that the Earth is round (Isaiah 40:22) —that wasn't even the prevailing belief in science until a few centuries ago. Likewise, it describes a limitless expanse of the universe (Isaiah 55:9). Likewise, it talks about the stars being innumerable (Jeremiah 33:22) and while we have tried to map and count every star, thanks to Hubble we've found out that some “stars” we’re looking at are actually whole galaxies—definitely not numerable!
Sometimes you'll hear people talk about the dimensions of a giant round bowl in 1 Kings 7—it's 30 cubits around and 10 cubits across. The quick math says that “pi” would have to be "3" rather than 3.14. This is a "Bible inaccuracy" that some people cite—but there's a backstory that they are missing. For one thing, 3 and 3.14 aren't so far off, when you think about it and not bad for people who didn't have modern mathematical computation and just used simple numbers. But more importantly, the full description of the text in 1 Kings 7 explains that the disk is shaped like a flower where the lip flairs outward so that the dimensions of the lip are different than the inner dimensions of the bowl. Thus, the questions of "pi" are resolved when we understand the irregular shape of the sides of the bowl. So, all this is to underscore, that while I'm not saying that the Bible is a science or math textbook, I am saying that when it refers to things that can be examined scientifically and mathematically, it is accurate.
So far, we’ve talked about how the Bible is amazingly frank and candid when it discusses matters of history, geography, science, etc. But these may not convince us that it’s from God—afterall, a car repair manual better be pretty accurate, but we wouldn’t put our eternal soul in its hands. So, let’s move on…
The Bible is more than just an accurate ancient book, indeed it has a voice and tone that sets it apart from all other literature. When you read scripture, there is a powerful message that is being placed upon your soul. It has a weight you can feel. It’s a message of God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness. It’s a message of God’s goodness and man’s rebellion. It’s a message of what God has done to reconcile us to Him, and it’s a message of the horrific reality that awaits those who refuse Him.
The message of the Bible is so complete and so unified, we take it for granted. I doubt anyone reading what I just wrote blinked an eye because it’s simply what scripture says, through and through. And yet, the fact that scripture is so unified around this message is something of a miracle in itself.
You see, the Bible is an old book. And not only was it old, it was written across a spectrum of cultures and regions. Some of it is a record of oral tradition that is so exact that it baffles modern scholars. Some of it is a force of unity that it amazes its students.
Here’s what I mean. The Bible was written by about 40 authors over 2000 years. Think about that for a minute. Have you ever heard JFK’s speeches? While they are beautiful, they clearly represent a perspective on life that is different from most of ours today. And yet, that was only 40-50 years ago! Look at the changes in America in the last century—from technology, to morality, to politics, to the family. Our nation has changed. And yet the Bible has an amazingly unchanging message from cover to cover.
And it wasn't just because they were all drinking the same Kool-Aid. Back then, generally only the rich people were educated. Generally, only rich people had access to the writing implements to record information. Generally, only rich people, had access to other copies of literature. Yet the Bible was written by the rich and the poor. It was written by kings and peasants; doctors and fisherman. It was written from Israel, Babylon and even a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. If Americans can't agree with Americans from 40-50 years ago, how could the Bible be so unified when written over such a span of time and by such a spectrum of people?
Lest you think I’m talking about the obvious stuff—like “God is loving” I’m not. I wouldn’t be very impressed if the only unified thing the Bible could say about God is that He is loving. But there is so much more! There are subtle “rivers” of truth that flow throughout scripture that would be missed if it were not for the complete revelation. For instance, you may not know this but the classic phrase from Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” is nestled into a subtle statement of the doctrine of the Trinity. Genesis 1:2 talks about “God” (the Father). Genesis 1:2 talks about the Spirit. Genesis 1:3 talks about the “Word”—which is another term for Jesus. A few verses later, when God talks about creating people, He says in Genesis 1:26 “Let us make man in our image”—wow, it sounds like God is plural there. However, in the very next verse it says, “God created man in his own image”–now it’s back to singular. Even in these verses we can see the germinal idea of the plurality of the godhead united in one person (sorry for the fancy theological terms there). That’s an amazing and subtle message that is carried through the whole Bible.
I could go on and talk about the unified message the nature of sin and the need for faith instead of works, the coming Messiah, the nature of God’s wrath, the nature of prophecy, etc. These, and countless other themes, are quite astounding in their unity. They present God in a complex array of facets, each complementing and further highlighting the person and nature of God. When you really take the time to look at these doctrines and consider them in light of how the Bible has 40 authors over 2000 years, it’s beyond possible.
No other religious work can say this. The Book of Mormon claims to be from God along with the Bible, but its contradictions with the Bible are dizzying. The Quran has so many contradictions, they have a whole system of how to handle them. They solve the problem by saying that whatever was spoken last overrides whatever was said earlier! Wow![1] Or consider Hindu writings…Hinduism has so many "gods" that no one even tries to assemble Hindu teachings into a single source. Their teachings cover so many “gods” that their contradictions end up being something akin to brand loyalties--you choose a god much like choosing Pepsi over Snapple. You like the taste of this god over that one. Again, the Bible is nothing like this.
As we look at the Bible, we begin to develop the clear impression that this book is like no other. Sure, lots of books claim to be from God, but none have the precision, form, power, and message of scripture. Indeed, the very theme of the Bible is unlike anything else: God is holy and pure. He created man without sin. Man rebelled against God and has been cast from His presence. God loved man despite this rebellion. God made the way for man to be reconciled to Him: He sent His perfect Son who would give His life as a ransom for their sins. Then God would even give people the faith necessary to believe this message. Finally, God would place His Holy Spirit into His people so that they could then live and walk with Him. It’s an amazing message without parallel in the rest of the world.
And this brings us to our final “proof” that the Bible is the Word of God: It truly changes people’s lives. When we live by it, our lives become healthier, stronger, more joyful, peaceful, and wise. There is no other book that is even remotely so beneficial to the soul, to marriage, to society. Of course, you’d expect God’s Word to be an immense blessing to the world when they follow it, and it is!
That is not true of all “good” wisdom of this world. I once heard a proverb from Winston Churchill that "the world is run by tired men." I don’t know if he really said it, but it makes sense that he would because he was known to function on just four hours of sleep during World War II. The thing is, if we were to take Winston’s words and apply them to every person’s life in every situation, we’d really mess up the world! Everyone would be walking around completely exhausted and things would eventually start to fall apart. When it comes to the world’s wisdom, what was “wise” for one person doesn't apply to all men everywhere.
But the Bible is not like that. The Bible (when interpreted and applied correctly) is relevant for every person in every culture in every epoch of humanity. Its power works in kings and aboriginals. Its transforming nature cleanses movie stars and skid row bums. As a pastor, I have a front row seat in watching God change people’s lives all the time; it's what keeps me excited about the ministry. I’ve seen first-hand how the clear, simple message can being about the total new birth in a prostitute so that after she followed its teachings, she was transformed and was nothing like the person she once was. I knew her before and after she began to submit to God’s Word. Her life is a testimony to the wisdom and work of God through His Word!
The Bible changes lives. If you set out to obey it’s teaching (when properly interpreted), you WILL be different. And that difference won’t come as the result of your own “boot strap” will power, it comes by the power of God, through His Spirit, working in you and through you. It’s truly amazing!
So having said all of this, now we’ve got to make a decision. What are we going to do with all of this? Can we simply walk away? Do we have that luxury? Is that even an option anymore? Indeed, it is not. At this point, you can either harden your heart to God, or you can surrender your heart to Him and commit—like the psalmist in Psalm 119:4—to obey God’s word diligently.
Friend, the Bible is God’s inspired Word. It is His gift to you! If you’re ready to listen to what your Creator has to say, I encourage you to develop the daily habit of coming to God’s Word to understand His message for you. Keep in mind, that the Bible is not a simple book. In fact, you need to know that it’s divided into two “testaments” (the Old Testament and the New Testament). The word “testament” means covenant, and the Bible is the record of the covenants that God has made with man, to save and redeem anyone who would call upon Him to be rescued.
We need to be rescued because Genesis 1 to 3 records how God created the world, but man brought sin into it. In Genesis 3:15, God promised to provide a Savior (not in those exact terms, but the point was that God would save man). The rest of the Old Testament records how God worked through the people of Israel to prepare the world for the Messiah. When the Messiah came, the Old Covenant (in the Old Testament) came to an end. God then established the New Covenant where He will create a new kind of people, through Christ, and we enter into this new kind of people by calling out to Him for salvation. The rest of the New Testament gives the documents of this New Covenant and how we are to live. This means, that if you are in covenant with God through Jesus’ death on the cross, and His resurrection to new life; then you should be looking to the New Testament to understand how you should live. The Old Testament is still tremendously valuable to understand how we got here, and it describes other aspects of fellowship with God that are relevant to our lives, but ultimately its describing a covenant (and kind of spiritual relationship with God) that has been fulfilled and finalized by Christ. So, at first, focus on the New Testament and read it as God’s words to you about how you should live and walk with Him, once you have called upon Him to be your Lord and God and King.
Thanks for reading and may God bless you as you study His Word!
[1] Now, just in case you’re thinking Christians do that with the Old and New Testaments, there is a huge difference. For one thing, the Old Testament has large sections that are about ceremonial law of sacrifices. But the ceremonial law was fulfilled (and therefore finished) in Christ so now we don’t need to follow that specific code anymore. It was legitimately fulfilled and therefore its purpose and presence is complete.
