1.
Its Honesty;
The Bible is painfully honest. It shows
Jacob, the father of its "chosen people", to be a deceiver.
It describes Moses the lawgiver as an insecure, reluctant
leader who killed a man and then ran for his life to
the desert. It portrays David not only as Israel's most
loved king, general, and spiritual leader, but as one
who took another man's wife and then, to cover his own
sin, conspired to have her husband killed. Scripture
was clearly not written for those who want simple answers
or an easy, optimistic view of religion and human nature.
2.
Its Preservation; In a cave on the northwest rim of the
Dead
Sea, a broken jar yielded documents hidden for two millennia.
One of the most important was a copy of Isaiah that
is essentially the same as the book of Isaiah appearing
in our own Bibles. The Dead Sea Scrolls discredited
the claims of those who believed the original Bible
had been lost to time and tampering.
3.
Its Claims For Itself; If the authors of Scripture had not claimed to speak for God, it would
be presumptuous for us to make that claim for them.
But with much supporting evidence and argument, the
Bible's authors did claim to be inspired by God. Because
millions have staked their present and eternal well-being
on those claims, the Bible cannot be a good book if
its authors consistently lied about their source of
information.
4.
Its Miracles;
If Jesus did not rise bodily from the dead, the apostle
Paul admits that the Christian faith is built on a lie
(1 Corinthians 15: 14-17). To show its credibility,
the New Testament names its witnesses, and did so within
a time-frame that enabled those claims to be tested
(1 Corinthians 15: 1-8). Many of the witnesses were
martyred. While martyrdom is not unusual, the basis
on which these people gave their lives is what's important.
Many have died for that they believed to be the truth.
But people do not die for what they know to be a lie.
5.
Its Unity;
Forty different authors writing over a period of 1,600
years penned the 66 books of the Bible. Four hundred
silent years separated the 39 books of the Old Testament
from the 27 of the New Testament. Yet, from Genesis
to Revelation, they tell one unfolding story. Together
they give consistent answers to our most important questions:
Why are we here? How can we come to terms with our fears?
How can we make peace with our Maker? The Bible's consistent
answers to these questions show that the Scriptures
are not many books but one.
6.
Its Historical And Geographic Accuracy; Down through the ages, many have doubted the historical
and geographical accuracy of the Bible. Yet archaeologists
have repeatedly unearthed evidence of the people, places,
and cultures described in the Scriptures. Time after
time, the descriptions in the biblical record have been
shown to be more reliable than the speculations of scholars.
7.
Its Endorsement By Christ;
Jesus recommended the Bible not only by His words, but
by His life. In times of personal suffering, He made
it clear that He believed the Old Testament Scriptures
were more than a national tradition (Mathew 4:1-11,
5:17-19). To His countrymen He said, "You search the Scriptures,
for in them you think you have eternal life; and these
are which testify of Me. But you are not willing to
come to Me that you may have life" (John 5 39-40).
8.
Its Prophetic Accuracy; From the days of Moses, the Bible predicted events that no one
wanted to believe. Before
Israel
went into the Promised Land, Moses predicted that
Israel
would be unfaithful, and that she would be dispersed
throughout the world, then re-gathered and reestablished
(Deuteronomy 28-31). Central to the Old Testament prophecy
was the promise of a Messiah who would save God's people
from their sins and eventually bring judgement and peace
to the whole world.
9.
Its Survival;
The books of Moses were written 500 years before the
earliest Hindu Scriptures. Moses wrote Genesis 2,000
years before Muhammad penned the Koran. No other book
has been so consistently bought, studied, and quoted
as the Bible.
10.
Its Power To Change Lives; The changed lives of people like the apostle Paul, Augustine,
Martin Luther, John Newton, Leo Tolstoy, and C.S. Lewis,
illustrate the difference the Bible can make. Even entire
tribes, like the Celts of Ireland, the Vikings of Norway,
to the Aucas of Ecuador have been transformed by the
Word of God and the unprecedented life and significance
of Jesus Christ.
You're
not alone
if you have questions about the reliability of
the Bible. Yet if the Bible is what it claims to be,
you don't have to try to sort out the evidence on your
own. Jesus said, "If anyone chooses to do God's will,
he will find out whether My teaching comes from God
or whether I speak on My own" (John 7:17 NIV).
Every
principal of Scripture shows us our need of the forgiveness
that Christ secured on our behalf. If we can help you
with questions or send additional information showing
the reasonableness and urgency of faith in Jesus Christ,
please write to us at the address shown on the main
page or email us. Your eternal life depends on the truths
that are recorded in the Bible. God's not going to play
games with His Word. Read, study, and live according
to the promises held in the Bible, your eternity depends
on the choices you make in this lifetime. Choose the
Truths of Christ today.
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