We Christians place all our eggs in one basket—Jesus Christ. Our knowledge of Jesus comes from a single source—the Bible. We believe it “is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16–17) and we embrace it as the only true revelation of Jesus.
We, therefore, obey Peter’s command to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).
These following paragraphs describe four reasons the Bible is true. They summarize Hank Hanegraaff’s article, “M-A-P-S to Guide You through Biblical Reliability.”
First, we trust the Bible because of manuscripts.
We do not possess the original biblical documents, only manuscript copies. We can use three main tests to show their accuracy: bibliographic, eyewitness, and external.
The bibliographic test considers the number of manuscripts and the time span between them and the originals. The Bible has stronger bibliographic support than any work of classical literature—including Homer, Tacitus, Pliny, and Aristotle. The depth of its foundation also transcends all other, more recent, supposed revelations of Jesus.
We have more than 14,000 Old Testament manuscripts. The oldest date to 250-200 BC. The prophets finished writing the original manuscripts around 400 BC.
We have over 5,300 New Testament manuscripts. Scribes copied almost 800 of these before AD 1000. Only about 60 years elapsed between the original composition and our earliest copies. For manuscript evidence, this is a short period.
A large number of manuscripts and the short time between the originals and our copies ensure the Bible’s trustworthiness.
The eyewitness test focuses on author credentials. Biblical writers witnessed—or interviewed others who witnessed—the majority of events they describe. Moses, for example, took part in the Exodus events before he wrote about them.
The New Testament also provides eyewitness authenticity. Luke gathered eyewitnesses and “carefully investigated everything” (Luke 1:1–3). The disciples “were eyewitnesses of [Jesus’] majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).
The external evidence test examines the historical reliability of facts in the Bible. Documents from other world religions and fake “christian” cults often fail this test. The Bible passes with ease. We will see an Old Testament example below. Regarding the New Testament, secular historians almost contemporary with its writers offer the desired evidence. Josephus (before AD 100), Tacitus (around AD 120), Suetonius (AD 110), and Pliny (AD 100–110) refer to Jesus and confirm other New Testament references.
Second, we trust the Bible because of archeology.
Critics once dismissed the Book of Daniel in part because of its reference to a Babylonian king named Belshazzar. No external evidence existed to confirm his existence in Daniel’s time. Later, archaeologists discovered the reigning monarch had appointed Belshazzar as co-regent during his absence. Archeology proved Daniel was correct.
A New Testament example concerns Luke’s two books: his gospel and the Acts. An archaeologist and biblical skeptic, Sir William Ramsay, tried to disprove their reliability. Instead, his investigations converted him to Christianity because the archeological evidence he discovered showed the absolute accuracy of Luke’s writing.
Archeology confirms the Bible. Not one archeological finding has proved it contains an error.
Third, we trust the Bible because of prophecy.
It predicts events unknowable without divine inspiration. Bible opponents once used predictive passages as arguments against its reliability. Scribes wrote the prophecies, they said, after the events. They made the Bible appear to predict events like the birth of Christ.
The Dead Sea Scrolls discovery in 1946 damaged the credibility of this argument. They included a manuscript of Isaiah with his virgin-birth-of-Christ prophecy (Isaiah 7:14). This scroll existed at least a century before Jesus’ birth. This confirms the accuracy of this prophecy found in our Bibles.
Prophecies about Tyre give more evidence. The Bible predicted nations would oppose the city (Ezekiel 26:3), destroy its walls (Ezekiel 26:4), and throw its stones into the sea (Ezekiel 26:12). Historical records confirm the precise and unexpected fulfillment of these prophecies.
Old Testament prophecies of Christ made it impossible for Jesus to fulfill them deliberately. These include His descent from Abraham; birth in Bethlehem; crucifixion with criminals; the piercing of His hands, feet, and side; soldiers gambling for His clothes; and His burial among the rich.
Fourth, we trust the Bible because of statistics.
We believe the fulfillment of the Bible’s specific prophecies through chance, good guessing, or deliberate deceit is statistically impossible.
Forty different human authors wrote the Bible over 1500 years in three different languages. They discussed hundreds of subjects. Yet one consistent, non-contradictory theme runs through it: God’s redemption through Jesus. Without God’s Unseen Hand guiding this process, how can we explain this harmony? It seems statistically impossible.
Indeed, we Christians have placed all our eggs in one basket—the Lord Jesus Christ—and we depend on the Bible alone to inform our faith in him. We have strong reasons to believe it is reliable.
2 comments
Fine article. It is informative and biblical.
Thank you, Isaac, for your feedback. I would value your input regarding specific points or on the overall prophetic model.