How Do We Know The Bible Is True?
Please note, donations needed: We have not yet purchased all of the Bibles for this exhibit. If you could donate an older Bible, please contact us. We are looking for older Bibles (various translations) that are in fairly good condition.
The Bible claims to be an eye-witness report describing God's creation of the earth and everything on it. How can we know the Bible is true and trustworthy? Is it true because Christians say it is true? Or is there evidence to back up this claim?
Truth Claims
Every religion, even universalism, claims their beliefs are the one true beliefs, and their book (if they have one) is truth. They all have faith in the "truth" of what they believe. However, having faith in something does not make it true. Even having a sincere, strong faith does not make the object of that faith true.
So how can you know which is true?
Some people turn to standards such as logic and history. For example, if a religion's book is contradictory, and gets well-known historical facts wrong, that's a good indication it cannot be trusted. Also, if a religion's book relies on obvious distorted translations of earlier works, that also says their book is not to be trusted. These criteria alone eliminate most religions as being based on truth.
There Must Be A Standard
If we are to measure the quality of something, there must be a standard to which it can be compared. In order to measure truth, there must be a standard that defines truth. Without a standard, we are walking on air. This brings up the question, how do we determine if the claimed standard is true? All religions claim their book(s) are the standard against which all other truth claims must be measured. How do we which of these claimed "standards" is true, if any?
The standard must be a self-attesting truth.
Here is an important point, quoting Mike Matthews: "An appeal to any other standard, such as the opinions of people, automatically means you must reject the Bible as your ultimate standard. Don’t miss this point; it’s worth repeating! (Once you point this out, most people will recognize the problem.)"
"Self-attesting" does not mean a book claims for itself that it is true, and that means it is true. All religious books make that claim.
Self-attesting does not simply mean someone reads the book, and just knows it is true. For example, some claim that true believers know the Bible is truth because they recognize the voice of Jesus:
"My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me..."
The claim is that Christians will read scripture (hear the voice of God), and know the books of the Bible are true. That's not what this verse is saying. Jesus is saying that those whom God saves, will be saved. When God calls someone to salvation, they will answer the call. The proper verse to quote would be John 15:26:
"When the Helper" [Holy Spirit] "comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, He will testify about Me..."
All Christians have the Holy Spirit to teach and guide them, including the Holy Spirit illuminating scripture to help us understand scripture. When someone becomes a Christian, one sign they truly are a Christian is that the Bible becomes more understandable. It is the Holy Spirit who strengthens our assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority of scripture. However, that is of no help for unbelievers.
What Does Self-Attesting Mean?
Many people point to the historical accuracy, coherence, and consistency of the Bible. For example, there are thousands of testable prophecies in the Bible that have proven true, 300 of which are about Jesus. These are specific prophecies, some of which give names, dates, and places, in most cases hundreds of years before they were fulfilled. Another strong proof is that the Bible was written by 40 men (inspired by God) over a period of 1,500 years, and remains fully coherent and consistent. Books written by a single author over a short time period have trouble meeting that standard. These are good points that are only true of the Bible, but they are based on human standards. So by relying on these proofs, as good as they are, we make human wisdom the standard for truth instead of the Bible. That will lead us astray.
What Does Scripture Say?
Jesus gives a number of ways we can know His claims are true, and thus the Bible is true. Some, such as the testimony of John the Baptist (John 5:34-36) apply more to the time when they happened. Others, such as the following, apply to all time:
The many miracles Jesus did (John 5:36): The main purpose of Jesus' miracles, were to authenticate Him as God and His message as true. Jesus did things that only God can do. However, how can we know the reports of these miracles in the Bible are true and accurate? The Gospel of John was written and circulated while eye-witnesses were still living. Christianity was growing rapidly, threatening the authority of the Jewish leaders. They were highly motivated to eliminate Christianity. Before he became a Christian, that was the Apostle Paul's job... to seek out, capture, and put Christians in prison. If the Jewish leaders could have shown the miracles John recorded were lies, faked or otherwise not true... they would have been all over them. However, even the Jewish leaders were eye-witnesses to some of the miracles, and the miracles -- things only God could do -- could not be denied.
The resurrection of Jesus (John 2:22): The ultimate proof is Jesus' resurrection. There was no doubt He was dead. No one ever came off a roman cross alive. To be sure He was dead a Roman solder had stuck a spear into Jesus' chest. He was dead. He was buried and the tomb was sealed and guarded. There was no doubt about that. Yet, on the third day He was alive. It wasn't just that the tomb was empty. He walked with people. He talked with them, He ate with them. At one point more than 500 witness saw Him alive and were taught by Him as a group. For 40 days after He died Jesus walked the earth, proving that what He taught was true... and that scripture is true.
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