Reliability of the Bible
“Since it was impossible, without God, to come to a knowledge of God, He teaches men, through His Word, to know God.” -Irenaeus in Pillars
How can we be sure that the Bible is the infallible word of God? Through the centuries, various skeptics have debated the accuracy of Scripture. Some claim that the process of determining the holy canon – that is, the 66 books that make up the Bible – missed the mark, while others debate the accuracy of how the Bible was translated. Still others claim that the Bible’s writers were not inspired by God, but by their own opinions.
A strong confirmation that the writings of the Bible were inspired by God are the numerous prophecies that were written in the Bible far in advance of their fulfillment. The abundance and agreement of ancient Bible manuscripts also verify the accuracy and reliability of both the Old and New Testaments, as do archaeological finds.
Throughout the Bible, we are reminded of Scripture’s completeness, inerrancy and authoritativeness. 2 Timothy 3:16 notes that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” In John 10:35, Jesus himself states that “the Scripture cannot be broken.” We can trust that God’s Word “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11).
by Charlie Campbell
Now, many times when I’ve heard pastors touch on the idea that there are supposed contradictions in the Bible, they’ve said: “Just tell the skeptic to show you one–and then hand them your Bible!” That’s not bad advice. Most of the people who will ever tell you that the Bible is “full of contradictions” can not show you even a single example. They are just parroting off something they’ve heard.
But, my friends, there are apparent contradictions in the Bible. And there is coming a time for many of you when you will discover one yourself, or perhaps somebody will actually point one of them out to you. So in this article I want to do more than just tell you “Hand them your Bible and ask them to show you one!” I want to look at seven popular examples of apparent contradictions and show you how they are resolved, and how the critics have erred. (read more)
In July 2000, ABC News anchor Peter Jennings was in Israel broadcasting a television special on Jesus Christ. His program, “The Search for Jesus,” explored the question of whether the Jesus of the New Testament was historically accurate. (read more)
by Jimmy Williams
How do we know that the Bible we have today is even close to the original? Haven't copiers down through the centuries inserted and deleted and embellished the documents so that the original message of the Bible has been obscured? These questions are frequently asked to discredit the sources of information from which the Christian faith has come to us. (read more)
by Hank Hanegraaff
Have you tried to show someone the historical reliability of the Scriptures, and not known where to start? A quick trip to your local well-stocked Christian bookstore likely will overwhelm you. Where among the dozens of impressive, comprehensive reference books should you start?
Fortunately, while there is a wealth of information available to support the reliability of Scripture, you don’t have to burn the midnight oil to give a reasonable answer to those who ask, “How can we know the Bible is reliable?” Four basic principles chart your way to understanding basic biblical reliability. (read more)
By Craig L. Blomberg
Of the four New Testament Gospels, the one that least resembles the other three is the Gospel of John. While some of those most skeptical Gospel scholars dismiss all four as fairly untrustworthy, many are willing to give significant credence to the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke) but still doubt that more than a small handful of details of the fourth Gospel can be deemed historical. In light of the differences, can the overall credibility of John be salvaged in any way? Fourteen arguments converge to suggest an affirmative answer. (read more)
by Patrick Zukeran
There is an ongoing debate among scholars regarding the historical accuracy of the Bible. (read article)
Christianity is a historical faith based on actual events recorded in the Bible. Archaeology has therefore played a key role in biblical studies and Christian apologetics in several ways.
First, archaeology has confirmed the historical accuracy of the Bible. It has verified many ancient sites, civilizations, and biblical characters whose existence was questioned by the academic world and often dismissed as myths. Biblical archaeology has silenced many critics as new discoveries supported the facts of the Bible. (read more)
Add two to the "we're not surprised" category of archaeological finds in Palestine. For reasons that are at times hard to understand, archaeologists have moved increasingly in the direction of skepticism toward biblical history, despite mounting evidence in its favor. (read more)
When people speak of the Bible as inspired, they are referring to the fact that God divinely influenced the human authors of the Scriptures in such a way that what they wrote was the very Word of God. In the context of the Scriptures, the word “inspiration” simply means “God-breathed.” Inspiration means the Bible truly is the Word of God and makes the Bible unique among all other books. (read more)
by Chuck Missler
Many of us who have enjoyed the creative writings of Michael Crichton over the years were also intrigued by his book (or the blockbuster movie) Jurassic Park, which explored the feasibility of cloning prehistoric animals from the DNA captured, in this case, by a prehistoric mosquito encapsulated in amber. Provocative entertainment, indeed! (read more)
by Rick James
I’m sure we’ve all heard of skeptics who accuse the Gospels of containing all manner of fabrications, placed there in blinded zeal by the disciples or other church leaders in order to strengthen the growing church or propagate the Christian faith. If this were true, you’d have to step back and ask, “Why would the Gospel writers make up damaging and humiliating facts such as Peter’s denial?” (read more)
by Rick James
The historicity of Pontius Pilate is a case study in the current trends of archaeology. It wasn’t long ago that critics questioned the existence of Pilate because of little corroboration from historical documents. (read more)
by Dean Davis
Sometimes you have only one shot. If so, you have to make it count.
This was the case with me once, following a history lecture I attended at our local senior center. During discussion time, I had mentioned that modern archeology has repeatedly demonstrated the amazing historical accuracy of the Bible. I thought that nothing further would come of the comment, but I was wrong. Immediately after the lecture ended, an agitated man made his way straight for me. Before we could even exchange pleasantries, his question burst forth: “How can you possibly believe that the Bible is the Word of God?” He wanted an answer and, with some difficulty, was waiting for it. Leaning on the Lord, I gave him my best shot. (read more)
If you read the Quran and the Bible, you would see that there is a big difference between the two books. The Bible is full of prophecies and the Quran is not. What God tells us through His Prophets about things to come is called ‘prophecy’. (read more)
Find answers to your questions about the contents of the Bible including: What is the Canon of Scripture? Who decided which books should be placed in the Bible? What criteria were used in determining which books belonged in the Bible? How do we know the correct books are in the Bible? (read more)
by Rick James
Knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (read more)
by Rick James
The resurrection stands as the hallmark, or tagline, of Jesus’ ministry. The veracity of Jesus’ life and ministry stands or falls on the historical authenticity of this event, and so the issue to ponder is not so much the event itself as it is the evidence for the event. Was Jesus resurrected? (read more)
by Charles R. Swindoll
Chuck Swindoll assures us of the authority and reliability of Scripture as the very words of God. And although God used many different human instruments, the Holy Spirit directed each author to perfectly record each word of God’s truth. This article teaches us about the incredible, unchanging tool God has placed in our hands to guide us through life. (read article) |
