The Bible

The Bible accounts for God’s action in the world and his purpose with all creation. It is a compilation that contains an astonishing variety of literary styles. It provides many stories about the living, bad people, battles, journeys, the life of Jesus, and early Church activity. It is God’s guide for living life to the full. It has beautiful stories for children and grownups. It tells of people in pain, suffering, prison, and mourning. It tells how they turn to strength in their desperate hours. It is a treasury of insight as to who we are. It provides standards for our conduct, guidelines for knowing right from wrong, and principles to use in a society where so often “anything goes.” The Bible was written by people inspired and directed by God’s Holy Spirit.

Is the Bible the Word of God?

There's no doubt that this is an important question. If the Bible is the Word of God, it changes everything—the way we view life, the way we live life, and the choices we make. If the Bible is the Word of God, then it is true, and failure to follow, obey, and trust it will have eternal consequences. To ignore God's Word is to ignore God Himself.

The existence of the Bible proves God's love. God did not have to communicate to humanity, but He chose to so that we could know Him, enjoy fellowship with Him, and understand ourselves and the world. If He had not taken the first step to reveal Himself to us through His Word, we would not know Him, and we would be left to deduce what we could about the world from what we could sense. But God has graciously shown us the Truth contained in the Bible.

Since God is our Creator (Isaiah 40:28), He is our authority (Isaiah 43:15), and His Word is the final authority for humankind. It is the only entirely trustworthy moral litmus test (1 John 2:5). It explains life and death and gives us a clear understanding of right and wrong.

So, how do we know that our Bible is the actual Word of God?
Could the Bible be just another holy book?
What is the evidence that the Bible we buy in the bookstore today is truly the Word of God?

The Bible itself claims to be the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 says, "… and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

Internal Evidence

The verse is an example of "internal" evidence that the Bible is the Word of God. Internal evidence is the things stated within the Bible that claim their divine origin. A few other pieces of internal evidence are the Bible's unity, fulfilled prophecies, and unique, powerful authority.

The Bible's unity means that, even though it was written by more than 40 different authors over three continents, in three different languages, and comprises 66 individual documents, it is cohesive down to the last detail. Every supposed contradiction in the Bible can be answered satisfactorily. There are no mistakes, and it all works together perfectly. That's a miracle!

The fulfilled prophecies in the Bible also indicate that it is God's Word. Hundreds of prophecies about future kingdoms and nations, and most importantly, the Messiah, were spoken and fulfilled, sometimes hundreds of years later. It is all recorded in the Bible. Unlike many modern prophecies, the prophecies in Scripture are very detailed and fulfilled. There is no way this happened by chance. The only answer is that the Bible is of divine origin.

The Bible's unique authority and power are other internal evidence of its divine origin. Millions of lives have been revealed to have this power, which has changed throughout human history. Martyrs have given their lives up to preserve its Truth. Sinners throughout the ages have been convicted and changed by it, broken hearts have been healed by God's comforting voice coming through its pages, and salvation has been graciously made available through its record of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. No other book in human history has the power to change lives like the Bible, the Word of the God who created life.

External Evidence

In addition to the internal evidence, there is also external evidence that the Bible is God's Word, including its historicity, the integrity of its human authors, and its indestructibility.

The Bible's "historicity" means it is true and accurate to the historical events recorded by non-religious sources. Archaeological events and historical writings prove the Bible to be true. It is the best-documented book from the ancient world. The accurate historical records in the Bible prove its truthfulness about spiritual subjects.

The integrity of its human authors is another external evidence of its truthfulness. When the lives of the authors of Scripture are studied, they are found to be honest men. Their willingness to die for their beliefs shows they were sure of their testimonies. Those who wrote the New Testament (and hundreds of others) had seen Jesus Christ after He rose from the dead. If they had been lying about seeing Him, there is no doubt that at least one of them would have been unwilling to die for what he believed to be false. But all the apostles, without exception, remained true to their testimonies until the end of their lives (1 Corinthians 15:6).

The indestructibility of the Bible is another strong evidence that it is indeed God's Word because of its message, which, in contrast to every other religion, humbles man's ability to save himself and provides the need for God's grace instead (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Bible has endured more attacks and attempts to eliminate it than any other historical book. From the early Romans to the communist dictators to the atheists and agnostics of modernism and postmodernism, the Bible has survived. It is still published more than any other book worldwide.

Over the ages, scoffers have called the Bible a myth, but archeological records have proved its historicity. Others have denounced its teachings as outdated and useless, but its positive impact on cultures' moral and legal systems worldwide is undeniable. Scientists, psychologists, and politicians continue to attack the Bible, but its Truth has never been disproven, and its light has never been snuffed out. It continues to change lives and cultures just as it did 2,000 years ago. God supernaturally protects the Bible, proving it is His Word, just as it claims to be. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Mark 13:31).

When all the evidence is before us, there is no doubt that the Bible is indeed the Word of God.