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Introduction
Opinions about the Bible range from its total dismissal as a collection of myths and fables to the reverent embrace of Scripture as sacred, inerrant, and inviolate. In secular academic circles, there are those who see the Bible as nothing more than the efforts of ancient writers to portray their people as God’s “chosen” nation, thus elevating the Bible’s historical significance. Other scholars, however, after looking carefully into the Bible—along with the history and archeology of the nations and cultures impacting its narratives—have marveled at the accuracy of its predictions, the credibility of its history, and the consistency of its themes.
For professing Christianity, the compilation of books known as the Holy Bible is purportedly the basis for belief and doctrinal teaching. Accordingly, if you consider yourself a Christian, or at least a “believer in God,” the next logical step is to determine whether the Bible is reliable as the inspired Word of God. Indeed, the Bible is the essential foundation on which your Christian life should be based.
But can you prove its veracity? Many Christians cannot.
There are hundreds of professing Christian sects and denominations that wrangle over doctrines and beliefs. They cannot all be correct in the sight of God. Finding out who, if anyone, is truly right could be a hopeless exercise—unless we know what God Himself teaches us. For that, we need a reliable source of information about God and what He actually teaches.
There is every reason to believe that the Bible could be that source. But rather than assume its accuracy and reliability, why not examine for ourselves whether the Bible is in fact the Word of God—or whether it is simply myth and legend? After all, if we are not careful, we could make the same mistake as those who are ignorant and gullible—assuming things to be true that in fact may not be true. Should we not rather “prove all things”—refusing to believe anything we cannot prove?
Many professing Christians take for granted, without proof, that the Bible is the Word of God. Thus, they have little defense when assaulted by arguments against the Bible’s credibility or claims that it “says this” or “says that.” Doubt can set in, and their faith may be weakened. In some cases, the shaken believer can be led into all kinds of false notions—or worse, into outright skepticism and ultimately atheism.
But there is no reason that this should ever happen.
There are a number of solid reasons to believe that the Bible is in fact the inspired and reliable Word of God. For example: 1) Many of the Bible’s prophetic predictions have been fulfilled in history, sometimes centuries after the prophecy was given; 2) Many biblical historical accounts are verified by both secular history and archaeology; 3) The Bible is essentially in agreement with the proven facts of science; 4) The Bible’s internal consistency and harmony clearly point to its divine inspiration.
While these four areas of biblical authenticity are not the only evidence for the divine inspiration of the Bible, they are among the most convincing, especially for those coming to the subject from a position of uncertainty. With that in mind, we will elaborate on these four aspects of biblical veracity.—Duncan MacLeod
