Why the
Bible is Reliable
As Christians,
we look to the Bible for wisdom to face all the hot topics of
life. But is the Bible really all that reliable? Yes! Here are 5 reasons:
1. It says so. The
Scriptures claim to be the "very word of God" (Romans
3:2), written by men
who were guided by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). The
human authors of the
Bible regarded their writings as revelations from God
(Exodus 24:3-4, Galatians
1:12) and took great care in recording the words
of God (Luke 1:1-4;
John 21:24).
2. Jesus said so. Jesus
constantly defended the authority and reliability of
Scripture, and he
promised the supernatural completion of the New
Testament (John 10:35;
14:26).
3. Manuscript evidence
says so. Even though we don't have the original
Biblical manuscripts,
we can trust our modern-day Bibles. The Dead Sea
Scrolls date back
to the 1st century A.D. and verify that the Old Testament
was handed down through
the years with great care. The New Testament is
authenticated by thousands
of Greek manuscripts, some as early as the
second and third century
A.D.-very near the time of the original documents.
No wonder the New
Testament is considered the most attested ancient
document of its kind!
4. Prophecy says so.
The Bible is packed with prophecies that have been
fulfilled with incredible
accuracy (Daniel 2,7). Many were written hundreds
of years before their
fulfilment!
5. Archaeology says
so. Excavations in this century have constantly
confirmed - rather
than contradicted - the accuracy of the Scripture.
Despite the
doubts of some, it is clear that the Bible is the reliable Word of
God, "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness,
so that men of God may be thoroughly equipped for ever
good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). |