How do we know the Bible is true?
The Holy Spirit Reveals its Truth (1 John 5:6-13) “This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Man cannot believe in the truth of God’s Word unless the Holy Spirit reveals it. Satan will strive to do everything to stop the belief in the truth of God’s Word. 2 Cor. 4:4-6 “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants[a] for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
People Are Radically Transformed by the Truth (Romans 6:17) “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed” Romans 6:17
“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Cor. 6:11
“But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.” Acts 9:27-28
Jesus Regards it as True (John 8:31-32) “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus alone fulfilled more than 300 prophecies!
Followers of Jesus Reassured its Truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17) “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.“
Followers of Jesus Respond to the Truth with their Life (Acts 20:24-27) “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” 10 of the original disciples were killed because they knew the Word was true. Judas killed himself and John was exiled. Paul and many early followers of Jesus were killed defending the truth. John Wycliffe (c1330–1384) was 14th-century England’s outstanding thinker. A theologian by profession, he was called in to advise parliament in its negotiations with Rome. This was a world in which the church was all-powerful, and the more contact Wycliffe had with Rome, the more indignant he became. The papacy, he believed, reeked of corruption and self-interest. He was determined to do something about it. In 1427, Pope Martin ordered that John Wycliffe’s bones be dug up from their grave, burned and cast into the river Swift. Wycliffe had been dead for 40 years, but his offense still stung. William Tyndale died on 6 October 1536 (aged 42) Executed by strangling, then burnt at the stake. He was killed because he believed the bible to be so true that it should be read in the English language.
God’s Creation Resounds its Truth (Romans 1:19-20) “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1 It’s scientific accuracy is striking evidence. Earth’s roundness (Is 40:22), The Universe (Is 55:9, Jer 33:22), Law of mass and energy (2 Peter 3:7), Hydrologic cycle (Ecc 1:7), Medical and blood (Lev. 17:11), Atmospheric circulation (Ecc 1:6), Gravitational field (Job 26:7), others.
History Represents its Truth (1 Peter 1:24-25) “for all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
Homer’s works have been treasured and preserved for centuries. Only a few of Homer’s writings have survived. There is no complete copy of the poet’s works prior to the thirteenth century A.D.—more than two thousand years after the Greek writer lived. The Holy Bible, opposed and eradicated by many rulers over several centuries, has thousands of Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, and even today continues to be the best-selling publication in the world. There is no other book in which has received so much praise and opposition.
Archeologically continues to uncover the Bible’s truth. With it’s 66 books, written by more than 40 men over 2,000 years, with unity, consistency and one theme, Christ Jesus!
How did the Bible come to be?
(1 Peter 1:24-25) “for all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
With it’s 66 books, written by more than 40 men over 2,000 years, with unity, consistency and one theme, Christ Jesus!
The last book of God’s Word was written and closed in AD 90. But the process took time. 367 AD is when the 27 books of the New Testament were sealed in the cannon. The early councils were very careful in the development of God’s Word.
The Old Testament was already widely used and had become accepted and codified in the books accepted by the Jewish people as divinely inspired. Jesus and his disciples stated that they were scripture.
The Church was very methodical in reference to the New Testament canon. Several criteria were necessary in order for a writing to be accepted. There four main criteria, I want to give you these four of the criteria.
- First, the document in question had to conform to the rule of faith, “conformity between the document and orthodoxy, that is, Christian truth recognized as normative in the churches.”
- Second, the document required some sort of apostolicity, “which as a criterion came to include those who were in immediate contact with the apostles.”
- Third, “a document’s widespread and continuous acceptance and usage by churches everywhere” was taken into consideration.
- Fourth, was it beneficial for the church?