How Could Anyone Believe the Bible?

How could anyone believe the Bible? After all, the Bible is an old book, written by a group of religious men attempting to convince the world of their own religious ideologies. Our day is a much more enlightened one than to just believe a collection of old fairy tales! Even if some of it were true, it is much to outdated for our technologically advance society! After all, I have more important things to do than sit around reading the Bible. Besides, even if I thought it was important I couldn’t understand it.

Is all of this really true about the Bible? It is interesting how the Bible is often times judged without a fair hearing .So many people have a negative opinion of the Bible who have never really evaluated the issues on an intellectual level. Are you one of those? Of course, there are also those who believe the Bible as a matter of convenience and not conviction. They just believe it because Grandma did or some other sentimental reason. Are you one of those?

Is everything negative said about the Bible really true? If you think so, do you think so because you have studied the issue or because you have simply chosen to have faith that the negative statements are true? Whether the Bible is a reliable and trustworthy source is a valid question and one that deserves an honest answer. Some may well be unwilling to face the issue honestly and openly because of what they might discover and the implications of such discoveries. Are you one of those?

If the Bible is true we must come to recognize it as true. If it can be trusted, we must be made aware of that fact. If the Bible is indeed the Word of God, it must be reverently listened to as authoritative. Would you be willing to consider some things about the Bible that you have never heard of given any thought too.

Sixty Six Books

The Bible is in reality a collection of sixty-six books. What is amazing is how this collection of sixty-six books came together. It is a story that is unparalleled in the history of the world. These sixty-six books were not written by the same human author, they were not written in the same language, nor were they written on the same continent. Here is where the story comes alive and reveals that the hand of God was actively involved in bringing together the Book we call the Bible. The Bible was not written by only one man. Over forty different human authors had a part in writing down the words of God. These men wer from varying backgrounds and occupations. Moses was educated in the schools of ancient Egypt, and was a leader of God’s people (the Jews) through the wilderness. Joshua was a military general and leader of God’s people. David had been a shepherd before he was chosen to be the King of Israel. Nehemiah had been a cup bearer in a heathen kings’ court. Amos was a shepherd by trade. Matthew was a tax collector. Luke was a medical doctor. Peter and John were fishermen. Paul had been a religious zealot, Pharisee and a tent maker by trade. Not only were these men from different backgrounds, they wrote from different sets of circumstances. Solomon did his writing from a palace. Jeremiah spent much of his ministry in prison. Daniel was in captivity in Babylon. Luke wrote much of the book of Acts while traveling. John wrote the book of Revelations while exiled on the island of Patmos. These men were separated by generations of time. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible around 1500B.C. and John wrote Revelation around 100A.D.. All the others wrote during this 1600 year span. These men also wrote from different continents. Moses did some of his writing from Africa. Much of the Bible was written in Ama from Israel to Babylon (modern day Iraq). Paul did most of his writing from Europe. The Bible was originally written in three different languages. Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew with some in Arabic. The New Testament was was written in Greek. The Bible is sixty-six books written by over 40 men, over 1600 years, from three continents, in three languages. Yet, we have it all in one book. Amazing! Surely God had something to do with all of this! All of these biblical writers wrote on hundreds of controversial religious subjects without contradictions (can you find one?). there is a miraculous harmony throughout all sixty-six books of the Bible. One theme that is expressed over and over again, from Genesis to Revelation, is God’s desire to re-establish a relationship with sinful man.

Science and the Bible

While the Bible is often severely criticized on scientific grounds, it would do us well to honestly evaluate some of the more amazing things the Bible has to say that have only recently been discovered by science. For example, consider the following:

• Leviticus 17:11 reveals that the life of the flesh is in the blood.

• Job 26:7 reveals that the earth is hanging on nothing.

• Isaiah 40:22 speaks of the circle of the earth (an indication of its shape) hundreds of years before man discovered it was round.

• Deuteronomy 1:10 indicates that the stars are without number

• Hebrews 1:2 implies the existence of other planets (worlds).

• Job 28:25 mentions the winds having weight (the essence of barometric pressure)

• Psalms 8:8 there is a reference to the paths in the sea (only recently have been discovered the ocean currents)

David wrote about them 1,000 years before Jesus was born. Did David understand ocean currents? No, but God did! If we are going to be intellectually honest we must admit that there is the flavor of something supernatural in these statements. The are truths and scientific facts that we re stated hundred of years before they were discovered by men. if we are to be unbiased we must recognize that these things reveal the mind of one who knows all things, God!

Fulfilled Prophecy

Approximately one fourth of the Bible was prophetical when written. Much of it has already been fulfilled. the New testemtn is running over with fulfilled prohechy from the Old testament. Consider the following;

Prophecy Fact Fulfilled

Micah 5:2 (710 B.C.) The Place of Christ’s Birth Matthew 2:5-6

Hosea 11:1 (740 B.C.) The Flight to Egypt Matthew 2:14,15

Zechariah 9:9 (487 B.C.) The Triumphant Entry John 12:13-15

Psalms 16:10 (1000 B.C.) The Resurrection Acts 2:27-31

Isaiah 7:14 (700 B.C.) The Virgin Birth Matthew 1:21-23

As one considers these examples of fulfilled prophecy, it should cause us to realize that there must have been one who had the ability to know the future with one-hundred percent accuracy as the source of these verses. Who else but God could prophecy with such unfailing accuracy. This is evidence that the Bible is the Word of God.

Internal Claims

The Bible claims to be the very Word of God. There are any number of books that claim to be from god. All of these books when compared with the Bible simply cannot match the overwhelming evidence that the Bible is God’s Book. No other book ever written can claim to have the kind of pedigree the Bible possess. The Bible authoritatively declares itself to be the Word of God. The phrase, “Thus saith the Lord”, or its equivalent occurs over 3,800 times in the Old Testament prophets alone. 2Timothy 3:16 declares that “…all scripture is given by inspiration of God…”. The Bible is God’s Word. The words contained in Holy Scripture were breathed by God Himself. 2Peter 1:21 reminds us “…holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost…”. The men who penned the Scripture were merely human instruments in the plan of God to give us His Word. They did not write their thoughts but rather the very Word of God as it was given to them. Had they written their own ideas there would certainly by many grave errors to be reckoned with. The Bible has undergone more scrutiny than any book ever given to man and yet it states today undaunted in its declarations. The Bible has undergone the most strident attempts to burn, banish and bar it from the human conscience and yet is wit his today as strong and vibrant as ever.

The Implication

To admit to the authenticity of the Bible is to acknowledge its authority. If it is authoritative it must be ahead to and believed as the Word of God. If it is the Word of God consider some of the truths that are presented there.

Man is a sinner - Romans 3:23

Man is separated from God - Isaiah 59:2

Man will go to hell without God - Psalms 9:17

Jesus died for our sins - 1Peter 3:18

Jesus rose from the dead - 1Corinthians 15:4

Salvation is not by good works - Ephesians 2:8-9

Salvation is by Christ alone - John 14:6

One must repent and believe - Acts 20:21

If you reject the Bible today, what is rational, logical reason for doing so? How could anyone believe the Bible? Well, with all these facts before an individual a better question would be, How could anyone NOT believe the Bible?