The Bible is a magnificent book both in its scope and claim. The scope of the Bible is from the beginning of time until the end of time, and it claims within its own covers to be the inspired word of God (2 Tim 3:16). No other book known to man has such a scope and claim. No other book has as many adherents and critics as the Bible has had over its history. Many will subscribe to the claim that it is truly the word of God – word for word. Others simply find it to be a good book for providing a positive moral direction. Still others would criticize it entirely. Which stance is correct? Is the Bible truly the word of God? And how can we know for sure?
Let’s admit this right off the bat. If the Bible truly is the word of God, that fact will be incredibly difficult for most people to accept, even if they are honest with themselves. The reason is because it will require us to make some difficult choices. The Bible demands a strict moral standard, and admitting that it is the word of God requires sacrifices many are not comfortable with. It may even divide family and friends. Most people will not admit the Bible is truly the word of God for those reasons alone. On the other hand, if the Bible is truly the word of God, it can also bring about indescribable riches and peace to those who accept it. The question of whether the Bible is God’s word or not has eternal consequences.
There is much evidence we could point to in order to prove that the Bible is truly the word of God. Each piece of evidence described within this article, as well as evidence not included, has been highly scrutinized across hundreds of books and publications. It is not possible to do them all justice here in this brief article. However, just for a survey, let’s list and briefly describe five evidences:
1. The Bible is packed with fulfilled prophecies.
There are dozens of prophesies that were fulfilled concerning Jesus alone. Perhaps, the most striking fulfillment of prophecy was made in the book of Daniel, where Daniel provided a shocking amount of historical detail about the rise and fall of four global empires – the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans. The book of Daniel was written during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. There is no way Daniel could have foreseen the rise of three more world powers in the coming centuries without the inspiration of God. The amount of detail described, spanning nearly 700 years, provides convincing evidence that it came from an all-knowing and divine being. Daniel even prophesied that the kingdom of God (the Christian church) would supersede the mighty Roman Empire (Daniel 2:44; 7:17, 18)— which of course, it did!
2. The Bible contains many verifiable scientific facts unknown to mankind at time of writing.
For example, the Bible talks about the earth being round in the 8th century BC (Isaiah 40:22), hundreds of years before the Greeks theorized it (Eratosthenes, 240 BC) and over 2,000 years before Ferdinand Magellan proved it in 1519 by sailing around the world in the opposite direction.
Other examples of scientific foreknowledge include health, dietary, and cleanliness restrictions. In the law that God gave to Moses and the Jewish people, God instituted many practices which were virtually novel to the surrounding nations. For example, the Egyptians believed that an eye infection could be cured through the urine of a faithful wife.[1] In contrast, the law of God, which was written around the same time, prescribes close inspection, quarantine, and cleaning for skin diseases (Lev 16:46, 54). Of course, modern science has taught us that inspection, quarantine, and cleaning is more effective against the spread of communicable diseases than the urine of a faithful wife. However, this was not widely known or accepted during the time of Moses. The only explanation is that the regulations came directly from God.
3. The writing of the Bible was typically verified with visible, indisputable power from God.
The miracles and signs recorded by the Bible writers have never been credibly disputed by their contemporaries. For example, 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that the resurrected Jesus appeared to over 500 witnesses. If these miracles and signs didn’t happen, where is the outcry from the critics of the day proving they never happened? As disruptive as Christianity was to the established authorities at that time, the Bible could have been discredited long ago if it were merely myth or legend. One of the Roman guards paid to guard Jesus' tomb could have simply produced a crucified body if there were one to produce. The guards were under the penalty of death for allowing the body to disappear. The logical conclusion must be that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb. The miracle must have happened as recorded.
4. The Bible books are unprecedented in the integrity of their manuscripts (ancient copies).
The Bible books are supported by over 5,700 surviving ancient manuscripts with only negligible differences in copies. Many of these manuscripts date to within a century or two from the time of Christ. On the other hand, other notable works of ancient literature have practically no surviving manuscripts within a few centuries and only have a handful from medieval times. For example, less than half the writings of famous Roman historian Tacitus remain, and the only usable copies are dated from the ninth century or later.[2]
5. The Bible is the greatest story ever told.
Perhaps the most convincing proof that the Bible is the word of God is that even though it was written in 66 separate books, written by approximately 40 different writers over the course of about 1,500 years, it is still one complete, consistent and compelling story about the most serious questions mankind will ever have.
All great stories have certain essential elements. Many have broken down the Bible into logical parts. The most common, of course, is the Old Testament and New Testament, followed by the books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and so on… But to illustrate the great story of the Bible, we can break it down into the same three essential parts of any story. The beginning, the middle, and the end, or for illustration, the context, the conflict and the climax. Notice the story in the chart below. This is the story of mankind for mankind. It tells us our history. It tells us about the dark forces against us. It tells us about our struggles. It tells us how we will overcome. There is a protagonist and hero. There are plots and subplots. There are no plot holes. It also tells us about our happily ever after. There is great foreshadowing and story arcs that span thousands of years. And every bit of it is relevant, relatable, verifiable, corroborated, and beneficial – across time and cultures. No other single work of literature of man can boast this kind of storytelling.
The Avengers is the great epic of our age. It is the most compelling and interesting story of our generation. Yet, even children can notice the inconsistencies and plot holes across the Marvel super hero movies, comic books, and adaptations. Originating mostly in the mind of one man – Stan Lee – the Avengers saga can show us that creating sweeping and endearing epics is tough business, especially as more contributors and years are added to the developing story. It is far from perfect, and the epic will almost certainly prove to be outdated by the next generation.
Yet, the Bible is an accomplishment unlike any story ever told. The only explanation for this miracle of a written text is that it came from God. The powers that often surrounded the Biblical writers, came from God. The inspiration to write such perfect words and phrases, came from God. The precise alignment of history and kingdoms to serve as a backdrop for these stories can only have been directed by God. The copious and maniacal transmission of these ancient documents across continents and millennia can only be by God. The salvation and peace we receive today from its words, can only be from God!
[1]. S.I. McMillen and David E Stern, None of These Diseases: The Bible's Health Secrets for the 21st Century (Grand Rapids: F.H. Revell, 2000), 9. [2]. Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman, The Text Of The New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Resoration, 4th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), 50–51.