How Can We Know For Sure?

A few days ago I asked the question, “Why do followers of Jesus need the Bible?” With all the self-help material that’s been collected and is being written at a feverish pace, is the Bible still a resource worth picking up?

Most Christians would say, “Absolutely!” but do we know why? I mean, do we really know why?

Thankfully, Paul wrote a little letter to his pastoral apprentice, Timothy that explains it all!

“16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

Do We Believe It?

Our motivation to pick up this Book called the Bible relies heavily on our belief.

Before we wrestle with the usefulness of Scripture to our lives, we have to come to grips with this term, “God-breathed“. It’s one thing to believe that God exists. But do we believe that all Scripture was inspired by Him? Do we believe it?

As I was studying this week, I found a great resource by author, speaker and President of the Scripture Union, W. T. Kuniholm. On his blog The Essential Bible Blog, Kuniholm suggests “Top 10 Reasons the Bible Is True“.

I won’t read the entire article, but I’d like to give a snippet of each reason that he provides.

1. Manuscript Evidence. There are way more copies of the biblical manuscripts, with remarkable consistency between them, than there are for any of the classics like Plato, Aristotle and Socrates.
2. Archaeological Evidence. Again and again archaeological discoveries have verified the accuracy of the historical and cultural references in the Bible.
3. Eyewitness Accounts. The Bible was written by people who witnessed the events it describes; many were persecuted or martyred but never changed their story.
4. Corroborating Accounts. There are plenty of references in non-biblical sources to the events described in the Bible. The Jewish historian Josephus, born in 37 AD, “provide(s) indispensable background material…” (J.D. Douglas, ed., The New Bible Dictionary.)
5. Literary Consistency. The Bible contains 66 books written over 1,500 years by 40 different writers but it tells one “big story” of God’s plan of salvation that culminated in Jesus Christ.
6. Prophetic Consistency. There are over 300 specific prophecies in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
7. Expert Scrutiny. The early church had extremely high standards for what books were judged to be authentic and therefore included in the Bible. A book had to have been written by an Apostle or someone in their immediate circle, had to conform to basic Christian faith and had to be in widespread use among many churches.
8. Leader Acceptance. A majority of the greatest leaders and thinkers in history have affirmed the truth and impact of the Bible. (For example, Abraham Lincoln stated, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given man.”)
9. Global Influence. The Bible has had a greater influence on the laws, art, ethics, music and literature of world civilization than any other book in history.
10. Changed Lives. From St. Augustine to Martin Luther to Joni Eareckson Tada to countless everyday men, women and children, the words of the Bible have transformed lives unmistakably and forever. (EssentialBibleBlog.com)

Changed Lives

And the changed life component is really why most of you are reading this right now.

At some point, you heard a preacher, a friend, a coworker, a camp counselor, someone; share a verse from the Bible or perhaps a Biblical principle. And those words sunk deep inside of you. All of a sudden, you were aware of something new.

All of a sudden your life was changed. (I know, because I’ve experienced it.)

And it’s very difficult for a critic to attack personal experience. If I say, “The Bible is God’s Word and it has changed my life!“, how can anyone disprove that?

The fact that millions upon millions of people continue to experience transformation because of what God has breathed into this Book is the most baffling phenomena for critics.

The Case For Christ

There are many accounts of people who have set out to disprove the Bible, through calculated and cataloged research. Then all of a sudden, at some point in their plight, they read a chapter or a verse that causes something inside of them to stir.

A piece of Biblical content that shakes the very core of their being. And suddenly, their research to disprove the Bible has brought them face-to-face with Jesus.

For example, the account of investigative journalist, Lee Strobel. If you haven’t read his story, A Case for Christ, click HERE and buy it! It’s an incredible story, packed with numerous reasons why we should still be picking up our Bibles on a daily basis.

Do We Believe?

That’s the question.

If we really believe that Book sitting on our coffee table or nightstand is inspired by God, then we should really consider why we so often neglect it. If we really believe that it’s God-Breathed, we’d grab it every time we need an answer to life’s situations and struggles.

I heard an old preacher say once, “A Bible that is tattered and worn, is usually owned by someone who’s not.“

May your Bible get tattered and worn this week.

CAN I GET YOUR FEEDBACK?

When you read the words, “God-breathed” what thoughts or images come to mind?