The Bible is True

Seven proofs that show that the Bible is a trustworthy book.

#1. One of the greatest miracles of the Bible is its unity. The 66 books of the Bible were written over an estimated 1,500 years on three continents in three languages by about 40 different people who, in most cases, had never met. Their education and background varied greatly. They were kings, shepherds, scientists, attorneys, an army general, fishermen, priests, and a physician. Yet, though it seems totally inconceivable, the 66 books maintain an amazing consistency and harmony with each other. Jesus Christ Himself said, "Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). The Bible is true and has a basic unity of thought and principles that cannot be broken or contradicted.

One of the foremost Bible scholars of the past century, F.F. Bruce, wrote: "The Bible is not simply an anthology [a collection of books]; there is a unity which binds the whole together ..." (The Books and the Parchments: How We Got Our English Bible, 1984, pp. 88-89).

2. *Fulfilled Prophecies - The remarkable evidence of fulfilled prophecy is just one case that the Bible can be trusted. Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled, specifically and meticulously, before the event had taken place. For example, Daniel the prophet predicted that Christ would come as Israel's promised Savior and Prince which was clearly and definitely fulfilled, hundreds of years later.

Over 300 prophecies about Christ were fulfilled during His first coming. This incredible prophetic evidence is uniquely found in the Bible, demonstrating on a vast scale the support for divine revelation.

Do Bible prophecies confirm inspiration? The Bible says, "I am the Lord . . . new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them." Isaiah 42:8, 9. "I am God . . . Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done." Isaiah 46:9, 10.

Bible predictions of things to happen in the future confirm the inspiration of Scripture as they come to pass. Notice the following examples of fulfilled Bible prophecies:

• A. Four world empires to arise: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome (Daniel chapters 2, 7, 8).
• B. Cyrus to be the warrior to capture Babylon (Isaiah 45:1-3).
• C. After Babylon's destruction, it would never be inhabited again (Isaiah 13:19, 20; Jeremiah 51:37).
• D. Egypt would never again have a commanding position among the nations (Ezekiel 29:14, 15; 30:12, 13).
• E. Earth-shaking calamities and fear toward the end of time (Luke 21:25, 26).
• F. Moral degeneracy and decline of spirituality in the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

The Old Testament predictions of the Messiah to come were so specific and so clearly fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth proving that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah.

There are more than 125 of these prophecies. Let's review just 12 of them:

Prophecy Old Testament Scripture New Testament Fulfillment

1. Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1
2. Born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-23
3. Of David's lineage Jeremiah 23:5; Revelation 22:16
4. Attempted murder by Herod Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16-18
5. Betrayal by a friend Psalms 41:9; John 13:18, 19, 26
6. Sold for 30 silver coins Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:14-16
7. Crucified Zechariah 12:10; John 19:16-18, 37
8. Lots cast for His clothes Psalms 22:18; Matthew 27:35
9. No bones broken Psalms 34:20; Exodus 12:46; John 19:31-36
10. Buried in rich man's tomb Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60
11. Year, day, hour of His death Daniel 9:26, 27; Exodus 12:6; Matthew 27:45-50
12. Raised the third day Hosea 6:2; Acts 10:38-40

Dr. Peter Stoner, former chairman of the departments of mathematics, astronomy, and engineering at Pasadena College (California), worked with 600 students for several years applying the "principle of probability" to the prophecies of the Messiah's coming. They chose just eight from the many available and finally decided the chances of all eight being fulfilled in one man in a lifetime is one in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. What would the odds be on the more than 125 prophecies of the Messiah? It couldn't just happen!

3. Accuracy of scientific statements made in the Bible.

The Bible says, "Thy word is true from the beginning." Psalms 119:160.

Here are a few Bible statements that have been confirmed by science:

A. "He . . . hangeth the earth upon nothing." Job 26:7. This scientific fact is from Job, the Bible's oldest book.

B. "He . . . sitteth upon the circle of the earth." Isaiah 40:22. The Bible said the earth is round centuries before man found out.

C. "To make the weight for the winds." Job 28:25. Long before scientists knew, God said air has weight.

D. "By Him [Jesus] all things consist." Colossians 1:17. The word "consist" here literally means "hold together" or "cohere." Many Bible translations put it "hold together." This is the answer to the nuclear physicists' worrisome question about the atom. The real mystery of the atom does not involve its benumbing mega-power, but rather, "Why doesn't the atom fly apart?" Scientific knowledge says it should, but it doesn't. Some scientists are wondering what puzzling power, completely unknown to them, is holding it together. The Bible says that mysterious power is the Creator, God Himself.

• Roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)
• Almost infinite extent of the sidereal universe (Isaiah 55:9)
• Law of conservation of mass and energy (II Peter 3:7)
• Hydrologic cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7)
• Vast number of stars (Jeremiah 33:22)
• Law of increasing entropy (Psalm 102:25-27)
• Paramount importance of blood in life processes (Leviticus 17:11)
• Atmospheric circulation (Ecclesiastes 1:6)
• Gravitational field (Job 26:7)

4. Historical statements.

The historical accuracy of the Scriptures is likewise in a class by itself. Archeological confirmations of the Biblical record have been almost innumerable in the last century.

Bible historical statements are accurate. What God says in His book is true (Isaiah 45:19). Sometimes, temporarily, evidence may not be found to substantiate certain historical facts from the Bible, but in time the evidence surfaces. Note the following:

A. For years skeptics said the Bible was unreliable because it mentions the Hittite nation (Deuteronomy 7:1) and cities like Nineveh (Jonah 1:1, 2) and Sodom (Genesis 19:1), which they denied ever existed. But now modern archaeology has confirmed that all three did, indeed, exist.

B. Critics also said that Bible-mentioned kings Belshazzar (Daniel 5:1) and Sargon (Isaiah 20:1) never existed. Once again, it has now been confirmed they did exist.

C. Skeptics also said the Bible record of Moses was not reliable because it mentions writing (Exodus 24:4) and wheeled vehicles (Exodus 14:25), neither of which they said existed at the time. They, of course, know better today.

D. At one time the 39 kings of ancient Israel and Judah who reigned during the divided kingdom were authenticated only from the Bible record, so critics charged fabrication. But then archaeologists found cuneiform records that mentioned many of these kings and, once again, the Bible record was proved accurate. Critics have repeatedly been proved wrong as new discoveries confirm biblical people, places, and events. It will always be so.

*The Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.7.

5. Biblical health principles.

A. Cover body waste with dirt (Deuteronomy 23:12, 13).

The Bible provision of Moses' day that body waste should be buried was 3,500 years ahead of its time and saved countless thousands of Jewish lives. Major problems still arise when sanitation is not properly handled.

B. "Neither let us commit fornication." 1 Corinthians 10:8.

The word "fornication" denotes all kinds of immoral sexual conduct. There would be no AIDS epidemic.

C. Abstain from alcoholic beverages (Proverbs 23:29-32).

Consuming alcohol has brought untold woe to many.

1. Millions have become alcoholics .

Millions of homes broken.

3. Multiplied thousands of lives destroyed by intoxicated drivers.

Note: God not only tells us how to succeed with joy amid today's harrowing problems, but He also gives us the miraculous power to do it (1 Corinthians 15:57; Philippians 4:13; Romans 1:16). Bible health principles are relevant and desperately needed, but few are listening.

6. The Bible is intact.

Of all the ancient works of substantial size, only the Bible comes to us completely intact. This is against all odds and expectations. In comparison, William Shakespeare's plays, written only about 400 years ago, and after the invention of the printing press, are in much worse shape. Shakespeare's original words have been lost in numerous sections, and scholars are left to fill in the blanks as best as they can.

But when it comes to the Bible, its uncanny preservation has permitted it to weather thousands of years of wars, persecutions, fires and invasions, and still remain intact. As author Josh McDowell notes: "Compared with other ancient writings, the Bible has more manuscript evidence to support it than any ten pieces of classical literature combined" (The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, 1999, p. 9).

How was this amazing task accomplished? The Old Testament text was preserved by Jewish scribes through the centuries. Scholars unanimously praise their faithful copying and transmission of the text.

Professor Bernard Ramm explains: "Jews preserved it as no other manuscript has ever been preserved. With their [scribes] they kept tabs on every letter, syllable, word and paragraph. They had special classes of men within their culture whose sole duty was to preserve and transmit these documents with practically perfect fidelity. Who ever counted the letters and syllables and words of Plato or Aristotle or Seneca?" (Protestant Christian Evidences, 1953, pp. 230-231).

What about the New Testament? Here the actual number of preserved manuscripts is so great that it becomes overwhelming.

McDowell writes: "There are more than 5,686 known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Add over 10,000 Latin Vulgate and at least 9,300 other early versions, and we have close to, if not more than, 25,000 manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament in existence today. No other document of antiquity even begins to approach such numbers ...

"In comparison, Homer's Iliad is second, with only 643 manuscripts that still survive. The first complete preserved text of Homer dates from the thirteenth century" (p. 34, emphasis added).

Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away" (Matthew 24:35). His words have become a prophecy that is still rock-solid in our day. With billions of Bibles in more than 2,000 languages now distributed around the world, God's Word will by no means pass away.

7. Bible’s Effect

The Bible is unique also in terms of its effect on the lives of individual men and women. It appeals to both hearts and minds of people in every nationality, rich or poor, scholar or simple, king or commoner, men of literally every background and walk of life. As U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt remarked, "A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education." No other book has ever held such universal appeal nor produced such lasting effects.

One more evidence that the Bible is true is found in the testimony of those who have believed it. Multitudes of people, past and present, have found from personal experience that its promises are true, its counsel is sound, its commands and restrictions are wise, and its wonderful message of salvation meets every need for both time and eternity. The Bible yields results!

The final proof of the Bible's inspiration is very simple—apply it and it will work for you. However, reaping its blessings takes faith—an active belief that God's Word is true and that applying it will yield positive results. The Bible puts it this way: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

Moreover, the impact Jesus Christ has had in millions of lives continues unabated. The French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte once said: "I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible terms of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him" (quoted by Frank Mead, The Encyclopedia of Religious Quotations, 1965, p. 56).

Historian Philip Schaff adds: "This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon. Without science and learning, He shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined. Without the eloquence of schools, He spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet.

"Without writing a single line, He set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise, than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times" (The Person of Christ, 1913, p. 33).

Yes, the bottom line of proving the Bible true and that it should be trusted is that it works in you. Read it, believe it, and follow it. It works!

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Other Resources

For more information on science and the Bible see Science and the Bible website.

Also see The Bible and Archaeology for information on how archaeology shows the Bible is reliable.