Why Do Christians Trust the Bible?

Christians believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. But what does that really mean?

The Bible says in 2 Peter 1:19-21

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Peter is making the claim that the prophets who wrote the scriptures did not just make things up but were actually guided by God’s Spirit to write what God wanted to be written. But what evidence do we have that the claim Peter is making here is true? We actually have a lot of evidence to back up this claim.

Fulfilled Prophecy

700 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah predicted that Jesus would be born of a virgin, what family He would come from, that He would be from the region of Galilee, would heal the sick, would suffer and die for the sins of God’s people, and much more. King David who lived about 1,000 years before Jesus wrote in Psalm 22, very specific details about Jesus’ death including that people would gamble for Jesus’ clothing, (Psalm 22:18) that Jesus’ hands and feet would be pierced, (Psalm 22:16) and much more. In fact, the Old Testament contains at least 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled through His life and ministry. The sheer accuracy of these prophetic predictions indicate that the Bible is a revelation from God and not merely a human invention.

Jesus Accepted the Old Testament as a Message From God

Jesus referred to the Old Testament as “the scriptures” and claimed that it “cannot be broken.” (John 10:22-38) When Jesus was tempted by satan during His 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, He met the temptations of satan by quoting the Old Testament. Jesus often appealed to the Old Testament when  teaching and arguing with the religious leaders of His day. Jesus believed that the Old Testament was the word of God. Because we, as Christians, trust that Jesus is the Son of God and that God raised Him from the dead, we ought to accept the testimony of the only One who is truly qualified to make such a judgement.

Jesus Authorized the Writing of the New Testament

Regarding the New Testament, Jesus authorized the writers of scripture to speak on His behalf. He gave them the Holy Spirit who would “guide them into all truth” and who would take revelation directly from Jesus and make it known to them. (John 16:12-15) Jesus told them, “Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (Matthew 10:40) The word “receives” in this context means to accept the message being proclaimed. This means that the message the apostles proclaimed (the New Testament) was inspired by the Holy Spirit, has its origin in Jesus, and when we receive it we receive both Jesus and the One who sent Him.

There is much more to be said about the confidence Christians can have regarding the Bible. We haven’t even gotten to the historical attestation to the writings of the New Testament, or the fulfilled prophecies of the New Testament, but if you would like to dive deeper, check out the videos associated with this lesson.

Discuss the following questions together. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

Read Matthew 4:4

Is study of the Bible important? Why?

Discuss the following questions with other believers. When you see a Scripture reference, look it up and read the verse or verses together.

Read the claims the Bible makes about itself:

• 2 Timothy 3:14–17

• 2 Peter 1:16–21

Based on what you know so far, are these claims reasonable? Why?

Read these Scriptures:

• Romans 15:4–6

• 1 Thessalonians 2:13

• Psalm 119:105

• Hebrews 4:12

How do you think your life would be impacted if you read the Bible regularly? Or, if you do read the Bible regularly, how has it impacted your life?

What are the most important or memorable things you learned in this lesson?

What is something from this lesson that you wish more people knew?

Is there someone in your life who you feel would benefit from you sharing what you learned?