Can I trust the Bible? That is a question people have been asking quite a bit since the Enlightenment. How do I know what I’m reading is what was written such a long time ago? How can I trust what is written is true? The second question is fairly simple, FAITH! No amount of persuasion can convince someone to trust anything or anyone, especially the Bible. The Bible says some pretty hard things and does not portray me, or you, in the best light so trusting is not easy. Trusting the Bible is just like trusting anything or anyone it boils down to faith. Do you have faith that the thing (in this case the Bible) or the person will not let you down. You can come to this conclusion slowly, by trusting more and more, little by little, or you can dive right in and trust whole-hearted. The evidence I will provide in the next section is great but will make anyone trust the Bible and will surely not restore your relationship with God. Only faith can do that.
About the second part of the question: Too many people have written great things concerning the accuracy of the Bible. Therefore, I have looked around and am posting the article that is short, sweet, to the point, and informed.
It is taken from equip.org and it written by Hank Hanegraff. I don’t agree with everything this guy says but I really like this article. The website is also a good resource for more scientific questions concerning the Bible. This was the shortest article I found and while there are more comprehensive articles out there they are a bit overkill for my tastes. I hope you enjoy.
Gies
Source: http://www.equip.org/site/c.muI1LaMNJrE/b.2710201/k.BC95/CP1000.htm
“Perspective: CP1000
The Reliability of the Bible
Obviously, a vast amount of time has passed since the Bible was first penned. So, how do we know that the Bible is reliable?
The Bible is a historical document_ Interestingly enough, if you subject it to the same tests that you subject other historical documents to, youll discover that the Bible proves itself to be far superior to any other ancient writing.
First, lets look at the New Testament which, incidentally, was originally written in the Greek language between 50 and 100 A.D. Although we dont have the original autographs, there are presently some 5,000 Greek manuscripts in existence, with as many as 25,000 more copies. Just as amazing is the fact that the earliest manuscripts can be dated back as far as 120 A.D. This is tremendous when you consider that only seven of Platos manuscripts are in existence today and theres a 1,300-year gap which separates the earliest copy from the original writing! Equally amazing is another fact; and that is, that the New Testament has been virtually unaltered. This has been demonstrated by scholars who have compared the earliest written manuscripts with manuscripts written centuries later. And remember, the accounts in the New Testament were recorded directly by eyewitnesses, (or by those who were associated with them) and in fact had close contact with the events themselves.
But what about the Old Testament? Lets take a quick look at one of the most incredible finds of the century the Dead Sea Scrolls. With the discovery of these manuscripts at Qumran in 1946, texts were found that were about 1,000 years older than any previously-known Old Testament manuscript. And when compared with the later texts, these writings proved to be virtually identical.
With every turn of the archaeologists spade, we see further evidence of Scriptures trustworthiness. Such renowned and historical scholars as William Albright and Sir Frederick Kenyon have clearly testified that the findings of archaeology have served to underscore the authenticity of the Bible. Well, is the Bible reliable? I believe the evidence speaks for itself. And with that, I rest my case.
On the reliability of Scripture, that’s the CRI Perspective. I’m Hank Hanegraaff.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Three books we recommend on the subject are,
AReady Defense (Thomas Nelson) by Josh McDowell, Is the New Testament Reliable? A Look at the Historical Evidence by Paul Barnett (B335/$13),
and The Historical Reliability of the Gospels by Craig Blomberg (IVP).”