Can I trust the Bible?

There are so many different translations of the Bible, how do I know that the Bible is trustworthy or even true? Is the Bible reliable and can I trust the Bible? There are several different debates in regards to the Bible and its reliability. Some believe that the Bible is true and without error in regards to the Gospel but the rest of the Bible has error. Some believe that there is error in the Bible everywhere. The question becomes what do you believe about the Bible and why?  We will briefly explorer Scripture to answer the question can I trust the Bible.

The Bible claims that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” 2 Timothy 3:16. Now what does it mean to say the Scripture is inspired by God? First, what it does not mean is that the Scripture is the result of some superhuman achievement of man. Second, we are not talking about the Scripture being inspired as God giving the writers of the Scripture the general idea and then letting the people who wrote the Scripture flesh it out themselves. In Exodus 24:4, we learn that “Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord”.

What it does mean to have all Scripture inspired by God can be found in the word “inspired” or NIV says “God-breathed”. All Scripture is God breathed, meaning that the exact words that God wanted written in the Scripture He breathed through the writers of the Scriptures. We see this in 2 Peter 1:20-21, when Peter says, “No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”  First we realize that God is the source and the very words are the product.  Next, we must know that the Holy Spirit is the agent. Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:11-13, “For who knows a person’s thoughts except his spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.” The Apostle Paul makes it clear that the apostles got their words of wisdom from the Spirit of God. Then we hear the words of Jesus as he says, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

So, can you trust the Bible? We can answer with all assurances “YES”. As we look at Psalm 19:7, “The instructions of the Lord (Word of the Lord) is perfect” (emphasizes added). Our problem as we look at the Bible is accepting the authority of the Bible. If the Bible is the word of God and it is true, reliable and without error then it must be authoritative.

Is the word of God the authority in your everyday life? Why or why not?

How often do you read your Bible? How often do you spend time with your family reading your Bible?