The Bible is a collection of letters, sermons, laws, history, poetry, prayers, praise, practical sayings, and prophecies that encompass a wide range of subjects.
These include the existence, attributes, and works of God; the nature of his relationship with us; the creation of the universe; the corruption of the world; the meaning of life; and the ultimate destiny of humanity.
The Bible comprises sixty-six books written in three languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—over the course of approximately fifteen hundred years on three continents—Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Its many verifiable references—historical, geographical, and prophetic—validate its accuracy, authority, and divine inspiration.
Thematic Consistency
The Bible has over forty authors, including kings, peasants, fishers, poets, politicians, scholars, a shepherd, a military general, a cupbearer, a doctor, a tax collector, and a rabbi.
Among them were murderers, adulterers, human rights abusers, traitors, and whiners. Each wrote in different circumstances, from the battlefield to prison to palace living.
A few Old Testament writers likely knew each other, and each succeeding scribe could probably read the books previously written, but none could have foreseen what the New Testament authors would write.
Many New Testament writers knew each other, and all could read the Old Testament; however, the earliest scribes could not have anticipated the topics later authors would address.
Only the Apostle John could have read all the previously written Old and New Testament manuscripts before he penned the youngest book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation.
Despite these timing differences, the diversity of authorship and topics, the variations in structure and writing styles, and the complexity of the subject matter, the Old and New Testaments complement and complete each other.
Inerrant And Sacred
The Old and New Testament authors did not independently compose sixty-six complex yet complementary books over fifteen hundred years on their own accord.
God inspired their writings, as evidenced by the fulfillment of the historical, messianic, and last days prophecies mentioned in their texts.
His innate competence, honesty, and omniscience ensured that the original Old and New Testament manuscripts were inerrant.
To achieve this level of accuracy, God did not audibly dictate his message to each author. Nor did he hypnotize them and manipulate their pens.
Instead, he enlightened them on many levels, built his message into their lives, and motivated them to record it.
Some print editions of the New Testament display the words of Jesus in red ink, which may lead readers to assume they are more sacred than other verses.
This is untrue. The entire Bible is holy.
Preservation And Assembly
The canonization of the Bible, the formal process by which its sixty-six books were recognized as authoritative, unfolded in stages over several centuries.
The writings of Moses—the first five books of the Old Testament—were canonized about four hundred years before the birth of Jesus. The writings of the prophets were added around two hundred years later. The remaining books were incorporated about three hundred years after that.
These Old Testament writings were maintained through the centuries by a group of specially trained artisans who employed exacting techniques to meticulously copy every detail of the previous edition and verify the latest version.
Church leaders began canonizing the New Testament about a hundred years after the resurrection of Jesus. They had numerous manuscripts from which to choose, including doctrinal expositions, personal letters, prophecies, and gospels circulating among local congregations.
Some of these documents, such as the books and letters written by the Apostles Peter and Paul, were universally accepted as authoritative. Other writings contained a few nuggets of truth but were otherwise unhelpful. Still others were outright heretical.
Church leaders applied three criteria to determine whether a particular manuscript should be included in the New Testament canon:
Was it written by an apostle or a close associate? Did the entirety of its message align with the core teachings of Jesus? Was it widely used in local churches for teaching or worship purposes?
Only twenty-seven books and letters met all three standards.
Just as God inspired over forty authors to record unique aspects of his message to the world, he guided a consensus of church leaders as they determined which texts should be included in the New Testament.
The thematic, doctrinal, and prophetic consistency of the Old and New Testaments evidences his divine oversight of the preservation and assembly processes.
Consistent Copies
As with other ancient writings, including those of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and Caesar, the original Old and New Testament manuscripts have disintegrated into dust.
Only copies of these texts exist today. The Bible we read is a compilation of these transcriptions.
Determining the accuracy and reliability of these copies relative to the original writings is a function of three tests:
How close to the time of the original manuscripts can we date the copies? How many copies do we have? And how consistent is the text from one copy to another?
By these standards, the Bible is the most reliable text among ancient writings, including those authored by prominent Greek philosophers and Roman historians.
We have thousands of partial and complete copies of the Old and New Testaments, many more than the other ancient texts. Some New Testament copies can be dated within a few decades of the events they record, a gap that surpasses the other ancient writings by hundreds of years.
The textual consistency of these Old and New Testament copies assures us that the Bible we read today is a faithful rendition of the original manuscripts.
No Amendments Or Additions
Some people believe the Bible is an incomplete work. They claim that God amended his original teachings through subsequent revelations to more recent authors.
However, Jesus said the Old Testament was complete and accurate. His resurrection certified this declaration.
The Book of Revelation explicitly states that it is the final written word from God, and no further elaboration would be forthcoming. The fulfillment of its end-time prophecies is trending, validating this pronouncement.
Some critics argue that other gospels, such as those allegedly written by Judas and Thomas, are as meritorious as those written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
However, when measured by the standards previously described, the textual reliability and divine authority of these writings do not withstand scrutiny.
No Contradictions
Other critics contend the Bible is full of contradictions. There are none.
God inspired each Bible author to record a unique portion of his message to the world. His internal consistency would not allow him to contradict himself in the process.
Some purported contradictions stem from the inherent limitations of language translation. Others take verses out of context.
Still other alleged inconsistencies reflect doctrinal misunderstandings or incorrect assumptions about historical context.
Several contradictory passages are actually complementary. They describe the same event from different perspectives.
No Hoaxes
Some skeptics question the validity of the New Testament gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, contending that the miracles of Jesus they describe were hoaxes.
Jesus performed his miracles publicly. Both believers and unbelievers saw them. The rulers who wanted him dead would have gladly publicized any hoaxes that undermined his popularity. They would have widely disseminated any written rebuttals to the gospels.
However, the governing authorities did none of these things because they could not deny that the miracles occurred.
The enduring credibility of the four gospels, in light of this active opposition, gives us confidence that Jesus indeed performed many public miracles.
Bible Translations
We have many Bible translations to choose from. Why do they differ?
The primary reason is that they were produced at different times for different audiences.
Languages vary regionally and constantly evolve. Words fall into disuse, new ones are invented, and the meanings of others morph.
Translators take these changes into account when producing an updated version of the Bible.
For example, the King James Bible was originally produced in the 1600s, which is why its readability differs significantly from that of newer translations.
The verses quoted on this website are from The New International Version.
