How can you believe the Bible is true?
Can I Ask That? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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INTRODUCTION:
INTRODUCTION:
Here’s our question for tonight — How can you believe the Bible is true?
So let’s begin with a question:
What are some obstacles to people believing the Bible is true? Why might it be difficult for someone to believe the Bible is true? (difficulty believing in the miracles, corruption of the text, Jesus was not a real person much less God)
Imagine you walk into class once school starts, or you’re in the locker room getting dressed for a sports game and someone says, “The Bible has been translated so many times nobody knows what it originally said.” Another person says, “Jesus was just a good teacher.” Someone else says, “You can't take the Bible literally anyway.”
Those are three different statements but they're really asking one question: Why should I believe the Bible is true?
These questions are masked as obstacles individuals must clear out of the way before they can believe the Bible is in fact true.
Tonight we’ll see 3 obstacles to believing the Bible and how to overcome them.
Obstacle #1: Did Jesus really rise from the dead?
Obstacle #1: Did Jesus really rise from the dead?
At the very root of this question is a query about Jesus. Was he real? Did he really exist? Was he in fact God? And did he rise from the dead? This question is the very crux to belief in the truth of the Bible.
Because here’s the main truth concerning this question — Jesus gives the Bible its authority.
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15. We’ll be there in a moment.
Many individuals don’t believe that Jesus ever truly existed, but that he was a figurehead of Christianity. Kinda like a mascot.
Even skeptical historians agree Jesus existed. Historians who do not believe in God at all agree that Jesus was a real person. The real question isn't whether Jesus lived, it's whether He rose.
But the very proof that Jesus would have needed to provide to prove his deity would be his resurrection from the dead.
Is there any evidence for the resurrection?
COVID illustration — The coronavirus seemed to have started in one place, but it spread from person to person until it was all over the world. You can’t see the virus itself without a microscope. But the evidence for it is everywhere.
The evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is a bit like that. But instead of it being terrible news of death, like the coronavirus, it’s the most wonderful news of life.
Here’s three pieces of evidence for the resurrection:
The transformation of Jesus’ disciples.
Jesus’s disciples were not expecting him to be raised. After his crucifixion, they were very upset and scared. Think of Peter who was so scared after Jesus’s arrest that he couldn’t even admit that he knew Jesus. These same men, after they had seen the resurrected Christ, were transformed into people who were willing to give their lives proclaiming that he had been raised from the dead.
20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
The testimony of women.
At that time, people didn’t take what women said very seriously, so if you were trying to make up a convincing story, you definitely wouldn’t have women be the first witnesses. It would be like making up a story today and saying that you’d heard it from a few young kids. The only reason the Gospels would say that women were the first witnesses of Jesus’s resurrection was if they really were.
The empty tomb.
Here’s the best evidence for the resurrection. If the Roman and Jewish authorities had produced the body of Jesus, they could have proved Jesus hadn’t been raised. But they didn’t.
11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. 12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. 14 And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. 15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
We can’t prove beyond a doubt that the resurrection happened. But we can see the evidence and witness the effects of it all over the world.
The resurrection is important because it’s the thread that holds all of our beliefs together. Actually belief in the resurrection is required in order to be a Christian.
Notice what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:12-14
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
If the resurrection is not true, then what are we doing here?! We’re wasting our time.
Here's why we've spent all this time talking about Jesus. Christianity isn't built on believing the Bible first. It's built on believing Jesus. If Jesus really rose from the dead, then whatever Jesus believed about Scripture becomes the view we should have. And Jesus believed the Old Testament was God's Word, promised the New Testament through His apostles, and treated Scripture as completely trustworthy.
Jesus gives the Bible its authority because of the truth of the resurrection. The truth of the resurrection speaks to the existence of God. If there is a God who made the universe and gave us life in the first place, it’s not crazy to think that God could raise someone from the dead. And that same God speaks to humanity through His Word.
Turn with me to 2 Peter 1:20-21
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The Bible is the very Word of God given to reveal the Son of God and form the people of God.
But how old is the Bible? How do we know that what we read matches what the original writers wrote? How can we trust the Bible since it’s been corrupted? or…
Obstacle #2: Hasn’t the Bible been changed over time?
Obstacle #2: Hasn’t the Bible been changed over time?
Let me give you three proofs of the enduring nature of Scripture throughout time.
The overwhelming manuscript evidence.
Have any of you heard of the new movie entitled The Odyssey? Does anyone know what this movie is based on? *insert picture.
The movie that came out in 2026 is based on a book written by Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature written around the 8th or 7th century BC.
In 2018, when BBC Culture polled experts around the world to find literature's most enduring narrative, the Odyssey topped the list.
For the most enduring narrative, the Odyssey boasts of fewer than 2,500 total fragmentary and complete copies. While the New Testament alone has over 24,000 total manuscript copies (with more than 5,800 in Greek alone) and a time gap of only 40 to 70 years to the earliest fragments. (*show a picture manuscripts)
"The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning. The records for the New Testament are vastly more abundant, clearly more accurate, and considerably more ancient in their text than the records of many classical works. — F.F. Bruce
History shows we still have what was written.
If we wouldn’t question the trustworthiness of the Odyssey, why would we question the trustworthiness of the Bible?
The existence of textual variants.
Can anyone explain how we get a Bible that looks like this (*hold up my Bible)?
God spoke. —> The apostles wrote. —> People copied them. —> The church recognized God’s books. —> We translated them.
God supernaturally inspired His Word and has ordinarily preserved it through His providence.
With hand copying for centuries introduces the fallibility of the copyist. With this we see in the manuscript tradition many variants.
*play the telephone game —
But this is actually a good thing for the Bible. We can look back and compare all of the different manuscripts and see where the scribes made copying mistakes, or where the scribes may have inserted different theology. The existence of textual variants is not a problem for the trustworthiness of the Bible, they actually prove the trustworthiness of the Bible.
Now this does not remove tough questions about the transmission or translation of the Bible. And we work through those with prayer, wisdom, and reliance on God’s promises.
The promise of scripture itself.
Look with me again at 1 Peter 1:24-25
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
These verses are actually quotations from the Old Testament in Isaiah 40:8
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand for ever.
Psalm 119 — the great Psalm concerning Scripture, speaks directly to the enduring nature and truth of God’s Word.
89 LAMED. For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.
160 Thy word is true from the beginning: And every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
And Jesus leaves us with a promise concerning his Word in Matthew 24:35
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
"The word of God is like its Author: eternal, unchangeable, and enduring through all generations. What God hath spoken in His word is settled in heaven and cannot be undone by the earth." — Thomas Manton
So, has the Bible changed over time? No. Scripture reflects its author who is unchangeable and enduring forever. We can be confident that when we read Scripture we are reading the very words that Moses penned, that Paul penned, and that Jesus spoke. We can trust Scripture.
Lastly, how can we trust the Bible if we can’t understand what it says, or if we have questions about it’s crazy claims?
Sometimes people reject the Bible because they misunderstand it. Before deciding the Bible is wrong, we have to make sure we're reading it correctly.
What are some things in the Bible that would make someone struggle to believe its true? (miracles, what it says about slavery/homosexuality, resurrection)
Obstacle #3: Should we take the Bible literally?
Obstacle #3: Should we take the Bible literally?
Here’s two truths that’ll help answer this question:
Pursue understanding through correct interpretation.
Yes or no, is all Scripture meant to be taken literally? (kinda…)
All Scripture is literally true, but all Scripture is not meant to be taken literally. (*check theology)
Let’s look at an example Scripture in Isaiah 55:12
12 For ye shall go out with joy, And be led forth with peace: The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Is this verse meant to be taken literally? no.
How do we know then when Scripture is meant to be taken literally? (look at the genre of Scripture)
What would be some forms/genres of Scripture that are not meant to be taken literally but rather metaphorically? (parables, poetic writings)
Psalms: Uses songs and poems with bold images like God being a rock or a shield.
Song of Solomon: Employs love poetry with deep symbolic language about gardens and locked doors.
Proverbs: Uses vivid comparisons to teach daily lessons, not as exact promises or event logs.
Revelation: Features strange symbols like multi-headed beasts and glowing lamps that stand for real-world empires and spiritual truths.
Daniel and Ezekiel: Contain visions with winged creatures and wheels within wheels meant to show God's power.
Parables (Gospels): Jesus told short stories about seeds, lost sheep, and hidden treasure to explain God's kingdom.
Hopefully this helps you pursue understanding of Scripture and what it actually means.
What should you do if you do not understand a passage of Scripture?
Find cross-references. let Scripture interpret Scripture.
Compare translations. read from different translations.
Read from trusted commentaries.
Talk with others.
Proper interpretation helps us understand what it actually means.
Pursue truth based on Scripture, not culture.
One of the major hang ups for our culture accepting the truth of the Bible is how the Bible contradicts culture.
Many people don’t trust the Bible because the Bible condemns homosexuality. Because they believe the Bible condones slavery. Because they believe the Bible promotes male patriarchy (that men are the authority of women in all spheres of life).
Notice what's happening here. Most people don't reject the Bible because they studied the manuscripts. They reject it because they don't like what it says.
Here’s where we’ll be confronted — We must make the decision to interpret culture according to the Bible, not interpret the Bible according to culture.
Culture does not tell us what is true. Neither will it lead us to what is true. So if we find something in culture that contradicts Scripture, we are to believe and uphold Scripture before culture.
CONCLUSION:
CONCLUSION:
Other than the gift of salvation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the greatest gift that we have ever received is the gift of God’s Word. The Bible is not only to be trust and believed, but it’s to be loved and followed. It’s meant to reveal Christ to us. It’s meant to change us. It’s meant to teach us the truth about the world and ourselves.
The Bible should be immensely important to the believer.
That challenge is that we not only say the Bible is important to us, but that our lives testify to it’s importance in our lives.
We are to read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it, pray it, sing it. We are to let it be the light that illuminates the darks paths of this world.
Teenager, adult, does your life testify to your love of the Scriptures?
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
Why is the resurrection of Jesus the foundation for believing the Bible? Why can't we just skip straight to trusting the Bible?
What's the difference between saying "the Bible is literally true" and saying "every passage should be read literally"?
Why do you think many people reject the Bible today? Is it usually because of evidence, or because they don't like what the Bible teaches? Explain.
How should your daily life change in order to demonstrate the Bible is important to you?
PRAYER PROMPTS
PRAYER PROMPTS
Pray that we would grow to trust God's Word as truthful, reliable, and completely trustworthy.
Pray that God would give us wisdom to understand the Bible correctly as we read and study it.
Pray that our church would remain committed to teaching God's Word accurately and lovingly for future generations.
