How can I know the Bible Is True?
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How can I know The Bible is true?
Introduction:
How do I know The Bible is true?
That question is one of the battle cries of our generation, which is also saying, “Who says I have to obey it?” Today it is something of a colossal understatement to say that we live in a world that doesn’t respond to authority very well. In fact, just about the whole culture rebels against authority. If you doubt it, ask the police. Ask teachers, coaches, and congressmen. Ask employers, the Supreme Court, and the President.
Deep in the soul of every person is a streak of rugged individualism (the habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant). We all want things to have our own way, we want to be free and not controlled, and when we grow up, (some want to be our own god) we want to be captains of our soul and masters of our fate. No, we don’t respond to authority very well at all. People don’t want to change their lifestyle.
Is it any wonder then that people question the authority of the Bible?
As a minister I can say, “The Bible is the absolute authority for everyone. It is infallible, inerrant, effective, and absolutely authoritative. It is the final word on how we should all live our lives.”
The typical response—which can come from Christians as well as non-Christians—is: “How do I know that? I’m not going to accept what you say unless you show me.”
In other words, we want proof. What can you say when someone wants you to prove the Bible is true, and that God exists?
see Romans 1.19-20
They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Five Ways I know the Bible is True.
1. Personal Experience
If I want to play the “prove-the-Bible-is-true” game I start by speaking from my personal experience. I believe the Bible is true because it gives me the experience that it claims it will give me. For example,
· The Bible says that God will forgive my sins. I believe that. I accepted God’s forgiveness, and it happened. How do I know? I have a sense of freedom from guilt.
· The Bible also says that if I come to Christ I will be a “new creation.” Old things will pass away, and all things will become new. I believed in Christ one day, and it happened just as the Bible said it would. Old things did pass away, and all things did become new. I know, because I experienced it in my own life.
Yes, the Bible really changes lives. Millions of people—from the greatest heads of state to brilliant educators and scientists, from philosophers and writers to generals and historians who have believed— they could all testify about how the Bible has changed their lives. Millions of people are living proof that the Bible can put lives together, and keep them that way.
I was studying Moses’ encounter with the Burning Bush. His life was completely changed
God is.....
2. Fulfilled Prophesies
When God wanted to communicate specific messages, it was not necessary for Him to appear in person. He also spoke through the mouth of a prophet. The man of God would open his mouth and say, “Thus says the Lord.” God would take control of his mind and mouth. In fact, sometimes in studying the Prophets it is impossible to isolate God from the prophet who spoke.
Moses wrote the first 5 books of the OT.
for example: So This is how it works...
When God commissioned Jeremiah
The Lord gave me this message: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.”
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Jeremiah (Prophet))
640–587 B.C.
Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
To name a few Fulfilled Prophesy,
Jesus was born in the right place, in the right family and precisely at the right time in history.
Isa 7.14
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
Hundreds of prophesies have come true with 100% accuracy
The Principle of Probability
3. Archeological Evidence - modern discovery
Pools of Bethesda,
Chariot wheels found in the red sea, King Solomon’s wealth, the existence of the Hittites.
Pontus Pilot inscription
Anklebone with nail.
Dead Sea scroll video –
4. Scientific Evidence - things we did not know until modern discovery
Hydrological cycle. Rain or snow falls to the ground and runs off into streams, which run into rivers, which run into the sea. Water evaporates from the surface of the ocean and returns to the clouds, where it becomes rain and snow and falls to the ground again. The hydrological cycle is a discovery of modern times, but the Bible speaks of it in Isaiah 55:10-11
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
“For He draws up the drops of water, They distill rain from the mist,
Isostasy. Geologists speak of a state called Isostasy, which can be used to describe the balance of the earth as it orbits through space. Basically the idea behind isostasy is that equal weights are necessary to support equal weights. Land mass must be balanced equally by water mass. In order for the earth to remain stable as it spins in orbit, it must be in perfect balance. But again, the scientists haven’t discovered anything that is significantly new or beyond the Bible. The prophet Isaiah also wrote that God
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?
The complexity of human life and the body.
The circulatory system – Blood is the life of the flesh;
The human eye.
5. Faith – The Holy Spirit confirm in our hearts
While there are many solid arguments for the authority of Scripture, none of them are of much use if someone doesn’t want to be convinced. Ultimately this question of the authority of the Scriptures is a matter of faith and not of argument. You may convince a man intellectually of what you’re saying, but still he may not believe in and accept the authority of the Scripture.
Actually there is only one argument that can prove to us that the Bible is true and authoritative for our lives: the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds.
But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
Paul says, that no mind has conceived what God has prepared. Worldly wisdom can’t know God through the study of objective facts. The world is in a hopeless state because of sin; but God has a great plan. The secret to knowing God is loving Him through Jesus Christ. The human mind does not discover God. God revealed Himself to the human mind in Christ.
God revealed Himself because He loves us...
John 3:16 (NASB95)
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 17:6–8 (NLT)
“I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.
· Revelation
· Inspiration
· Illumination
The psalmist prays a beautiful prayer In Psalm 119:18
Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.
God didn’t just give us the law (the Scriptures). He also has to open the eyes of our understanding; and He does this as the Holy Spirit illuminates our minds.
To Sum It Up
While the Christian can marshal good arguments from personal experience, prophecy, archaeology, and science, he cannot finally “prove” the Bible is true and authoritative. Still, he knows the Bible is true because of his resident truth-teacher—the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can prove God’s Word is true; and He does this as He works in the heart and mind of the Christian in whom He dwells.
Time for Decision
We have looked at the testimonies of the Old Testament writers and of little of the New Testament writers, of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit—all defending the inspiration of the Bible. It is a solid case. The only possible verdict is that the Scriptures are indeed True
What should be our response to this fact?
We must practice Colossians 3:16: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Our minds and hearts should be a tablet where the Word of God is written.
We are to read it and study it with useful Bible resources available to us, such as Study Bibles, Swordsman club, Scripture memory.
We are to obey it and apply all of its teachings to our lives. Then, we are to pass it on.
It has been estimated that in one lifetime the average citizen will consume 150 head of cattle, 2,400 chickens, 225 lambs, 26 sheep, 310 pigs, 26 acres of grain, and 50 acres of fruits and vegetables. That’s a lot of food.
How much of the Word of God are you consuming?
An outdoor bulletin board at a church carried this message: “A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”
KEY VERSES
Dt 18:22; Ps 18:30; Ps 19:9; Ps 119:142; Pr 30:5; Jn 8:26; Jn 10:35; Jn 17:17; 2 Ti 3:15–17; 2 Pe 1:19–21
ADDITIONAL VERSES
Nu 23:19; 2 Sa 7:28; Ps 12:6; Ps 119:89; Mt 24:35; Heb 6:18