How Do We Know the Bible is True?

How do we know the Bible is true? This might be the most important question a human being could ever ask.

As a Christian pastor, I have given my entire life to this book (reading it, studying it, wrestling it, memorizing it, teaching it, preaching it, praying it, singing it, sharing it) because I believe that it is true – every word (Prov 30:5).

There is no such thing as “hedging your bets” or “riding the fence” or “playing it safe” when it comes to the Bible. You either cling to it as the glorious truth of God, or you must reject it as a heinous work of fiction. It does not offer a middle ground.

Just consider some of the staggering claims the Bible makes about itself:

• It claims to be the very words of God (2 Pet 1:21).
• It claims to be without error (Prov 30:5).
• It claims to be preserved by God (Psa 12:6–8).
• It claims to be the ultimate source of truth (Psa 119:142; John 17:17).
• It claims to be the textbook for the story of the universe (Gen 1:1; Psa 119:160).
• It claims to be the definitive guide for human existence (2 Tim 3:16–17).
• It claims to be the universal compass for morality and ethics (Psa 119:9).
• It claims to be the good news of our salvation (Rom 1:16).
• It claims to be the final authoritative revelation of God (Matt 5:17–18; Heb 1:1).

If it is false, then it is the most hideous lie in history, and those who believe it are the most pitiful people on the planet (1 Cor 15:19). And if it is true, then it is the most precious possession in the entire universe (Matt 13:44).  

So, the all-important question is: how do we know the Bible is true?

I hear this question almost every time I engage in evangelical conversations, and I am so thankful for it. Whether it’s coming from the professing atheist, the curious bystander, the scoffing agnostic, the seasoned believer, or those who are in the process of “deconstructing” their faith, it is a good (fair, honest, vital) question. In fact, the Bible itself commends those who are willing to scrutinize the validity of truth claims (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1).

The following is how I have answered the question for myself. My aim is not to outmatch the critic, to overcome the skeptic, or to persuade the intellectual of the truthfulness of the Bible. I leave that to God (Psa 119:18). My aim is simply to share the foundation of my personal convictions.

How do I know the Bible is true?

1. INFLUENCE. The Bible stands alone as the most influential book in the history of the world. With over 5 billion copies in print, no other book (religious or otherwise) comes even remotely close! Does this make it true? Of course not. But it is what I would expect from a book that is the true and inspired Word of God.
2. MANUSCRIPTS. It is the most well-documented piece of literature in history. There are approximately 17,000 Old Testament manuscripts and nearly 24,000 New Testament manuscripts, the earliest of which date to within a single generation of the original documents. No other piece of literature even comes close!
    Does this make it true? No. But it does give me confidence that I am reading a faithfully transmitted book.
3. ARCHEOLOGY. Archeological discoveries continue to prove that the biblical narrative corresponds to historical reality. No other book (religious or otherwise) can compete with the archeological support that the Bible enjoys. For example: Luke is the most prolific and meticulous writer in the New Testament. He provides the most thorough account of Jesus’ birth, the most scientific account of Jesus’ death, and the most detailed account of the early church. And the archeological evidence (e.g., manuscripts, artifacts, cities, inscriptions, etc.) continues to reveal that Luke wrote with razor-sharp accuracy. By way of comparison, the archeological support for Luke’s writings far outweighs the evidence for anything Plato or Aristotle ever wrote.  
   I first experienced the significance of archeology while I was studying in Israel. I remember standing at the archeological dig of ancient Jericho where the walls collapsed just as the Bible describes (Joshua 6:20). That was just one of numerous excavations that I had the privilege of seeing with my own eyes.
   Does this make the Bible true? No. But if the Bible is true, I would expect to find evidence that corroborate its story – and that’s exactly what we continue to find through the field of archeology.
4. PROPHECY. The sheer number of biblical prophecies that have come to pass is truly remarkable. Scholars have identified approximately 2,000 biblical prophecies that have been fulfilled (without any error whatsoever), and over 300 of these prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus Christ alone (e.g., Psa 22:7–8, 18; Isa 7:14; 9:6–7;11:1–3; 35:5–6; 50:6; 53:5–12; Mic 5:2; Zech 9:9; 12:10)! The odds of one person perfectly fulfilling so many prophesies are impossibly miniscule (as in, less than 1 in 10 to the 2,000th power).
   Does this make it true? Not necessarily. But it does make it utterly unique compared to any other piece of literature.
5. INTERNAL CONSISTENCY. Even though the Bible was written by approximately 40 different writers (covering the gamut of cultures, backgrounds, personalities, occupations, experiences, topics, agendas, and literary styles) over a timespan of roughly 2,000 years, the message is coherent and consistent. Given such a wide range of variables, one might expect to find numerous inconsistencies and contradictions within the biblical narrative. Yet, the message is astonishingly consistent. Any supposed contradictions (e.g., Isaiah 2:4 and Joel 3:10) are simply the result of contextual neglect and eisegesis. In other words, when we read the Bible in context (paying careful attention to the author’s time, audience, situation, message, and literary genre), we can see how these supposed contradictions fit together into a single unified story.
   Does this make it true? No. But it is what I would expect from a book that claims to be without error.  
6. EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY. Often, the most convincing and compelling evidence in a court case is the testimony of an eyewitness (somebody who actually saw the event in question). When it comes to New Testament story of Jesus, every page was written by people who were eyewitness of Jesus (John 1:14; 20:30–31; 1 Pet 5:1; 2 Pet 1:16–17; 1 John 1:1–3) or by those who were close companions of an eyewitness (Luke 1:1–4). Now, one might be tempted to think that these writers simply fabricated the story (or their own authorship) in order to gain some sort of notoriety. The problem with this suggestion is that the authors had absolutely nothing to gain and everything to lose in writing these books. Christians were the most persecuted people group in the first century, and so the authors had nothing to gain from their literary works except for criticism, ostracism, and martyrdom. Nevertheless, they willingly embraced horrific suffering and death as they unanimously testified to the truthfulness of their message. Why would every single one of them willingly give up their life for something they knew to be a lie? The most obvious answer is, they wouldn’t.
   Does this make it true? No. But it means its original authors all believed it was true – and that it was worth the sacrifice of their very lives.  
7. UNUSUAL HONESTY. When it comes to ancient religious documents or autobiographies, the Bible is strikingly honest. It doesn’t attempt to whitewash the failures of God’s people (Hos 4:12) or to rewrite the embarrassing moments in church history (1 Cor 5:1) or to soften the unpopular texts (Lev 18:22) or to remove the theologically troubling stories (1 Sam 15:3–4). Rather, it is written with an air of historical transparency that is unexpected and highly unusual. The prophets are scared (1 Kings 19:3). The judges go rogue (Jud 15:4–5). The kings utterly fail (2 Sam 11:1–27). The disciples are unbearably slow to believe (Matt 8:26). The local church totally bombs their theology (1 Cor 6:12–20). This is not what you would expect from a manicured work of religious propaganda, but it is what you would expect from a historically honest narrative.
   Does this make it true? No. But it sure makes it sound true!
8. SECULAR TESTIMONY. Something that skeptics often overlook is the corroborating testimony of extrabiblical sources. Ancient non-Christian documents (such as the writings of Tacitus, Josephus, Pliny, Lucian, the Babylonian Talmud) point to the truthfulness of the New Testament. For example: these secular sources corroborate the biblical narrative that Jesus was a wise man (not a fool or a con artist), that He spoke with power, that He performed miracles, that He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, that His followers believed He rose from the dead, and that He was worshipped as God.
   Does this mean the Bible is true? No. But it does give extrabiblical testimony to the biblical message.
9. SCIENTIFIC ACCURACY. Although the Bible is not a scientific textbook, it speaks with a scientific accuracy that is unparalleled in antiquity. For example: it speaks of the spherical nature of the earth (Job 26:10; Psa 103:12; Isa 40:22) long before we had the scientific equipment to prove it. It speaks of stars following a predictable pattern (Jer 31:35). It speaks of water cycles (Eccl 1:7) and blood circulation (Lev 17:11). It speaks of animals reproducing “according to their kind” (Gen 1:24), an idea long challenged by evolutionary biologists. It speaks of the earth being covered in a worldwide flood (Gen 7:19), which modern geological evidence has confirmed as a legitimate possibility given how many rock layers were deposited catastrophically, burying fossils within a matter of minutes. Does this make it true? No. But it is what I would expect if its Author was also the Creator of the universe.
10. UNIVERSAL LOGIC & MORALITY. The biblical worldview is the only worldview that can consistently explain a universal logic (like the law of noncontradiction) and a universal concept of morality (like the concept of right and wrong). If human beings are nothing more than biological products of evolutionary chance, then how do we explain such a universal concept as right & wrong, good & bad, fair & unfair, true & untrue? Yet, such principles of logic and morality serve as the foundation of every society on earth. How do we explain this? Answer: with the Bible! Christians can make sense of such universal realities because the Bible reveals a universal Creator who made us in His image (Gen 1:27). Does this make it true? No. But it does provide a worldview that is consistent with reality.
11. TRANSFORMED LIFE. While this is admittedly the most subjective of all the answers, nevertheless, I can say that I know the Bible is true because it has transformed my life. “I was one way, and now I’m completely different” (The Chosen). It has been an endless source of light, a bottomless well of joy, and a ceaseless supply of help. Every part of my life has been shaped in some way by the Bible. Does this make it true? No. But it’s what I would expect to happen if it were true.
12. BREATHTAKING GLORY. I see an unparalleled glory through the pages of Scripture, and this is by far the most compelling proof of its truthfulness. There is simply no God like our God, and there is no story like His story. What other god condescends to dwell among his people? What other god works for his people instead of demanding that they work for him? What other god would shed his blood to redeem his enemies from the death sentence of their own rebellion? What other god offers salvation as a free gift apart from our works? What other god makes such stunning promises based on his character alone.
    Truly, the greatest argument for the truthfulness of the Bible is when God opens your eyes to see His glory (2 Kings 6:17; Psalm 119:18; Matt 13:16; John 1:14; Eph 1:18). In the pages of His Word, there is a breath-taking, soul-piercing, heart-changing, life-transforming glory that has no rival, no equal, and no parallel. In the word of Jonathan Edwards, “The argument is but one, and the evidence direct; the mind ascends to the truth of the gospel but by one step, and that is its divine glory.” Does this make it true? Yes. When God opens the eyes of your heart to see the breathtaking glory of Jesus on every page of His story, no other evidence is needed. You know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are beholding the greatest reality in the universe.

CONCLUSION
When we examine the veracity of the Bible using the same methods and standards by which we would examine any other truth claim, there is overwhelming evidence to believe that the Bible is everything it claims to be.