“How do you know that Jesus is God?”
“Because the Bible says so.”
Don’t you just hate that? Surely, you can’t blame someone for coming back with, “And why should I believe the Bible?” Excellent question.
If your beliefs are based on scripture, a built-in premise for each of your beliefs is that the scripture is true. Is that a sound premise in your case? I urge you to examine the evidence for and against the validity of the scripture that your beliefs are based on.
“Because the Bible says so” isn’t good enough unless you’ve provided a basis for its trustworthiness. I encourage you to read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel and other books by people who have examined the evidence about the Bible. For now, here is a quick list of reasons to trust it:
- The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses.
- It contains falsifiable claims that would have shut down the Christian movement at its start if the claims had been untrue.
- Although the documents were written by about 40 authors over a period of about 2,000 years, they are coherent in message.
- The Bible reports events that were the fulfillment of specific prophecies, and it contains prophecies that have been fulfilled in post-Bible times.
- Much of the Bible is confirmed by the writings of contemporaries and by archaeological findings.
- The Bible is by far the best attested writing from antiquity.
I understand that not everyone will find this evidence compelling. But, here’s the thing. Alongside nature, the Bible is the best evidence we have about God. If God is real, He must be the most important and relevant reality in existence; therefore, the truth about God is worth pursuing. I encourage you to dig further. There is much more to be found, and it is a most worthy pursuit.
Which of the six reasons is the most compelling to you? The least compelling? Why? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
I hate that people hate to hear “Because the Bible says so.” That means Christians have failed to adequately defend the Bible for a very long time. Thank you for your efforts to do so. You inspire me to do a better job as a Christian to help the more people recognize the credibility and the significance of the Bible.
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