Because I have to believe the Bible?
The Bible is reliable?
The Bible is the Word of God in written form. It is a collection of 66 books, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and written by more than 40 authors in 1.500 years. Later writings and archeology have confirmed that the people, Biblical places and events they were real. Biblical authors include: national leaders (Moses and Joshua); prophets (Isaiah, Geremia, Ezekiel); disciples (Pietro, Giacomo, Giovanni); and participants in the Gospel (Paolo).
There are a number of reasons why we can answer the question “the Bible is true” with a loud “Yup”. Here are five reasons:
1. Documentation
There is much more documentation for the books of the Bible, we also have many extra-biblical and non-Christian sources, historically recognized authors and men of letters, including Plato and others.
2. Archaeological finds
Excavation sites and artifacts also provide evidence that many of the events, of the people and places mentioned in the Bible really existed, including the Hittite people and the city of Jericho.
3. Eyewitness accounts
The Gospels give multiple points of view and, In many cases, they were written during the lifetimes of people who witnessed the events recorded in the Bible. The writers focused on different aspects, but they had the same message: Jesus taught, healed, performed miracles, he died on the cross and rose from the dead.
4. The life of Jesus
The fact that Jesus was a real, historical person is clearly documented from the Hebrew manuscripts, even before the apostle Paul and the Gospel writers provided their eyewitness accounts. Other ancient cultural documents also refer to its existence. Eg, the Roman leader and historian Tacitus wrote:
“Nero took the blame and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for its abominations, called Christian by the people. Christus, from which the name originated, suffered the extreme punishment during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate..."
5. Lives redeemed
We see evidence of the Bible's reliability by the lives that have been changed and redeemed by it. Some examples include C.S. Lewis, a former atheist who became one of the world's leading Christian apologists, e John Newton, a former slave ship commander who converted to Christianity and wrote “Amazing Grace”.
What the Bible tells us?
Good news! Jesus came to fulfill God's promise to defeat the curse of sin and be the Savior for all people. His death and resurrection create the only way to be forgiven for our sins. Jesus takes away our guilt, shame and regret and sent the Holy Spirit to strengthen us. Then, we can have a “new” life and share this hope with others.
The above reasons to trust what the Bible says are just a few of many . But don't stop there! Continue to dig deeper and strengthen your faith by understanding why God's Word is accurate, reliable and worth following in your life!
