Can we Trust the Bible?

To go alongside my previous blog about Foundations, it’s important we know that the Bible is the Word of God.A recent post in FaceBook said this: “It is more crucial than ever that believers understand what the Bible is and what they can trust it wholeheartedly”.Absolutely.It’s probably the most important thing for us to know, otherwise we’re ‘tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine’. No absolutes, no certainty.

The Bible makes some strong claims for itself.
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 
So how do we know?

Well here’s the line of reasoning I used in the Bible Series earlier this year:

The reliability of the New Testament documents is covered in many places. I’d recommend Josh McDowell’s ‘Evidence that Demands a Verdict’ as an excellent reference. (The topic is also covered in the first chapter of a free download on his website www.josh.org

So they contain a reliable record of Jesus’ life and sayings.
They reveal Jesus as no ordinary man – he performed miracles, which were described as ‘signs’ pointing to his identity.His life was the fulfilment of many Old Testament prophecies, impossible to stage manage. He claimed that he was equal with God – forgiving sins, having God’s authority, referring to himself as ‘I Am’ (the name of God in the Old Testament). The Jews at the time understood this and were incensed. He died and then came back from the dead.He was who he said he was.And he said that Scripture (at that time the Old Testament) is the very words of God. The writers of the New Testament recognised they were also writing Scripture.
So all of our Bible (Old and New Testament) is the Word of God.It is true and trustworthy – because of it’s source, and because that is how Jesus regarded it.
I can do no better than finish with a quote from John McArthur:

“Scripture is logical because God is logical. 
Scripture in non-contradictory because God is non-contradictory.Scripture is clear because God is clear. There are no errors, no discrepancies, no lies, no unsound truths, no fantasies, no absurdities, no inconsistencies, no myths. It is infallible. It is inerrant. It is true and it is to be understood by normal mental powers.”