How do we Know the Bible is the Inspired Word of God?
Anyone who opens the Bible will soon realize that he is reading a very unusual book with beautiful literature and extraordinary claims. From poetry, to prophesies, to parables, it is full of harrowing stories and fascinating narratives. But is this enough to support the claim that the Bible is inspired by God? The world is full of religions built solely on good, creative literature and nothing more. The Book of Mormon, the Quran, Dianetics, and the Vedas are all extraordinary works of literature, that many believe are inspired by the sheer beauty of their composition, rather than by the validity and outcome of their claims. But is the Bible special, or should it be lumped into this pile of good ancient literature? Is there anything that sets it apart? In our course Introduction to Apologetics we cover eight features unique to the Bible, which make the overwhelming case that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Below is a summary.
Prophetically Accurate
Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events in detail, many years and sometimes, centuries before they occur. Approximately 2,500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2,000 of which have already been fulfilled to the letter. Hugh Ross, Reasons.org. The following prophesy descriptions and many more can be found at 100prophecies.org George Konig, Ray Konig.
Historically Accurate
For centuries, archaeologists have used the Bible as a guide during Middle Eastern excavations. Cities that were once thought to be mythical such as Babylon, Jericho, and Tyre have since been discovered. People who were believed to be fictional such as King David and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon have now been confirmed in the archaeological record. Princeton historian R.D. Wilson, who mastered 45 languages, noted that “the names of 29 Kings from ten nations (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and more) are mentioned not only in the Bible but are also found on monuments of their own time. Every single name is transliterated in the Old Testament exactly as it appears on the archaeological artifact – syllable for syllable, consonant for consonant. The chronological order of the kings is correct.”
Does historical accuracy prove that the Bible is inspired? Of course not, but it does add a piece to the puzzle. Is there much yet to be discovered? Of course, the Bible speaks volumes of the acts of King David, but as of today we can only confirm in two inscriptions that he existed. An Assyrian inscription claims Jehu paid tribute to Shalmaneser, but there is still much in the Bible about King Jehu that has not been discovered. But the fact that the Bible gets so much right, should be reason to give the Bible the benefit of the doubt on matters where archaeologists have yet to make confirmations.
Scientifically Accurate
Peter Stoner, who was chairman of the mathematics and astronomy departments at Pasadena College, remarked that his copy of Young's General Astronomy, published in 1898, is full of scientific errors while, the Bible, written over 3,500 years ago lacks such errors. For example, the shape of the earth is mentioned in Isaiah 40:22, gravity in Job 26:7 and atmospheric circulation in Ecclesiastes 1:6. A reference to ocean currents can be found in Psalm 8:8, and the hydraulic cycle is described in Ecclesiastes 1:7 and Isaiah 55:10. The second law of thermodynamics is outlined in Psalm 102:25-27 and Romans 8:21. Proper reading of Genesis Chapter 1 puts all twelve creation accounts in perfect chronological order as we understand them today. And these are only a few examples of scientific truths written in the Scriptures long before they were discovered by scientists.
Experientially Livable
While Buddhism encourages us to flee all human desire, New Age and Hinduism claims we are living in an illusion. The relativists claim that there is no truth, while the atheists claim the universe is all the product of chance and that survival is our strongest drive. If you ask a Buddhist, a New Ager, or a Hindu how many people attain nirvana or moksha, they will tell you it is as rare as a flying unicorn. The success rate among these worldviews is indeed rare and remote. The reason of course, is because they are pursuing a worldview that is not livable. Even Islam offers no assurance of entering heaven, Mohammed himself expressing doubt about his eternal soul.
The Bible on the other hand offers salvation by grace through faith, giving all believers an assurance of salvation. It urges the believer to seek virtue and live a life of love. While no easy task, it is the one worldview that best reflects reality and brings the highest level of human fulfillment.
Continuity
Our Bible was authored by about 40 different people, over the course of about 1,600 years. The Old Testament was written by kings (David, Solomon), a political leader (Moses), boy turned Prime Minister (Daniel), shepherd (Amos), and prophets (Isaiah, Nehemiah). The New Testament was written by a tax collector (Matthew), fishermen (Peter, James, John), doctor (Luke), and a religious leader (Paul). Yet with such diversity, all the books of the Bible miraculously tie together in theme and message. Each generation built on the other. Moses believed Abraham, David believed the writings of Moses, Jesus quoted from David, Paul quoted from Jesus, Peter quoted from Paul. Authors do not give very flattering accounts of themselves, which support their authenticity. Sin, weaknesses, and cowardice are shown in as much light as their greatest accomplishments.
By contrast, the Quran was written by one individual, Zaid ibn Thabit, under the guidance of Mohammed’s father-in-law, Abu-Bekr between 609-632 A.D. By 650 A.D., there were so many different versions of the Quran that a group of Arab scholars produced a unified version and destroyed all existing copies, bringing into serious question the issue of reliability.
Accurate Depiction of Man
Evolutionists have been telling us for decades that mankind is nothing but an intelligent ape, driven by the urge to survive. But is that really what we see in humanity? The difference between man and apes is enormous. For example, mankind is charitable, does philosophy and mathematics, worships, appreciates beauty, lives according to a moral law, pursues justice, and plans for the future. None of this is evident in an ape, nor is it necessary for survival, and is best described when the Bible claims that we are made in the image of God.
Every worldview acknowledges that mankind is broken. The atheist claims the problem is bad government, while the Buddhist claims it is human desire. The New Age movement claims that it is ignorance of the divinity in us and the Muslim claims it is due to disobedience. The Bible depicts man as a triune being with virtuous desires at odds with sinful desires. No other worldview better describes human nature than the Bible.
Reliability
Early accounts, eyewitness accounts, extensive manuscripts, archaeologically supported and extra Biblical accounts all point to the impeccable reliability of the New Testament documents (see; Is the Bible Reliable). This is important to Christians because Christianity is the only world religion that is based on real historical events, primarily the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Social Progress
The Biblical worldview brought us the scientific method, the modern concept of human rights and equality, and the modern concept of universal education. In addition, it remains the most charitable worldview in human history, bringing us the idea of the poor as a social class, and the hospital system. Finally, it is Christianity that brought us the greatest works of art in history along with the greatest architectural marvels. All in all, it is the worldview that provides the best framework for social progress with no competitor of any consequence.
What about Nostradamus and His Prophesies?
Many have claimed over the years that the prophesies of Nostradamus are much like those in the Bible or superior to the Bible's. Here is the well know prediction of the attack on the World Trade Center according to those who follow his predictions. Century 6 Quatrain 97 At forty-five degrees the sky will burn, Fire to approach the great new city: In an instant a great scattered flame will leap up, When one will want to demand proof of the Normans. Another example of his prophesies is found in Century 2 Quatrain 3. During the appearance of the bearded star, The three great princes will be made enemies: Struck from the sky, peace earth quaking, Po, Tiber overflowing, serpent placed upon the shore.
"....no Nostradamus quatrain is known to have been interpreted as predicting a specific event before it occurred, other than in vague, general terms that could equally apply to any number of other events." Peter Lemesurier, Nostradamus, Bibliomancer: The Man, the Myth, the Truth. This even applies to quatrains that contain specific dates, such as Quatrain 3.77, which predicts, "in 1727, in October, the king of Persia shall be captured by those of Egypt" a prophecy that was never fulfilled in any respect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostradamus
Conclusion: There are many reasons to believe that the Bible is inspired by God, while all other holy books are merely beautiful literature. We have outlined just eight important points here that every evangelist should commit to memory, because standing alone, each one provides powerful evidence for Biblical inspiration. Combined, they provide conclusive evidence that the Bible is the word of the living God.
Articles
Problems with the Book of Mormons Matt Slick
The Alleged Divine Origin of the Qur’an Norman Geisler
Does the Bible or the Qur’an have stronger historical corroboration? Joseph Smith
Prophesies - True and False Wayne Jackson, M.A.
Scientific Foreknowledge and Medical Acumen of the Bible Kyle Butt, M.A.
Prophetically Accurate
Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events in detail, many years and sometimes, centuries before they occur. Approximately 2,500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2,000 of which have already been fulfilled to the letter. Hugh Ross, Reasons.org. The following prophesy descriptions and many more can be found at 100prophecies.org George Konig, Ray Konig.
- Isaiah 13:17-22 and Jeremiah 51:26, 43, mighty Babylon, was said to be indestructible, yet two Bible prophets declared its doom over 100 years earlier. These prophets further claimed that the ruins would be avoided by travelers, that the city would never again be inhabited, something that is still true 2,700 years later.
- Leviticus 26:44, the Bible said that God would never allow the people of Israel to be completely destroyed, which is still true 3,500 years later.
- Leviticus 26:32-33, as well as in other prophecies of the Bible, we learn that the people of Israel would be persecuted in the nations to which they would be driven during their exile, and that the land of Israel would be in ruins.
- Matthew 24:1-2, Jesus prophesied that the Temple of Jerusalem would be destroyed. His prophecy was fulfilled about 40 years later when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and tore down the Temple.
- In Luke 21:24, Jesus said that Jerusalem would be trampled upon by foreigners and that the people of Israel would be forced into exile. The people of Israel are the only culture in history to survive more than a few generations without a homeland, in this case for 2,000 years.
- Amos 1:9-10, the prophet said that God would cause Tyre's protective fortresses to fail, as punishment for the way that Tyre treated Israel. That prophecy was fulfilled in 586-573 BC when Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar attacked the mainland of Tyre, and in 333-332 BC when Alexander the Great conquered the island of Tyre.
- Ezekiel 26:21, the prophet said that Tyre would be brought to an end and would never again be found. When Alexander the Great destroyed the city in 332 BC, he brought an end to the Phoenician Empire. The Empire was never revived or "found" again.
Historically Accurate
For centuries, archaeologists have used the Bible as a guide during Middle Eastern excavations. Cities that were once thought to be mythical such as Babylon, Jericho, and Tyre have since been discovered. People who were believed to be fictional such as King David and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon have now been confirmed in the archaeological record. Princeton historian R.D. Wilson, who mastered 45 languages, noted that “the names of 29 Kings from ten nations (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and more) are mentioned not only in the Bible but are also found on monuments of their own time. Every single name is transliterated in the Old Testament exactly as it appears on the archaeological artifact – syllable for syllable, consonant for consonant. The chronological order of the kings is correct.”
Does historical accuracy prove that the Bible is inspired? Of course not, but it does add a piece to the puzzle. Is there much yet to be discovered? Of course, the Bible speaks volumes of the acts of King David, but as of today we can only confirm in two inscriptions that he existed. An Assyrian inscription claims Jehu paid tribute to Shalmaneser, but there is still much in the Bible about King Jehu that has not been discovered. But the fact that the Bible gets so much right, should be reason to give the Bible the benefit of the doubt on matters where archaeologists have yet to make confirmations.
Scientifically Accurate
Peter Stoner, who was chairman of the mathematics and astronomy departments at Pasadena College, remarked that his copy of Young's General Astronomy, published in 1898, is full of scientific errors while, the Bible, written over 3,500 years ago lacks such errors. For example, the shape of the earth is mentioned in Isaiah 40:22, gravity in Job 26:7 and atmospheric circulation in Ecclesiastes 1:6. A reference to ocean currents can be found in Psalm 8:8, and the hydraulic cycle is described in Ecclesiastes 1:7 and Isaiah 55:10. The second law of thermodynamics is outlined in Psalm 102:25-27 and Romans 8:21. Proper reading of Genesis Chapter 1 puts all twelve creation accounts in perfect chronological order as we understand them today. And these are only a few examples of scientific truths written in the Scriptures long before they were discovered by scientists.
Experientially Livable
While Buddhism encourages us to flee all human desire, New Age and Hinduism claims we are living in an illusion. The relativists claim that there is no truth, while the atheists claim the universe is all the product of chance and that survival is our strongest drive. If you ask a Buddhist, a New Ager, or a Hindu how many people attain nirvana or moksha, they will tell you it is as rare as a flying unicorn. The success rate among these worldviews is indeed rare and remote. The reason of course, is because they are pursuing a worldview that is not livable. Even Islam offers no assurance of entering heaven, Mohammed himself expressing doubt about his eternal soul.
The Bible on the other hand offers salvation by grace through faith, giving all believers an assurance of salvation. It urges the believer to seek virtue and live a life of love. While no easy task, it is the one worldview that best reflects reality and brings the highest level of human fulfillment.
Continuity
Our Bible was authored by about 40 different people, over the course of about 1,600 years. The Old Testament was written by kings (David, Solomon), a political leader (Moses), boy turned Prime Minister (Daniel), shepherd (Amos), and prophets (Isaiah, Nehemiah). The New Testament was written by a tax collector (Matthew), fishermen (Peter, James, John), doctor (Luke), and a religious leader (Paul). Yet with such diversity, all the books of the Bible miraculously tie together in theme and message. Each generation built on the other. Moses believed Abraham, David believed the writings of Moses, Jesus quoted from David, Paul quoted from Jesus, Peter quoted from Paul. Authors do not give very flattering accounts of themselves, which support their authenticity. Sin, weaknesses, and cowardice are shown in as much light as their greatest accomplishments.
By contrast, the Quran was written by one individual, Zaid ibn Thabit, under the guidance of Mohammed’s father-in-law, Abu-Bekr between 609-632 A.D. By 650 A.D., there were so many different versions of the Quran that a group of Arab scholars produced a unified version and destroyed all existing copies, bringing into serious question the issue of reliability.
Accurate Depiction of Man
Evolutionists have been telling us for decades that mankind is nothing but an intelligent ape, driven by the urge to survive. But is that really what we see in humanity? The difference between man and apes is enormous. For example, mankind is charitable, does philosophy and mathematics, worships, appreciates beauty, lives according to a moral law, pursues justice, and plans for the future. None of this is evident in an ape, nor is it necessary for survival, and is best described when the Bible claims that we are made in the image of God.
Every worldview acknowledges that mankind is broken. The atheist claims the problem is bad government, while the Buddhist claims it is human desire. The New Age movement claims that it is ignorance of the divinity in us and the Muslim claims it is due to disobedience. The Bible depicts man as a triune being with virtuous desires at odds with sinful desires. No other worldview better describes human nature than the Bible.
Reliability
Early accounts, eyewitness accounts, extensive manuscripts, archaeologically supported and extra Biblical accounts all point to the impeccable reliability of the New Testament documents (see; Is the Bible Reliable). This is important to Christians because Christianity is the only world religion that is based on real historical events, primarily the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Social Progress
The Biblical worldview brought us the scientific method, the modern concept of human rights and equality, and the modern concept of universal education. In addition, it remains the most charitable worldview in human history, bringing us the idea of the poor as a social class, and the hospital system. Finally, it is Christianity that brought us the greatest works of art in history along with the greatest architectural marvels. All in all, it is the worldview that provides the best framework for social progress with no competitor of any consequence.
What about Nostradamus and His Prophesies?
Many have claimed over the years that the prophesies of Nostradamus are much like those in the Bible or superior to the Bible's. Here is the well know prediction of the attack on the World Trade Center according to those who follow his predictions. Century 6 Quatrain 97 At forty-five degrees the sky will burn, Fire to approach the great new city: In an instant a great scattered flame will leap up, When one will want to demand proof of the Normans. Another example of his prophesies is found in Century 2 Quatrain 3. During the appearance of the bearded star, The three great princes will be made enemies: Struck from the sky, peace earth quaking, Po, Tiber overflowing, serpent placed upon the shore.
"....no Nostradamus quatrain is known to have been interpreted as predicting a specific event before it occurred, other than in vague, general terms that could equally apply to any number of other events." Peter Lemesurier, Nostradamus, Bibliomancer: The Man, the Myth, the Truth. This even applies to quatrains that contain specific dates, such as Quatrain 3.77, which predicts, "in 1727, in October, the king of Persia shall be captured by those of Egypt" a prophecy that was never fulfilled in any respect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostradamus
Conclusion: There are many reasons to believe that the Bible is inspired by God, while all other holy books are merely beautiful literature. We have outlined just eight important points here that every evangelist should commit to memory, because standing alone, each one provides powerful evidence for Biblical inspiration. Combined, they provide conclusive evidence that the Bible is the word of the living God.
Articles
Problems with the Book of Mormons Matt Slick
The Alleged Divine Origin of the Qur’an Norman Geisler
Does the Bible or the Qur’an have stronger historical corroboration? Joseph Smith
Prophesies - True and False Wayne Jackson, M.A.
Scientific Foreknowledge and Medical Acumen of the Bible Kyle Butt, M.A.