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Is the Bible Reliable? Trusting God’s Word About Jesus

“Can I really trust the Bible?” In an age of skepticism and readily available critiques, a question like that is understandable, even essential. Since the Bible is the primary source for understanding who Jesus Christ is, what He did, and what He taught, its reliability matters immensely. If the Bible isn’t trustworthy, how can we be confident about the foundation of the Christian faith? For those exploring Christianity or new to following Jesus, wrestling with questions about the Bible’s accuracy and authority is a normal part of the journey.

Far from being a topic Christians should avoid, exploring the Bible’s reliability can actually strengthen faith. Instead of demanding blind belief, God invites honest inquiry. Over centuries, scholars and everyday believers have found compelling reasons to trust the Scriptures. Evidence comes from various fields – historical investigation, archaeology, manuscript studies, fulfilled prophecy, and the undeniable testimony of lives transformed by its message. Ultimately, the Bible’s reliability is powerfully confirmed by the person it reveals: the wonderful, historical, risen Jesus Christ.

Let’s explore some key reasons why believers consider the Bible a trustworthy and reliable guide, focusing especially on how it faithfully presents the person and work of Jesus.

Examining the Evidence for the Bible’s Trustworthiness

Trusting the Bible isn’t about ignoring difficult questions. It’s about weighing the evidence. While absolute proof in a scientific sense isn’t possible for historical documents, the Bible stands up remarkably well to scrutiny. Its message centers on God’s redemptive plan through Jesus, and its reliability as a historical and spiritual document supports the truth of that message.

Here are ten foundational points regarding the Bible’s reliability, particularly concerning its testimony about Jesus:

Fact 1: The Bible’s Manuscript Evidence is Strong

Compared to other ancient documents, the manuscript evidence for the New Testament (which details Jesus’s life and the early church) is overwhelming. We possess thousands of early Greek manuscripts and fragments, some dating very close to the original writings. A wealth of textual evidence like that allows scholars to reconstruct the original text with extremely high accuracy, far exceeding the manuscript support for works by Plato, Caesar, or Homer. We can be confident that the New Testament we read today accurately reflects what was originally written about Jesus.

Importance: Why does strong manuscript evidence matter? It assures you that the Gospels and letters describing Jesus are not products of later invention or significant corruption over time. For someone seeking to know the real Jesus, a foundation like that provides confidence that you are reading historically preserved accounts of His life, teachings, death, and resurrection. You can trust that the specific words, actions, and claims of Jesus recorded in the Gospels have been faithfully preserved through centuries of copying.

Scripture: Luke 1:1-4 (ESV) “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” (Luke emphasizes careful investigation and eyewitness accounts).

Fact 2: Archaeology Often Confirms Biblical Details

Time and again, archaeological discoveries have corroborated historical details mentioned in the Bible. Excavations have unearthed cities (like Jericho or Capernaum), confirmed the existence of rulers and officials named in Scripture (like Pontius Pilate or King David), and uncovered artifacts that align with biblical descriptions of customs and events from periods described in both the Old and New Testaments. While archaeology doesn’t “prove” faith, its findings consistently add credibility to the Bible’s historical backdrop, including the world in which Jesus lived.

Importance: Archaeological confirmations provide tangible links between the biblical text and the real world. They counter claims that the Bible is mere myth or legend. For you, knowing that archaeology often aligns with biblical accounts builds confidence that the Scriptures are rooted in actual history. It helps establish the reliability of the historical framework surrounding Jesus’s life, making the Gospel accounts more grounded and believable as descriptions of real events in real places.

Scripture: John 5:2 (ESV) “Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.” (Archaeology has uncovered a pool matching a description like that).

Fact 3: The Bible Displays Remarkable Internal Consistency

The Bible was written by about 40 different authors from diverse backgrounds (kings, fishermen, prophets, scholars, etc.) over a period of roughly 1500 years on three continents in three languages. Despite a diversity like that, it presents a remarkably unified message. From Genesis to Revelation, a central storyline unfolds: God’s creation, humanity’s fall into sin, God’s unfolding plan of redemption through covenants and promises, culminating in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and looking forward to final restoration. An internal harmony like that points beyond mere human authorship.

Importance: The Bible’s internal consistency strengthens its claim to be a coherent message from God, not just a jumbled collection of human writings. For someone trying to make sense of its overall message, recognizing the unified theme centered on Jesus provides clarity. It assures you that the Old Testament context and the New Testament fulfillment work together seamlessly, powerfully pointing toward Jesus as the climax of God’s consistent character and redemptive plan.

Scripture: Luke 24:27 (ESV) “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Jesus showing the Old Testament’s unified witness about Him).

Fact 4: Fulfilled Prophecy Points to Divine Origin

One of the most compelling arguments for the Bible’s reliability is its record of fulfilled prophecy. The Old Testament contains hundreds of specific predictions about the coming Messiah – His lineage, birthplace, ministry details, suffering, death, and resurrection – written centuries before Jesus was born. The Gospels meticulously record the fulfillment of many prophecies like those in the life of Jesus, offering powerful evidence that God was orchestrating history according to His predetermined plan revealed in Scripture.

Importance: A fulfilled prophecy provides strong evidence that the Bible is more than a human book; it bears the marks of divine foresight. For you, seeing how Old Testament predictions were precisely fulfilled in Jesus builds tremendous confidence in His identity as the promised Messiah and Savior. It demonstrates that God is sovereign over history and that the Bible reliably records His plan. A foundation like that strengthens faith in the Bible’s trustworthiness and the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.

Scripture: Isaiah 53:5 (ESV) “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (A prophecy written ~700 BC vividly describing Christ’s substitutionary suffering).

Fact 5: The Gospels Provide Reliable Eyewitness Testimony

The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) form the core of our knowledge about Jesus’s life and ministry. Two were written by apostles who were direct eyewitnesses (Matthew, John). Mark is traditionally understood to have recorded the apostle Peter’s eyewitness testimony, and Luke explicitly states he carefully investigated everything, drawing on eyewitness accounts. These are not late, legendary accounts but are rooted in the testimony of people who knew Jesus personally or interviewed those who did.

Importance: Relying on eyewitness testimony is crucial for historical investigation. Knowing the Gospels are based on such accounts provides confidence in their portrayal of Jesus. For you, reading the Gospels means engaging with primary or near-primary source material about Jesus’s life. It assures you that the details of His teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection are grounded in the experiences of those who walked with Him, offering a reliable foundation for understanding who He truly was and what He truly did.

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:16 (ESV) “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

Fact 6: Jesus Himself Affirmed the Old Testament’s Authority

Jesus consistently treated the Old Testament Scriptures (the Bible of His day) as divinely authoritative and historically reliable. He quoted from them frequently, stated that Scripture could not be broken (John 10:35), and showed how His own life and ministry were the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. His high view of Scripture provides a powerful endorsement from the central figure of Christianity Himself regarding the trustworthiness of God’s Word.

Importance: Jesus’s view of Scripture carries immense weight for His followers. If you trust Jesus, you can also trust the Scriptures He affirmed. For you, knowing Jesus held the Old Testament in such high regard provides a strong reason to accept its authority and reliability. It also implies that the New Testament, which records His life and the writings of His chosen apostles, carries similar divine authority as the completion of God’s revelation.

Scripture: Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Fact 7: The Bible Honestly Portrays Its Heroes’ Flaws

Unlike many ancient myths or legends that present flawless heroes, the Bible realistically portrays the failures and sins of its key figures: Abraham lied, Moses disobeyed God, David committed adultery and murder, Peter denied Jesus, and the apostles often squabbled and misunderstood Jesus. An honesty like that, even about revered leaders, lends credibility to the biblical narratives. It doesn’t read like propaganda but like authentic history involving real, flawed human beings.

Importance: The Bible’s candid portrayal of its characters makes it more believable and relatable. It shows that God works through imperfect people. For you, reading about the failures of biblical heroes offers encouragement. It demonstrates that God’s plan isn’t dependent on human perfection and that He offers grace and restoration even after significant failure. An honesty like that lends credibility to the entire narrative; because it doesn’t shy away from the flaws, you can have greater confidence in the truthfulness of the positive accounts, including its portrayal of Jesus.

Scripture: Galatians 2:11-14 (ESV) (Paul describes confronting Peter publicly over hypocritical behavior, showing even key apostles were fallible and held accountable).

Fact 8: The Bible’s Transformative Power Testifies to its Truth

For two millennia, the message of the Bible, centered on Jesus Christ, has radically transformed countless lives across every culture and social stratum. People enslaved by addiction have found freedom, broken relationships have been restored, hardened hearts have been softened, and individuals have found profound hope, peace, and purpose through encountering Jesus in its pages. A power like that to change lives consistently over centuries points to a supernatural source and the truth of its message.

Importance: While subjective, the testimony of transformed lives provides powerful, ongoing evidence for the Bible’s reliability and the reality of the Jesus it proclaims. For you, hearing or witnessing how encountering Jesus through Scripture changes people can be deeply compelling. It suggests the Bible is not just a collection of words but a living and active message empowered by God’s Spirit. It offers hope that the same transformative power is available to you as you engage with its truth.

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Fact 9: Historical Details Align with External Sources

While the Bible is primarily a theological document, its historical claims often intersect with secular history. Non-Christian Roman historians like Tacitus and Suetonius, as well as the Jewish historian Josephus, wrote in the late first and early second centuries, mentioning Jesus, His followers (Christians), His execution under Pontius Pilate, and the rapid spread of the movement. Details like those from external sources corroborate the basic historical framework presented in the New Testament.

Importance: Confirmation from non-biblical sources adds another layer of historical credibility to the New Testament accounts. It shows that Jesus and His followers were known figures in the Roman world, not merely inventions of later religious writers. For you, knowing that external historians acknowledged the existence of Jesus and the early Christian movement provides further reassurance that the Gospels are dealing with actual history, increasing confidence in their reliability.

Scripture: Acts 18:2 (ESV) “And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome…” (A historical event, the expulsion of Jews from Rome under Emperor Claudius around AD 49, mentioned by Roman historian Suetonius).

Fact 10: The Central Figure, Jesus, Validates the Message

Ultimately, the greatest testimony to the Bible’s reliability is the person it reveals: Jesus Christ. His unparalleled life, profound teachings, fulfilled prophecies, astonishing miracles, and especially His bodily resurrection from the dead serve as the ultimate validation of His claims and the Scriptures that testify about Him. The resurrection, attested by hundreds of eyewitnesses, stands as God’s divine confirmation that Jesus is Lord and that the message about Him is true.

Importance: Jesus Himself is the linchpin. If He truly rose from the dead as the Bible records, then His claims about Himself and His affirmation of Scripture are validated. For you, focusing on the evidence for Jesus, particularly the resurrection, provides the strongest foundation for trusting the Bible. If Jesus is who the Bible says He is, then the book that reveals Him can be trusted as God’s reliable Word. Your faith rests ultimately not just on a book but on the living person the book reveals.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 (ESV) “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time…”

Trusting the Word That Reveals the Word

Is the Bible reliable? While challenges and questions exist, a strong cumulative case can be made for its trustworthiness based on manuscript evidence, archaeology, internal consistency, fulfilled prophecy, eyewitness testimony, Jesus’s offirmation, its honest portrayal of characters, its transformative power, external historical corroboration, and the ultimate validation of Christ’s resurrection.

For those seeking Jesus, the Bible remains the essential, God-given source for knowing Him. You don’t need to have every question answered before you begin to trust its message. Engage with it openly. Read the Gospels. Ask God to reveal Himself to you through its pages. As you encounter the wonderful person of Jesus Christ portrayed so consistently and compellingly in its pages, consider opening your heart not just to the book but to Him. You may find, as millions have, compelling reasons to trust the Bible because you have experienced the reliable, life-changing reality of the Jesus it reveals.

Thank you today for letting Olive Branch Publishing offer you insights that can help you grow as a new Christian in today’s world.