REASONS TO BELIEVE THE BIBLE #2

2) Is there any proof that the Bible is the Word of God?

Yes, if the Bible truly is the Word of God, then it would have to prove itself true. The Bible does just that by claiming to be the very words of God Himself and backing up that claim with an enormous amount of evidence and witnesses.

HISTORICALL EVIDENCE
The Bible is a faithful historical collection of writings. One could go to Israel and visit all the archaeological discovery sites that are spoken of in the Bible, and the accuracy is astounding. Names of kings, nations, cities and wars spoken of in the Bible have been discovered through archaeology, and are continuing to be discovered. But archaeology does not prove the Bible is God's word, it simply proves the historical reliability of the Bible whenever it describes ancient people, places and events in history.

MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE
Scholars have also learned over many years of study that the thousands of manuscript copies of Biblical texts are more numerous than any other historical documents in the world. The most well known and trusted historical documents known to man have been copied and recopied for centuries, yet today only a few of them remain, while Biblical texts number in the thousands. If anything was added or subtracted through error or with intention from the original copies, the multitude of other copies make it impossible to go unnoticed. The manuscripts themselves are remarkably well preserved in their accuracy, with the exceptions of various spelling mistakes, marginal notes or other copiest errors that could be made and corrected over time.

The many different versions of the Bible are simply translations. The Bible has been translated from ancient Hebrew and Greek into more languages around the world than any other book, including languages that never before had a system of writing until the Bible was translated for them. There are both good and bad translations depending on how well the versions are translated from the original languages.

UNITY AND BIBLICAL PROPHECY
The Bible is a collection of books which fit together and are intertwined as one whole. The Old Testament was written before the time of Jesus Christ and the New Testament was written after Jesus Christ. Jesus claimed that all of Biblical Scripture was written about him and pointed to him as the only Savior of the world (Luke 24:27,44; John 5:39). That is a shocking claim that only a crazy person would make! Unless it is really true. If we would take the time to examine the many prophecies in the Bible which have been fulfilled through Jesus Christ, or even the hundreds more that have been fulfilled in known history, it would either be unbelievable or very strongly convincing. For example, king David wrote the prophetic Psalm 22 nearly a thousand years before the time of Christ, which describes in vivid detail nearly the same crucifixion account found in the four gospels. The very words that Jesus used on the cross were prophesied, including what his enemies said about him, the way his enemies treated him, how they mocked him, how his hands and feet were pierced through, and also how the soldiers cast lots for his garments. There are hundreds of additional Biblical prophecies that can be mentioned, including the birth of Christ, his resurrection from the dead and the commissioning of his Church (his people) in the world.

SCIENTIFIC FACTS
Science has also made many discoveries over the years which were mentioned in the Bible long before they were known to be true. For example, the Bible mentions the circular or spherical nature of the earth (Job 26:10; Psalm 8:27; Isaiah 40:22), how the earth turns on an axis (Job 38:14, where the Hebrew word "haphak" means "to turn", indicating a turning motion to the earth), and how it is suspended on nothing (Job 26:7), how the stars are more numerous than the sands of the sea (Genesis 22:17; Hebrews 11:12), how each star differs from another (1 Corinthians 15:1). It gives prescriptions for how to protect people from diseases and contamination long before medical science understood those principles (Leviticus 13). The hygiene laws prescribed in Leviticus 13 were also used to help protect people from the spread of the black death epidemic in the 14th century A.D.. The Bible even mentions creatures that are remarkably similar in description to dinosaurs! (Check it out for yourself, Job 40:15-24.) When all these things were originally written people were not at all aware of the scientific facts that are now known in modern times about them. But God, to whom the Bible credits itself, knows all things!

INTERNAL EVIDENCE
The Bible proves itself even more powerfully by its ability to explain reality in a way that is coherent and logical. Many skeptics scoff at this idea, but denial doesn't change the fact that countless skeptics themselves have been converted after examining the Bible closely. It explains creation and nature as a purposeful work of God. It explains the reason for evil and suffering and death in the world. It explains the break between the human relationship with God and the downfall of mankind as a result. It explains how God operates in both judgment on evil and mercy toward mankind. It explains God's purpose and glory in sending His own Son, as a real human being and yet God, to redeem people from every nation and language and tribe through His suffering, death and resurrection. It explains how Jesus brings victory over sin and death, with eternal hope through resurrection of the body. It explains God's eternal perspective, from the creation to consummation of all things. Contrary to popular opinion, the Bible is not a book of fairy tails, but a dramatic history and source of knowledge concerning God and His relationship with mankind. It even explains why people refuse to believe the truth and why they turn to other things rather than the Creator for hope and guidance.