[Guest Post] Why We Can Trust The Bible. PT1

Why I can trust the Bible. Part one

There is a lot of conjecture over whether the Bible is God’s Word or not. Many say it is a book of legends with good stories and morals but nothing else. Others say that the Bible is full of contradictions although those saying this cannot substantiate their views outside of a few grammatical errors which occur in any book. They also say that what people like Paul and Peter and others say is their own personal opinion and not what God really said.

When I discuss Christian things with people the only evidence and proof I have is what the Bible says. Without that, I have no ammunition.

If a person reading this blog still maintains the Bible is outdated, unreliable and just a figure of someone’s imagination there is not a lot more I can say, but I have been thinking about why I believe the Bible is God’s word and revelation to us. I have listed them here. You can do whatever you want with it but my conviction and experience has taught me that the Bible can be trusted and it is important for people both Christian and non- Christian to take note of what it says. 

We have had people who have predicted things in the future such as Nostradamus but he was not entirely accurate and made several predictions that have never come true. There are at least ten but here are several.

1. He predicted that in July 1999 the world would end. We are still here.
2. He predicted that on September 6th, 2006 there would be a great war. Nothing happened.
3. He predicted he would die in November 1567. He died in July 1556. Close but not good enough. These are just three of many, yet people trust in what he has to say. Is he trustworthy? Not when he has a proven track record of predictions that did not happen.

The Bible has many prophecies of which the bulk are in the Old Testament. They were predicted hundreds if not thousands of years before they ever happened. Name me one that has not been fulfilled apart from the ones that predict the future although even those are starting to unfold before our very eyes at this moment?

1. One of the big ones that happened comparatively recently was the return of Israel to their homeland. It was mentioned in Jeremiah 29v14. “I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you.” In 1948 Israel regained their own independence and since that time Jews from around the world have returned to live there. Over 40 percent of the worlds Jewish population now live in modern Israel. This was predicted around 630 and 580 BC.
2. The birth of Jesus was prophesied hundreds of years before it happened and not only that, the prophesies go into detail about it. The prophet Micah wrote in 8 BC that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, that the tribe he was born from ie his line would be the line of the monarchs ie David and Solomon. It says that he would be a shepherd, and his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. Read Micah 5v2-4. Very detailed.
3. Approx. 740 BC the prophet Isaiah predicted the birth of Jesus. Isaiah 9v 6-7. Part of those verses says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…..and he shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Just a few of many. That’s why I trust the Bible.

The death of Jesus was predicted many years before it actually happened.

1. Isaiah 52v13-15 Says how he was to die, the severe beatings he was going to endure.
2. Isaiah 53 gives an explanation of the crucifixion hundreds of years before the event. These things happened exactly as predicted. Coincidence? I do not think so.
3. Isaiah 53v9 mentions his burial, that he would be buried in a rich man’s grave. It happened. He used the grave that had been reserved for a very rich ruler named Joseph of Arimathea.
4. In Psalm 22 which was written before 587 BC, David prophesied the crucifixion in detail. He even mentioned the words that Jesus spoke from the cross. Psa 22v1 “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.” That is pretty impressive. Details are mentioned of Jesus’s clothes being divided up and this happened. How he was thirsty and that happened.

History tells us that crucifixion was only heard of from 519 BC which means that David wrote about it before that kind of punishment was even thought of. So how did he know about it and the intimate details?

We as Christians have solid ground upon which we can base our faith. We may believe the Bible by faith and that is good but when it comes to having a plausible explanation for those, including some so- called Christians, many of us are left clutching to straws. I hope what I am writing this week and in the next couple of weeks will give you something to grasp on to and become a help to prove that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It will help you as it has helped me but also help others who are searching for the truth.