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Christians believe the Bible to be more than a good book. We believe it to be the very Word of God. Because of that, we believe that the Bible is exactly what God wanted written and is without error. Non-Christians however do not want to come under the authority of the Bible so they try and discredit its authority in a variety of ways. (Obviously, this sheet is so brief that it isn’t going to be much of a detailed help. For more detailed arguments, get yourself a copy of one of the books listed below! Hopefully though, this sheet will be a good place to start, and maybe something to discuss with friends. No one should dismiss the Bible without investigating it himself! )

The best way to combat this is to have the person actually try and find some of those errors. Don’t just let them assume that there are errors. If we deal with these one by one, we will see that they are only apparent contradictions and not real contradictions. (A book such as When Critics Ask by Geisler and Howe can be a great help solving Bible difficulties.)

This is not true. The scribes who copied the Scriptures realized that they were copying the Word of God so they were very careful. They followed rules such as only copying one letter at a line, and counting all the letters on each page to make sure they match. We also have some very ancient copies of manuscripts that have survived which show how little they have changed. (Also, any variations are very insignificant and do not affect the meaning of the passage.) As Sir Frederic Kenyon, former director and principal librarian of the British museum, has said, "The interval, then, between the dates of the original composition and the earliest extant [existing] evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established."

There would never be enough archeological evidence to convince some people. However, evidence that we do have supports the Bible as being an amazingly accurate historical record. In fact William Ramsey was a noted historian and archeologist who set out to prove that the Gospel of Luke was filled with errors. But when he finished his study he wrote, "Luke’s history is unsurpassed in trustworthiness." One example of the Bible being proven as trustworthy by archeology is the story of the Hittites. For decades it was said that the Old Testament writers invented the Hittite tribe because there was no archeological evidence to prove it. However, in 1911-12, Professor Hugo Winckler of Berlin discovered some 10,000 tablets at the site of the Hittite capital, proving their existence. No, archeology can’t prove everything about the Bible, but it is supporting the Bible more and more every day.

People who use this argument are using circular reasoning. They assume that miracles can’t happen. Then when we ask them to consider a miracle, they deny it right off the bat because, "Miracles can’t happen." That is poor logic. On the other hand, the miraculous prophecies in the Bible prove it to the Word of God! There are dozens of prophecies about Christ that all came true. In addition there are scores of other prophecies that are amazingly accurate. In about 570 BC, Ezekiel prophesied that the city of Tyre would be destroyed and "cast into the sea" and never rebuilt. (Ezekiel 26:3-14) Shortly after this was written, King Nebuchadnezzer attacked and laid waste to Tyre. However, the prophesy wasn’t completely fulfilled. Part of the city of Tyre was on the coast and part of it was on an island. Nebuchadnezzer destroyed the coastal part of the city, but not the island. And also, Tyre was not cast into the sea. However, 240 years later, Alexander the Great again attacked Tyre. In order to attack the island, he had his men use the rubble of the old city to build a causeway to the island. Thus Tyre was cast into the sea. Alexander completely destroyed Tyre, and it has not been rebuilt to this day.

Unfortunately, some Christians do have this simplistic of a defense of the Bible. But that isn’t the only reason we hold the Bible to be true. (However, the Bible should be allowed to give its opinion for us to test!) Here is a valid and logical way to prove that the Bible is God’s Word without using circular reasoning.

1. The Bible is a basically trustworthy and reliable document. At this point, we’re not saying that the Bible is God’s Word; we’re just saying that at least it is a reliable historical document. From archeology and the manuscripts we have, the Bible is far more trustworthy than other historical documents from that time. (When put to the same tests.) The only reason people would NOT think so is if they can’t believe in miracles. (But that is circular reasoning.) Also, notice things that give the Bible credibility. For example, if the Bible stories were made up by the Apostles, why did they die for something they knew they made up? And why would they make themselves look so bad like they do in the Gospels? Why did they put so many things in the Bible that are hard to understand? If they were just making it up, wouldn’t they have it easier to understand in places? Also, in that culture a woman’s testimony was considered worthless. So if the Bible was made up, why would they have women as the first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection? It’s all too strange NOT to be true.
2. Given the basic reliability of the Bible, we can reasonable conclude that Jesus did rise from the dead. (See my notes on the resurrection to prove this step.)
3. If Jesus rose from the dead, it proves His claim to be God.
4. If Jesus was God, His view of the Scriptures would be correct.
5. Jesus’ view of the Scriptures as recorded in the Bible is that it is the perfect Word of God.
6. Thus we can conclude, without circular reasoning, that the Bible is the perfect Word of God.

Bibliography & Recommended Reading:

1. Seven Reasons Why You Can Trust The Bible. Erwin W. Lutzer. Chicago: Moody Press (1998). (Basic. A very good book focusing specifically on proving the Bible was the Word of God. Easy to read.)
2. When Critics Ask. Norman Geisler & Thomas Howe. Wheaton, IL: Victor. (Basic, easy to use, read and understand. This book is a listing of hundreds of seeming contradictions and problems in the Bible. The book then lists simple solutions to these problems, showing that they aren’t real contradictions at all.)
3. Know Why You Believe. Paul Little. Wheaton, IL: Victor (1987). (Basic, short and easy to read. Three chapter concerning this topic. A good starter book for defending the faith.)
4. The Origin of the Bible. Philip W. Comfort, editor. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale (1992). (A basic/intermediate book by top-notch scholars about the history of the Bible from the time it was written all the way to the present.)
5. A General Introduction to the Bible. David Ewert. Grand Rapids: Zondervan (1982). (Intermediate. More information on the history of the Scriptures than you could possible need, or want, or remember.)
6. A Ready Defense. Josh McDowell. San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life (1990). (Intermediate. Thorough. I would recommend all Christians to get a copy of this book before they go to college.)
7. Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Kreeft & Tacelli. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Press (1994). (Intermediate)
8. Scaling the Secular City. J. P. Moreland. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker (1987). (Advanced)

These notes by Nate Archer

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