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Frequently asked Bible Questions/How do we know the Bible is God's Word

How do we know the Bible is really God’s Word?

To begin with we must remember that in many verses the Bible itself claims to be the Word of God. The Bible clearly teaches that God has recorded His message to mankind through the written word of the Prophets. It is worth noting that of all the religious books in our world, only the Bible makes the audacious claim that it is the only book from the mouth of God.

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

(2 Peter 1:20-21)

We intuitively know that just because something claims to be of God that doesn’t necessarily make it so, and we know there are many crazy people in this world claiming to be inspired of God. Furthermore, Christians as well as atheists know that religious beliefs can be based on nothing more than wishful thinking, tradition or culture

How then do Christians validate the Bible’s claim to be God’s Word? The historical Theological means to prove that the Bible is the Word of God are as follows:

1. The claim of the Bible – The Bible claims to be from God

2. The character of the Bible – The Bible is a book of supernatural moral insight and teaching

3. The unity of the Bible – Although penned by over 40 authors over 2000 years, the Bible has remarkable unity, consistency, and no apparent contradictions. There is one theme that runs through the Bible, that is, the redemption of mankind through the Messiah.

4. The longevity of the Bible – The Bible has endured for millenniums as a consistent guide for mankind.

5. The power of the message of the Bible – “The proof is in the pudding” The teaching of the Bible has transformed the lives of many people.

6. The fulfilled prophecies of the Bible

Of all the means, fulfilled prophecy was the primary means used by Jesus and the Apostles to valid the message. Since we know intuitively that it is impossible to know the future without divine intervention, God has given His people prophecy to validate the message of the Bible.

There are many fulfilled prophecies in the Scripture, but the greatest fulfilled prophecy is that of Jesus. The books of the Bible written hundreds of years before Jesus foretold His coming and His crucifixion. The details of these prophecies can be no mere coincidence (See Daniel 9:25-27, Isaiah 53; Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2).

Although these means are helpful in understanding the nature of the Bible, the way Christians come to faith is by simply reading the teachings of the Bible and know intuitively that it is true.

This seems to be the means by which God chooses to prove His Word to His creation. Jesus summed it up in John 10:3 “My sheep hear My voice . . . I know My own and My own know Me.” When we hear our earthly father’s voice, we can recognize it; when we hear our heavenly Father’s voice, we can also recognize it.”

When we read what the Bible said about man’s sin, man’s need for salvation, and God unique plan to save men, We know it to be true because it perfectly paralleled what we see in the world and in ourselves.

Obviously, if someone does not like the Bible’s explanation for reality, then he will not receive the message of the Bible as truth from God. So the bottom line is “What do you think of the message in the Bible?” God, in His wisdom, has made the will of man, and not solely the intellect of man, as the determining factor in one’s acceptance of the Bible. Jesus said in John 7:17, "If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself"

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