WHY WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE Jon Macon PART 1 Whereas the first and most important belief that we must have is in the existence of God, the next question is related to it, and also bears eternal significance for us all. Do we believe that our Creator has revealed His will to mankind, and how can we know where to find it? Specifically, do we believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, and that there is no other divine revelation aside from it? We should, because God has given us strong proof of this truth. God s own testimony Speaking of the New Testament, Hebrews 2:3-4 asks, How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? God has given His own testimony to those He inspired to speak His word to man. Only God has the power to cause a miracle to occur, and He gave that power to the apostles and prophets (and to Christ), to prove they were speaking His word and not their own. Jesus promised the apostles that he would send them the Holy Spirit to complete his revelation through them (John 16:12-15). After Christ s resurrection, these apostles went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following (Mark 16:20). God s testimony in the Old Testament When God called Moses to speak His word to the people of Israel (Exod 3:16-17), Moses said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee (Exod 4:1). God then gave Moses three miraculous signs that would cause the Israelites to believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee (Exod 4:2-9). When Moses performed those three signs, the people believed (Exod 4:30-31). So how do we know that the Genesis account of the creation in six literal 24-hour days, the events in the Garden of Eden, the genealogies, Noah and Flood, and everything about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are one-hundred percent accurate revelations to man from the Creator Himself? And the same for everything found in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy? These books were all written by Moses. And God bore witness to Moses with many miracles, from the plagues of Egypt, to the parting of the Red Sea, to bringing water from rocks in the wilderness. God also bore witness by miracles to Joshua (Josh 4:23-24), Elijah (1 Kgs 17:17-24;
18:17-40), Elisha (2 Kgs 2:9-25), Isaiah (Isa 38:4-8), and His other prophets in the Old Testament, giving us assurance that every word of those 39 books came from God. What the widow from Zarephath said about the prophet Elijah s miracle applies to all God s prophets, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth (2 Kgs 17:24). God s testimony in the New Testament In the New Testament, God gave tremendous testimony to His Son. As Christ said, The works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me (John 5:36-37; see also John 8:17-18; 10:24-25,37-38). The result of his very first miracle in Galilee was that his disciples believed on him (John 2:11). In Jerusalem, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did (John 2:23). Nicodemus acknowledged, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him (John 3:2). Nicodemus was not alone in this. John 7:31 says, And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done? Multitudes believed on him when he raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-48; 12:10-11,17-19). We are only told a small portion of this great witness that God bore His Son. John 21:25 says, And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. What has been written of the miracles performed by Christ, God s testimony to him, serves as the basis of our faith in him. John 20:30-31 says, And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. God also gave strong testimony to the apostles of Christ and the other New Testament prophets (Acts 3:1-12,16; 4:4,14-16; 5:12-16; 8:5-6; 9:32-42; 15:32). In a courtroom, when a jury hears a witness who accuses a man, and then renders a verdict of not guilty, what are they saying about that witness? As God is giving His testimony to those who wrote the words of the Bible, what are we saying about Him if we do not believe those words? This point is made in 1 John 5:9-10: If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. We believe in the Bible because God has given witness to its writers by signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, and we do not find God a liar. We believe for the very works sake (John 14:11)! PART 2
The testimony that God gave to the ones He inspired to speak His word by signs, wonders, and miracles is one of the major reasons we believe the Bible is the inspired word of God (Heb 2:3-4; Exod 4:30-31; 2 Kgs 17:24; John 3:1-2; 20:30-31; 1 John 5:9-10). Another related reason that we believe the Bible is God s word is that the Bible contains a multitude of prophecies that have all been fulfilled with one-hundred percent accuracy. Only God can foretell the future Only God has the power to perform a miracle. The magicians of Egypt recognized a true miracle when they saw one, and declared to Pharaoh of the plague of lice: This is the finger of God (Exod 8:19). Similarly, only God has the power to declare what is going to happen in the future and then make it happen. When foretelling the future reign and deeds of the ravenous bird Cyrus of Persia (even calling him by name more than a century ahead of time in Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1), God let it be known that this was something that only He could do. Isaiah 46:9-11 says, Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Man cannot accurately foretell the future. When they try, they are exposed as liars. In Isaiah 41:22-23, the false prophets and the idols they followed were given this challenge: Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen: let them show the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods. Deuteronomy 18:21-22 says, And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. Fulfilled prophecy is one of the major ways by which we can distinguish between what is God s word and what is man s. By this test, we know that the writers of the Bible are true prophets and what they spoke and wrote is the pure word of God. Fulfilled prophecy in the Old Testament There is not enough space to list all of the future events that were predicted in the Old Testament and then came to pass. In Genesis 49, the prophet Jacob foretold what would become of the descendants of his twelve sons (the future tribes of Israel), which included prophecies of Christ (verses 9-10). Moses foretold numerous future events (Exod 6:6-9; 12:21-23), including the coming of Christ (Deut 18:18-19). Jesus spoke of the fulfilled prophecies of Moses and how they should serve to build faith (John 5:45-47). Other notable prophets who had many prophecies that were fulfilled include Samuel (1 Sam
3:10-20), Elijah (1 Kgs 21:17-24), and Elisha (2 Kgs 3:5-27; 6:8-23; 7:1-20; 8:1-15; 13:14-25). Isaiah contains more prophecies about Christ than any other Old Testament book by far. Philip used it to convert the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39). Hananiah falsely prophesied peace to Israel, and Jeremiah the true prophet said to him, The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him (Jer 28:9). Speaking of Ezekiel s prophecies, God said, And when this comes, ye shall know that I am the Lord God (Ezek 24:24). There is no denying the accuracy of Daniel s detailed prophecies, so out of desperation unbelievers have tried in vain to argue that the book was written after the events occurred! The books of the minor prophets from Hosea through Malachi are also full of prophecies, none of which failed. Fulfilled prophecy in the New Testament In the New Testament, John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ (a fulfillment of prophecies by Isaiah and Malachi), and prophesied of what Jesus would do (Luke 3:15-17; John 1:19-37). John the Baptist did not perform miracles, but his fulfilled prophecies proved he was speaking God s word (John 10:41-42). Of course, Jesus was a prophet, and he also foretold many future events, and they all came to pass exactly as he said. He foretold his resurrection to the Jews in John 2:18-21, and the fulfillment of his prophecy accomplished its purpose of building faith in his disciples (John 2:22). In foretelling who would betray him, Jesus said, Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he (John 13:18-19). Christ foretold his ascension to heaven to his disciples, saying, And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe (John 14:28-29). Many other examples of prophecies by Christ and also by the apostles, such as Peter, John, and Paul, could be cited. The bottom line is the Bible contains a multitude of detailed prophecies of future events and none of them failed, meaning the Bible is truly inspired of God (2 Tim 3:16). In contrast, other men and books that claim divine origin are shown to be frauds because their prophecies have failed. As Jeremiah 44:27-30 says, in the end men shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs. Lamentations 3:37 asks an excellent question: Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commands it not? The answer is obvious: nobody! This is a vital part of the foundation of our faith in the Bible as the inspired word of God. PART 3 The irrefutable evidence that undergirds our belief that the Bible truly contains every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matt 4:4), also enables us to reject every other man or book that claims inspiration from God. First, those who lack the power to perform miracles are shown to be false prophets. Second, those who lack the ability to foretell the future are also exposed to be false prophets. These are two major tests that we can and should apply to all men who claim to be speaking and writing the word of
God. These two tests provide the basis of our belief in the Bible as God s inspired word and our rejection of any other book or person making such a claim. Who has God s witness? It is interesting to see how many showdowns occurred in both the Old and Testaments between God s true prophets and those who taught false doctrine. Time and again, we see that God proved who was speaking His word by some kind of miraculous sign (Heb 2:3-4). Those who lacked this witness of God were shown to be liars. For example, in 1 Kings 18, God answered the prophet Elijah by fire, while 850 false prophets of Baal received no witness from their non-existent idol. The people of Israel then knew that Jehovah is God and that Elijah was his true prophet because God bore witness to Elijah by a great miracle. In the same manner, the miracles that Moses did demonstrated he was speaking the word of God, while Pharaoh s men were only doing a few magic tricks (Exod 7-9). Even the magicians knew the difference between magic and a miracle, acknowledging that what was performed by Moses was the finger of God (Exod 8:19). When Korah and his company claimed equal authority with Moses and Aaron, a miracle settled the matter. God made a new thing, opening the earth to swallow the rebels to prove to Israel that the Lord had sent Moses but not the others (Num 16). In the New Testament, the scribes and Pharisees said it was blasphemy for Jesus to say he could forgive sins. Christ then healed a man who was unable to walk, saying, But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins (Matt 9:2-8). The same people said it was a sin to heal the sick on the Sabbath. God bore witness to Christ, as he miraculously healed a man s withered hand on the Sabbath, proving that he was teaching the truth, unlike his opponents (Matt 12:10-14). If Christ had been speaking his own words, his efforts to do miracles would have failed. God would not give such power to someone teaching false doctrine (John 3:1-2). On Cyprus, Elymas the sorcerer contradicted what Paul and Barnabas taught the Roman deputy of the island (Acts 13:6-8). How would Sergius Paulus know which of the opposite doctrines he was hearing was the truth? God bore witness to Paul by miraculously blinding Elymas (Acts 13:9-11). Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord (Acts 13:12). Elymas, being the victim of a miracle, not a performer of one, was shown to be a child of the devil and an enemy of all righteousness. Dueling prophecies Those who foretold the future accurately are proven to be true prophets of the Lord while those whose prophecies failed are proven to be liars (Deut 18:21-22). For example, in 1 Kings 22, wicked king Ahab had 400 false prophets who told him the Lord would give him victory in battle against the Syrians at Ramoth in Gilead. Micaiah, true prophet of God, foretold that Ahab would die in the battle, which is exactly what happened. Hananiah prophesied that Israel would have peace within two years while Jeremiah foretold a long captivity in Babylon for the remnant of Judah (Jer 28:1-5,10-14).
Jeremiah said to Hananiah, The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him (Jer 28:9). Of course, Hananiah s prophecy failed, but he did not live to see its failure. He became a victim of Jeremiah s true prophecy that he would die within that year (Jer 28:15-17). Other prophets among the captives already in Babylon were also revealed to be false when their prophecies failed while Jeremiah s again came to pass (Jer 29). No continuing revelation Is God continuing to inspire men to speak His word today? That is a crucial question to answer. Since the completion of the New Testament, many people have claimed to be speaking God s word, including multitudes among various denominations today. But God has not born witness to any of these people, and all who have attempted to foretell the future have had their prophecies fail. Jesus promised that all truth, the remainder of what he had to reveal in the New Testament, would be given to his apostles (John 16:12-15). The New Testament contains all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3), and everything that the man of God needs to be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Tim 3:17). It is referred to as the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3). The New Testament closes with a stern warning not to add to or take away from it (Rev 22:18-19). In keeping with this, God stated that He would no longer bear witness to men after the New Testament was completed. The miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were part of the witness that God bore to those who spoke the words of the New Testament in order to confirm the word (Heb 2:3-4). Nine of these gifts are described in 1 Corinthians 12:4-10, and 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 says they would cease and vanish away when the New Testament was finished (i.e. when that which is perfect is come ). At the same time, the means by which those miraculous gifts were given, by the laying on of the apostles hands (Acts 8:14-20; 19:7; 2 Tim 1:6), would also end. We can see that the completion of the New Testament, the cessation of miracles, and the means of giving those gifts to others, all coincided with the lifetime of Christ s apostles. Therefore, there is no continuing revelation from God today. Finally, the original miracles that confirmed that the Bible is from God remain sufficient for our faith today. In other words, there is no need for us to personally see miracles today to believe the Bible was inspired of God. It does not need to be reconfirmed. The formerly rich man in Luke 16:19-31 begged Abraham to have Lazarus raised from the dead so his five brothers would believe God s word and repent. Abraham said, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. The dead had already been raised, and other miracles had been done to cause men to believe God and repent! If a man does not believe what God has already done, they will not believe if God were to do the same thing again (John 12:37-41; 1 John 5:9-10). John 20:29-31 says, Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. And many
other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. What is written in the Bible is sufficient for our faith. Therefore, no man or book after the New Testament can rightly claim inspiration from God.