Many today do not believe the Bible can be trusted, and one of the biggest reasons given is that man wrote it. While that may sound like a valid argument, it is based on faulty reasoning.
First of all, everyone understands the idea of a secretary. Or a better analogy would be AI. Tell any AI service what to do or what you want and that document, song, photo, etc. is produced. But who is credited as the author? The same is true with the Bible. God spoke the words to men, and they wrote down the words that were given to them.
Secondly, every book, newspaper, magazine, or article on the internet was written by man, and those are trusted without question. Why do we believe that George Washington was the first President of the United States? We read it in a book written by a man. Why do we believe that Pompeii was destroyed by a volcano? Because we read it in a book written by a man, who got his information from other men and women who wrote it in a book, and so on and so on. The point is that we cannot discredit a book as untrustworthy because a man wrote it. That argument does not work with anything else. So, we must look at some other evidence about the book.
Here are some things that, if one is honest, will give credence to the Bible as a valid and trustworthy book.
-
The Bible is negative about humanity.
Pick up almost any self-help book at the bookstore, and all of them will tell you that our problem is our surroundings, our upbringing, our neighborhoods, our family, or the government. But it is never us. We are inherently good. Yet the Bible tells us that we are bad people. We are evil. We are dishonest. We cheat and lie and steal and kill. We have to be taught how to do right because doing the wrong thing just comes naturally. If the Bible was written by man and untrustworthy, then why didn’t those men write like everyone else today and just shift blame and say all of the world’s problems are everyone else’s fault?
-
The Bible is a prophetic book.
While there have been people throughout history who have tried to predict the future, and even some have gotten incredibly close, the Bible has hundreds of prophecies that have come true without fail. Man is just not that smart.
-
The Bible is a well-documented book.
There is not one book that has ever been written that can claim as much manuscript evidence as the Bible. For instance: Homer’s Iliad claims between 1,700 and 1,900 pieces of manuscript evidence. Caesar’s Gallic Wars claims about 250 pieces of manuscript evidence. Tacitus’s Annals have about 30 to 40 pieces of manuscript evidence. The Bible’s New Testament has more than 5,800 pieces of manuscript evidence. Anyone that is honest will understand that the Bible is the most well-documented book ever written. There is no comparison.
These are just a few of the things that prove the Bible is a credible source of history, science, and so much more. It is not just a book that man wrote.
We would love to answer any other questions you might have about the Bible or Christianity. We are not afraid to admit that we do not have all of the answers to all of the questions. But we are happy to discuss anything with anyone. Please reach out to us with any questions. Thanks for taking the time to read this. God bless you!