Can we trust the Bible? In this message, Pastor Brian gives 7 lines of evidence for the trustworthiness of the Bible. This should prove useful for believers as they interact with unbelievers on this important question.
Can We Trust The Bible?
The word Bible means “book.” But that’s a little misleading because the Bible is not one single book. It is a collection of 66 books. Some of those books are very long like Jeremiah, Genesis and Psalms with over 30,000 words each. Others are very short like 2 and 3 John, Jude, Philemon and Obadiah, being only a single chapter.
These 66 documents were written over a 1,500 year period of time, by over 40 authors on three different continents in three different languages. Now, if we got 40 different authors today to write on the same subject from three different continents and three different languages, I can guarantee you that we would end up all kinds of contradictions and disagreements. However, what is startling is that the Bible writers speak with a united voice and agreement. All of these books contribute to the overall story of God and His plan to redeem sinners. If, as the Bible asserts, all of these ancient documents were inspired by God, then it makes sense. Sure, we have 40 different human authors, but all of these authors were being inspired to write the very words of God.
That’s what the authors of Scripture maintain. 2 Tim. 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God…” The word “God-breathed” (theopneustos) literally means “breathed out by God” — a direct claim of divine origin.
“Thus says the Lord” appears over 400 times in the OT. Jer.1:4; 1:9
The psalmists often refer to God’s word as divine, perfect, and eternal:
“The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul.” — Psalm 19:7
“Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.” — Psalm 119:89
Jesus Himself affirmed the Old Testament as God’s Word:
“the Scripture cannot be broken.” — John 10:35
“It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” — Matthew 4:4
Peter:
“No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” — 2 Peter 1:20–21
John:
The book of Revelation opens with:
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants… He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.” — Revelation 1:1
and ends with a severe warning not to alter God’s words (Revelation 22:18–19).
The Bible affirms its divine origin. Its authors did not believe they were simply writing their own thoughts about God and His plan, but were instruments through whom God was communicating His thoughts!
Now, if it is true that the 66 books of the Bible are truly God-breathed and inspired by God, then would naturally conclude that they are infallible. Infallible means “not capable of making mistakes or being wrong.” And, that is what Jews and Christians have believed about the Scriptures for thousands of years.
When we say that the Bible is infallible, we are not saying that our modern translations are perfect or without error. We are saying that the original autographs were divinely inspired and infallible. We do not have any of the original autographs of the Bible. What we do have are thousands of copies of these ancient autographs, which scholars have studied, and compared in order to identify what is most likely the original text of holy Scripture.
So the question remains whether we can trust our Bible today. Is it accurate? True? Reliable? Correct? My answer is a resounding YES!! I want to give you 5 lines of evidence to support that claim. My goal is to give you strong evidence so that you can know that you can trust your Bible.
1. The Textual Preservation of the Bible:
The question here is whether the Bible has been corrupted since it was first written 2,000 plus years ago. Maybe the original autographs were infallible, but now we have a Bible riddled with errors that have crept in over the centuries as it was hand copied. What does the evidence show?
- Manuscript evidence: The Bible has far more ancient manuscript copies than any other ancient text. For example, there are over 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, plus 10,000 Latin and 9,000+ other early translations (Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, etc.).
Altogether, that’s roughly 24,000 ancient manuscripts — an enormous base for comparison.
With that much evidence, scholars can compare thousands of copies across centuries to see how accurately the text was transmitted. Some of the manuscripts we have are within a few decades of the original writings, compared to just a handful for most classical works like Plato or Caesar.
Let’s look at how the Bible’s manuscript evidence stacks up against other well-known ancient works:
| Work | Approx. Date Written | Earliest Surviving Copy | Time Gap (Years) | Number of Existing Manuscripts |
| New Testament | A.D. 50–100 | c. A.D. 125 (Papyrus P52 fragment of John) | ~25–75 years | 5,800+ Greek, 10,000+ Latin, 9,000+ other languages (≈ 24,000 total) |
| Homer’s Iliad | ~900 B.C. | ~400 B.C. | ~500 years | ~643 manuscripts |
| Herodotus (Histories) | ~440 B.C. | ~900 A.D. | ~1,350 years | ~8 manuscripts |
| Thucydides (History of the Peloponnesian War) | ~400 B.C. | ~900 A.D. | ~1,300 years | ~8 manuscripts |
| Plato | ~400 B.C. | ~900 A.D. | ~1,200 years | ~7 manuscripts |
| Caesar (Gallic Wars) | ~100–44 B.C. | ~900 A.D. | ~1,000 years | ~10 manuscripts |
| Tacitus (Annals) | ~A.D. 100 | ~A.D. 1100 | ~1,000 years | ~20 manuscripts |
| Aristotle | ~350 B.C. | ~1100 A.D. | ~1,400 years | ~49 manuscripts |
The most reliable ancient document outside of the Bible that has survived is Homer’s Iliad. There are 643 surviving manuscripts. And the earliest manuscript we now have was written 500 years after the original was written. Now, let’s compare that with the Bible. 643 manuscripts for the Iliad, and 24,000 manuscripts for the Bible! The earliest surviving manuscript we have was written 500 years after the original was written. That means there were 500 years where errors could have crept in. When it comes to the Bible, the earliest surviving portion of the gospel of John is only about 25-50 years after the originals were written! Further, we have a complete copy of the entire New Testament that dates back to within 300 years of Christ. The Bible is the best attested ancient manuscript in existence by far!
Even secular historians consider this level of evidence unparalleled in ancient literature.
For example, classicist F. F. Bruce once said: “The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical authors… and no one doubts the authenticity of those.” For example, the writings of Plato – there are 1,200 years between the original writing of these works, and the oldest surviving manuscript that we have. That means there were 1,200 years where errors could have crept in to his works. And we only have 7 surviving manuscripts! Yet, no one questions whether the writings of Plato can be trusted!
Renowned textual critic Bruce Metzger said: “The amount of evidence for the New Testament… is so much greater than that for any other ancient book that we can reconstruct the original with virtual certainty.”
Have there been any mistakes made as the Biblical manuscripts were coped over and over for at least 2,000 years? Yes. But here are the facts. Over 99% of differences are things like spelling errors, word order changes, or minor copying slips that don’t affect meaning. For example, in one manuscript it may read “Jesus Christ” when in another it may read “Christ Jesus.”
Less than 1% of all variants have any bearing on meaning, and none of those affect a single core Christian doctrine (like the deity of Christ, the resurrection, or salvation).
So, what we are saying, is that when you hold your Bible in your hands, you are holding a text that has more accuracy and evidence than any other ancient document in existence multiplied many times over! If we can have confidence in any ancient document, we can have confidence in the Bible far more.
2. The Archaeological Confirmation of the Bible:
One modern belief is that the Bible contains numerous myths and fables. Archaeological discoveries consistently support details mentioned in the Bible — from names of ancient rulers and cities to cultural practices and inscriptions (e.g., the “Pilate Stone,” confirming the Roman governor Pontius Pilate).
OLD TESTAMENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE
- The Ebla Tablets (c. 2300 B.C.)
- Discovered in northern Syria (1970s), these 17,000+ clay tablets mention cities like Sodom, Gomorrah, Ur, and Haran — once thought mythical. They show that such cities and names existed in the ancient Near East long before Moses, supporting Genesis’ authenticity in its historical setting.
- The Hittite Empire
- Critics once claimed the Bible’s “Hittites” (mentioned 50+ times) never existed.
- But 20th-century excavations at Boghazköy (modern Hattusa, Turkey) uncovered their entire capital, royal archives, and laws — proving the Hittite civilization was real and influential.
- The Merneptah Stele (c. 1209 B.C.)
- Found in Thebes, Egypt, this victory inscription by Pharaoh Merneptah includes the earliest known reference to “Israel” outside the Bible.
- It reads: “Israel is laid waste, his seed is not.”
- Confirms that a distinct people called Israel existed in Canaan by the late 13th century B.C.
- The Tel Dan Stele (9th century B.C.)
- Discovered in northern Israel (1993), this Aramaic inscription mentions the “House of David.”
- It’s the first archaeological evidence outside the Bible confirming King David’s historical existence and the dynasty that bore his name.
- The Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone) (c. 840 B.C.)
- Found in Jordan, this inscription by King Mesha of Moab mentions “Omri king of Israel” and his successor’s oppression of Moab — matching 2 Kings 3.
- Confirms biblical names, events, and political tensions of that era.
- The Siloam Inscription (c. 700 B.C.)
- Found inside Hezekiah’s Tunnel in Jerusalem — an underground aqueduct built to secure water during Assyrian attacks (see 2 Kings 20:20, 2 Chronicles 32:30).
- The inscription describes the tunneling process in language that matches the biblical record exactly.
- Babylonian Chronicles & the Lachish Letters
- These clay tablets and pottery fragments describe Nebuchadnezzar’s campaigns against Judah (late 7th–early 6th century B.C.).
- They corroborate the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem, the siege of Lachish, and events leading up to the Babylonian exile — all described in 2 Kings 24–25 and Jeremiah 39.
NEW TESTAMENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE
- The Pool of Bethesda and Pool of Siloam
- For years, skeptics claimed John’s Gospel invented details like the Pool of Bethesda with “five porticoes” (John 5:2).
- Excavations in Jerusalem uncovered that very pool — with five colonnaded porches, exactly as described.
- The Pool of Siloam (John 9:7) was also uncovered in 2004.
- The Pontius Pilate Inscription (1961)
- Found in Caesarea Maritima, a stone inscription reads: “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.”
- Confirms the existence and official title of the Roman governor who sentenced Jesus — matching all four Gospels.
- The Gallio Inscription (Delphi, Greece)
- A letter from Emperor Claudius mentions Gallio, proconsul of Achaia — confirming Acts 18:12–17.
- The date helps establish the timeline of Paul’s missionary journeys.
- The Erastus Inscription (Corinth)
- In Corinth, archaeologists found pavement bearing the name Erastus, described as a city official.
- Paul mentions “Erastus, the city treasurer” in Romans 16:23.
- This matches both title and location precisely.
3. The Eyewitness Testimony of the Bible:
Many parts of the New Testament, especially the Gospels and Acts, are written by or based on the testimony of people who witnessed the events firsthand.
Matthew, the author of the Gospel of Matthew, was a disciple and an eyewitness of the things he wrote about.
Mark was a traveling companion of the apostle Peter, and likely got the information for his gospel from Peter, who, of course, was an eyewitness of the life of Christ.
Luke, likely interviewed living eye witnesses like Mary and the apostle Paul when writing Luke and Acts.
John was one of Christ’s disciples and an eyewitness to the things he wrote about.
Furthermore, they wrote at a time when many people were still alive who also witnessed the same events, and could have refuted them if they were not accurate.
All four gospel writers wrote of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, he stated that Jesus appeared to over 500 people when He rose from the dead. He went on to say that most of those 500 people were still alive when he wrote of Christ’s resurrection. The obvious implication – if you don’t believe me, just go talk to them. They are still alive. They can vouch for what I say!
Eyewitness testimony is extremely powerful evidence in a court of law. Well, when it comes to the life of Christ, we don’t just have 1 eyewitness testimony. We don’t just have 2. We don’t even just have 3. We have 4 different eyewitnesses telling the story of the life of Christ! If you had four different independent eyewitnesses all giving consistent testimony in a court of law, it would be a slam dunk case. That’s what we have with our four gospels.
4. The Fulfilled Prophecy of the Bible:
The Bible contains hundreds of specific prophecies that were later fulfilled. For instance, Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah — like His birthplace (Micah 5:2), method of death (Psalm 22), and resurrection (Psalm 16:10) — are fulfilled in the life of Jesus centuries later.
Peter Stoner in his book Science Speaks, written in 1958, sought to discover the mathematical probability that Jesus Christ would fulfill just eight Biblical prophecies by chance.
- Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
- Preceded by a messenger (Isaiah 40:3)
- Enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9)
- Betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12)
- The silver thrown in the temple and used to buy a potter’s field (Zechariah 11:13)
- Silent before accusers (Isaiah 53:7)
- Hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16)
- Crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12)
Of course, Christ fulfilled dozens of Old Testament prophecies, but Stoner worked with just 8. He determined it would be 1 in 10 to the 17th power. 100,000,000,000,000,000. It has been estimated that 117 billion people have lived on planet earth. So, for Jesus to fulfill 8 prophecies, he would have to be the 1 person out of all the people who have ever lived on earth x 1 million other earths to be chosen at random!
Imagine stacking quarters. You’d have enough to cover the entire continental U.S. in a blanket nearly one foot deep. Somewhere in that pile is one marked quarter. A blindfolded person, walking at random, picks up one coin. The chance it’s the marked one? — The same as Jesus fulfilling eight prophecies by coincidence.
If you take 48 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, the number becomes 1 in 10 to 157th power! Stoner also calculated the odds for 48 prophecies, which are all fulfilled in Jesus.
That probability is roughly 1 in 10¹⁵⁷ — a number so large it’s practically impossible to visualize.
To give a sense of scale: The number of atoms in the known universe is estimated at around 10⁸⁰. That means even if every atom in the universe were a separate lottery ticket, you’d still have to win the cosmic lottery twice to match that chance.
Folks, the fact that the prophecies of the Bible have been fulfilled so precisely in Jesus Christ, goes way beyond luck or chance. The fact that dozens and dozens of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled defies all mathematical comprehension. It should tell us that the Bible is a supernatural book, with a supernatural mind that inspired it.
5. The Transforming Power of the Bible:
The final evidence I would put forth for you to consider whether you can trust the Bible, is the countless testimonies of believers who have been transformed by its power.
What does the Bible itself say about its transforming power?
2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
Psalm 19:7-8, “The law of the Lord is perfect6, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
No other ancient text has inspired the building of hospitals and schools around the world; motivated abolitionists like William Wilberforce to abolish slavery; and created missions agencies to send missionaries around the world. No other printed document has done as much to bring about benevolence, reform and renewal throughout the centuries and around the world.
Can you testify of the power of the Bible in your life?! Could you testify of the transforming power of Scripture to give you hope and peace and love and joy? To motivate you to do what you would never have courage to do in yourself? In the Bible we don’t just encounter information, we encounter God Himself.
The Bible is truly a supernatural book with a supernatural Author!
Conclusion
My friends, can we trust the Bible? Absolutely! It has proven to be of supernatural origin because of:
- Its Textual Preservation
- Its Archaeological Confirmation
- Its Eyewitness Testimony
- Its Fulfilled Prophecies
- Its Transforming Power
My question for you is are you taking full advantage of the Scriptures? Do you regularly and consistently read and meditate on Scripture? The Bible will only exerts its transforming power when we take it in, soak in it, and meditate on it.
I challenge you to put your time with God in the Scripture as first priority, and the very first thing you do every day. Will any of you take me up on that challenge? No Bible, no breakfast!
Begin to do the daily readings that we go through as a church. If you don’t have a copy of those daily readings, just ask me and I’ll send one to you.
Yes, we can trust the Bible, so let’s do it!
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