Is the Bible Really the Word of God?

Our answer to this question will not only determine how we view the Bible and its importance for our lives, but ultimately it will also have an eternal impact on us. If the Bible is truly the Word of God, then we should love it, study it, obey it, and ultimately trust it. If the Bible is the Word of God, then rejecting it means rejecting God himself.

The fact that God gave us the Bible is a test and a demonstration of His love for us. The term "revelation" simply means that God has communicated to humanity how it is done and how we can have a right relationship with Him. These are things we could not have known if God had not divinely revealed them to us in the Bible. Although the revelation that God made of Himself in the Bible has been given over the course of almost 1.500 years, it has always contained everything that man needs to know God, in order to have a right relationship with Him If the Bible is truly the Word of God, then it is the definitive authority for all matters of faith, religious practice and ethics.

The questions we need to ask ourselves are: how do we know that the Bible is the Word of God and not simply a good book? What is unique about the Bible to distinguish it from all other religious books ever written? Is there any proof that the Bible is truly the Word of God? If we want to seriously examine the biblical claim that the Bible is the same Word of God, divinely inspired and totally sufficient for all matters of faith and practice, this is the kind of question we need to consider.

There can be no doubt that the Bible claims to be the same Word as God. This is clearly seen in verses such as 2 Timothy 3: 15-17, which say: "[...] as a child you have had knowledge of the Holy Scriptures , which can give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every Scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach, to revive, to correct, to educate to justice, so that the man of God is complete and well prepared for every good work. "

To answer these questions, we must consider both internal and external evidence that shows that the Bible is truly the Word of God. Internal evidence is those things within the Bible itself that attest to its divine origin. One of the first internal proofs that the Bible is truly the Word of God is seen in its unity. Although it is actually made up of 66 individual books, written on 3 continents, in 3 different languages, over a period of about 1.500 years, by more than 40 authors (from different social backgrounds), the Bible remains a single unitary book from the beginning in the end, without contradictions. This unity is unique compared to all other books and is proof of the divine origin of his words, in that God inspired some men in such a way as to make them write His own words.

Another internal evidence that indicates that the Bible is truly the Word of God is seen in the detailed prophecies contained within its pages. The Bible contains hundreds of detailed prophecies regarding the future of individual nations including Israel, the future of certain cities, the future of humanity and the advent of someone who would have been the Messiah, the Savior not only of Israel, but of all those who would have believed in him. Unlike the prophecies found in other religious books or those made by Nostradamus, the biblical prophecies are extremely detailed and have never failed to come true. In the Old Testament alone, there are more than three hundred prophecies related to Jesus Christ. Not only was it predicted where He would be born and what family he would come from, but also how he would die and resurrect on the third day. There is simply no logical way to explain the prophecies fulfilled in the Bible except its divine origin. There is no other religious book with the breadth or kind of predictive prophecies of what the Bible has.

A third internal proof of the divine origin of the Bible is seen in its unparalleled authority and power. Although this proof is more subjective than the first two internal proofs, it is nonetheless a very powerful testimony of the divine origin of the Bible. The Bible has a unique authority that is unlike any other book ever written. This authority and power are best seen in the way countless lives have been transformed by Bible reading that has healed drug addicts, freed homosexuals, turned derelicts and slackers, amended hardened criminals, scolded sinners and transformed the I hate in love. The Bible truly has a dynamic and transforming power that is possible only because it is truly the Word of God.

In addition to internal evidence, there is also external evidence to indicate that the Bible is truly the Word of God. One of these is the historicity of the Bible. Since it describes some historical events in detail, its reliability and accuracy are subject to verification of any other historical document. By means of both archaeological evidence and other written documents, the historical accounts of the Bible have proven to be unfailingly accurate and reliable. Indeed, all the archaeological and manuscript evidence in support of the Bible makes it the best documented book of the ancient world. When the Bible addresses religious arguments and doctrines and substantiates its claims by claiming to be the very Word of God, the fact that it accurately and reliably documents historically verifiable events is an important indication of its reliability.

Another external proof that the Bible is truly the Word of God is the integrity of human authors. As previously mentioned, God used men of different social backgrounds to verbalize His Words. By studying the lives of these men, there is no reason to believe that they were not honest and sincere. By examining their lives and taking into account the fact that they were willing to die (often with a terrible death) for what they believed, it quickly becomes clear that these normal yet honest men really believed that God had spoken to them. The men who wrote the New Testament and many hundreds of other believers (1 Corinthians 15: 6) knew the truth of their message because they had seen Jesus and spent time with Him after He rose from the dead. The transformation brought about by seeing the risen Christ had an incredible impact on these men. They went from hiding for fear to being willing to die for the message that God had revealed to them. Their life and death testify that the Bible is truly the Word of God.

A final external proof that the Bible is truly the Word of God is its indestructibility. Because of its importance and its claim to be the very Word of God, the Bible has undergone the most ferocious attacks and attempts to be destroyed more than any other book in history. From early Roman emperors such as Diocletian, through communist dictators to modern atheists and agnostics, the Bible has endured and survived all its aggressors and is still the most widely published book in the world today.

Skeptics have always considered the Bible as something mythological, but archeology has established its historicity. Opponents have attacked its teaching as primitive and outdated, but its moral and legal concepts and teachings have had a positive influence on societies and cultures around the world. It continues to be attacked by science, psychology and political movements, yet remains equally true and current today as it was when it was first written. It is a book that has transformed countless lives and cultures over the past 2.000 years. Regardless of how much its opponents try to attack, destroy or discredit it, the Bible remains strong, true and current after the attacks exactly as it was before. The accuracy that has been preserved despite every attempt to bribe, attack or destroy it is clear testimony to the fact that the Bible is truly the Word of God. It should come as no surprise that no matter how attached the Bible is, it comes out of it always unaltered and unharmed. After all, Jesus said: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Mark 13:31). After considering the evidence, one can say without a doubt: "Of course, the Bible is truly the Word of God."