Seven Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible
I do believe the honest, sincere skeptic can come away from this book with solid reasons to trust the Bible, but as Mr. Lutzer suggests, proving something like the Bible all has to do with “what is meant by proof.” If you are unwilling to accept something, you’ll remain stedfast despite the greatest efforts to the contrary.
But for the Christian, this book offers a brief look at some important reasons for having confidence in the book that has already brought them life through faith in the Savior.
Here they are:
1. A Logical Reason – The Claims of the Bible
From the onset, Mr. Lutzer demonstrates his intended audience when he makes the claim the Bible is God’s Word because it says it is. To the skeptic, this is circular reasoning, and in a sense the skeptic would be right. Mr. Lutzer does elaborate though.
But consider this, over 1,500 times the Bible appeals to divine authorship or authority. These are found throughout the sixty-six chapters, written by forty plus men, on three continents, in varied cultures, over fifteen centuries, in three languages.
Yet the theme and unity is harmonious throughout. The Christian claims divine authorship and human penmanship—or inspiration, as the reason for this majestic continuity. I guess the question to ask the skeptic is—how do you explain it?
2. A Historical Reason – The Reliability of the Bible
Though the Bible is not a book of history per se, it is written in a historical context. And one dare not trust it’s epistemological and philosophical truths if it lacks historical credibility.
Mr. Lutzer highlights some of the archaeological findings that have vindicated the Bible against the claims of its critics and enemies.
He also briefly grazes the notion that the Bible is the only document of antiquity that is guilty of fallacy until proven innocent in the minds of scholars. Secular scholars assume the reliability of other ancient documents with far less manuscript evidence or antiquity in comparison to the Bible.
3. A Prophetic Reason – The Predictions of the Bible
In an age of doom and gloom end time prophecies, it is reassuring to trust in the hand of One with a perfect track record.
The Bible is replete with fulfilled prophecies. Mr. Lutzer highlights the prophecies of Old Testament prophets like Isaiah and Daniel. Imagine, an ancient document that not only foretells of a coming empire in Persia, that was nothing more than a menial civilization compared to its predecessor Babylon. But, it also goes on to name the ruler, Cyrus by name, 100 years before he was even born.
Divine authorship, easily reconciles these amazing prophecy, not to mention the dozens of other prophecies given through Isaiah. I guess the skeptics envision a group of talented prognosticators that would be great companions on a trip to the horse races or Vegas, but overcoming the hurdle of fulfilled prophecy is a daunting task.
4. A Christological Reason – The Authority of Christ
If Chapter 1, didn’t outline Mr. Lutzer’s intended audience, I think Chapter 4 surely does. He offers that the veracity of the Scriptures is defended in the fact that Jesus Christ, God incarnate, defended them.
I’m fine with his reasoning, but then again, I do believe in the Christ that he is mentioning. I don’t know that this chapter does much for the skeptic, but it’s great for strengthening a Christians faith in the “all Scripture” mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:16.
5. A Scientific Reason – The Story of Creation
The Bible offers a logical perspective from which one can properly view and interpret the natural world. After all, it postulates that God created the natural world.
Mr. Lutzer gives some scientific defenses of the biblical creation account and offers that God’s special creation of all that is, is the most logical conclusion one can come to, and thus the individual should accept the whole of Scripture.
I like to put it this way—In the beginning God, or in the beginning dirt—you pick.
6. A Providential Reason – The Canonical Reason
Mr. Lutzer does a good job of defining the issue of explaining the canon of Scripture and then demonstrates that this providential intervention of God, also known as preservation, is a great reason to accept the Bible.
Basically, he says man approved what God ordained. The books of the Old and New Testaments were discovered by man, but God knew them as His eternal word and just revealed the sixty-six books to man.
7. A Personal Reason – The Power of the Word
I’ll just include this humorous but profound illustration that he opens the chapter with:
Suppose you were stranded on a dimly lit street in the riot area of Los Angeles. You accidentally drive over a sharp metal object and two of your tires go flat. As you contemplate your next move, a dozen young men spill out of a nearby building and strut toward you. You can already see yourself being dragged from the car, robbed and beaten. Or worse.
What difference would it make if you discovered that these men were on their way home from a Bible study? Such news would even make an atheist feel better.
The message of the Bible is the message of a life-changing, purpose-bringing relationship with Jesus Christ. Though history bears ample record to the abuse of some in the name of Christ, the true Christian faith, found within the pages of Scripture, has left an indelible mark on mankind throughout the last two millennia.
”A thousand times over, the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, the inscription cut on the tombstone, and the committal read. But somehow the corpse never stays put.” – Bernard Ramm
As I said before, this is no exhaustive treatise. It’s not necessarily written to convince the hardened skeptic. But I recommend that Christians get a hold of it. It will strength your confidence in the book that brought you life in the Savior. And it will help you to stand against those that seek to undermine it’s authority.
- Word Press
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