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The Bible has rightly been called the greatest story ever told, about the greatest person who has ever lived, who is making to men and women the greatest offer that has ever been made. As Glen Miller says it “is either totally deceptive, totally deranged, or totally divine - there is no fourth option like 'a very good and insightful book'! (Glenn Miller. Next Seat). The problem being that...
We Live In A World in which several books claim to be divinely inspired. However, claims alone do not make this true. So Because the Bible does not glow in the dark, levitate, or exhibit any other supernatural qualities what makes it the only Book we can accept as divinely inspired - the only Word of God? Is it possible to determine the authenticity of the Scriptures and the validity of its claims?
One Excuse for not reading the Bible is that flawed men wrote it. Funny how that logic doesn't apply to the Washington Post, The Enquirer, Doctor Phil, or Deepak Chopra! (Marsha West. Read the Bible? What a Concept!)
Also See The Message of the Bible and The Warning of The Bible
SECTIONS ON THIS PAGE
 Authorship and Inspiration
If you consider how and where the Bible was written, by whom, over what time period, and under what circumstances, you can only come to the conclusion that the Bible is a literary miracle - impossible to achieve by human effort alone. Thus, the only conclusion one can come to is that, as claimed, it was inspired by the Almighty Himself.
Criticism
Criticism
Most Bible critics do not deserve the benefit of the doubt.. chances are they haven't done a fraction of the homework they
need to do to be reputable commentators.
Reliability
Overview
Is the Bible we have today what was originally written?
The Old Testament
Are there other sources, besides the document itself, to substantiate its accuracy, reliability and authenticity?
The New Testament
Evidence that the major works of the New Testament are eyewitness accounts written within two generations of the events
Science And The Bible
Compelling scientific evidence that the Bible is no ordinary book
The So Called “Lost” Books of The Bible
The Canon and The Gnostic Gospels
The apocryphal books were sometimes highly regarded or cited for their antiquity or for their historical, moral, or literary value, but there is a huge difference between "valuable" and "divinely inspired". If we can't identify the content and extent of Scripture, then we can't properly distinguish theological truth from error. Thus the question - who decided which books were inspired and which weren’t? It certainly was not the decision of past councils.
Also See [Below]
Unhelpful Responses To Questions About The Bible
Credible Authority
In Conclusion
Authorship and Inspiration
Authorship
The Bible is unique inasmuch as it maintains consistency, harmony, and continuity from cover to cover. It has one message from Genesis to Revelation. Nothing outstanding about that you say - after all most books have one ‘theme’, story line or subject. True! But perhaps the Bible’s uniformity is more than a little curious considering that ... (Includes Could You Write The Bible?).
How The Bible Was Written
People are often unsure of how to understand the statement the Bible is an ‘inspired book’. Were the authors possessed of superior insight, were they morally and ethically exceptional human beings? Not really. Biblical inspiration means that the authors were led by God and that the resultant documents are His message to the world. But how can we possibly know this?
Why Isn’t The Evidence Clearer?
One question often asked is if God really exists and the Bible is indeed His message to man, why isn't the evidence more plain - in fact, so undeniable that virtually everyone would acknowledge and believe it? Why must we read a two thousand year old book and study ancient history for proof of the existence of God?
Criticism
Academia’s Asinine Assault on the Bible
Men who were conversant with the original languages literally spent their lives poring over ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. They devoted their lives to a meticulous and tedious analysis of the evidence. In other words, they who were without peer in their expertise and qualifications have concluded that the Bible has been transmitted accurately.
Calculated Contempt
Bible critics do not deserve the benefit of the doubt because the chances are they haven't done a fraction of the homework they need to do to be reputable commentators.
Did Adam Have a Navel? ... and Other Questions of Deep Theological Significance
Questions such as these not only reveal skepticism but the desire to reduce the Bible God's Word to the level of absurdity. Most of the questions directed in this manner are merely parroted clichés that clearly show that the skeptic has done no serious thinking of his own.
Reliability
If as it claims (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21) the Bible is the inerrant and infallible word of God, we would expect there to be some evidence supporting these claims. After all, claims do not prove authenticity. So what evidence is there that supports the Bible’s claims?
Is the Bible Today What Was Originally Written?
Many reject the Bible is because they believe that the original text has been significantly changed since it was first written - thus there is little point in paying attention to a corrupted book. This is entirely erroneous. Not only do the number of manuscript copies of the New Testament far surpass the number of copies of any other ancient document, but the New Testament’s 6,000 full or partial Greek manuscripts, the roughly 8,000 Latin translations, the copies and fragments in various other languages, and the copious quotes by early church writers, make the New Testament the best authenticated ancient document... miles ahead of any of the others. Additionally, the length of time between the original Biblical document and the earliest copies is the shortest, by far, of any ancient writing
Historical Corroboration
Were any of the Gospel accounts substantiated by non Christian sources? Although historical accuracy does not ‘prove‘ the Bible's spiritual authority, it does enhance its credibility.
Archaeological Corroboration
It has been well said "conformity or agreement with other known historical or scientific facts is often the decisive test of evidence”. Does archaeology confirm or undermine the New Testament accounts?
The Old Testament
The Dead Sea Scrolls
The Old Testament that we use today is translated from what is called the Masoretic Text. The Masoretes were Jewish scholars who between A.D. 500 and 950 gave the Old Testament the form that we use today. Until the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947, the oldest Hebrew text of the Old Testament was the Masoretic Aleppo Codex which dates to A.D. 935. With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls we now have manuscripts that predate the Masoretic Text by about one thousand years yet were found to be almost identical with the Masoretic text. In other words, the text underwent virtually no alteration over something like one thousand years.
The Veracity of the Old Testament (The names of 29 Kings)
The almost universal inaccuracy and unreliability of Greek and Arab historians with reference to the kings of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon is in glaring contrast with the exactness of the Hebrew Bible.
Prophecy
There is one test that we can apply to all ‘sacred writings’.... The Test Of Prophecy - the foretelling of future events. Surely a book claiming to be God's Word will contain His statements about His purpose, and predictions for the future. If you compare the ‘divine’ books such as the Bhagavad-Gita and the Koran, you will find that they contain hardly any prophecies, and certainly none that are as specific as those of the Bible and which have been fulfilled to the letter. Biblical prophecies commonly give details of actual events to occur; actual geographic locations; actual people (sometimes named before they were born); actual nations, all of which would be involved in certain world events. It is a simple matter to ascertain whether such prophecies have been fulfilled or not.
The Odds
Approximately 2500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible about 2000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter — no errors. (The remaining 500 or so reach into the future and may be seen unfolding as days go by.) Since the probability for any one of these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance averages less than one in ten (figured very conservatively) and since the prophecies are for the most part independent of one another, the odds for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than one in 102000 (that is 1 with 2000 zeros written after it)
The New Testament
The Reliability Of The Gospels
The New Testament was written by men who were either themselves eyewitnesses to the miracles and teachings of Christ, or who wrote their accounts based on said eyewitnesses. It is beyond doubt that the New Testament accounts of Christ were circulated within the lifetimes of those who witnessed his life. If the writings being circulated were untrue, those that were hostile to Jesus, His disciples, and the gospel message they preached would have leapt at any opportunity to discredit the claims concerning his life, death and resurrection,.
When Were The Books of The New Testament Written?
Evidence that Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written within 20-30 years of the Cross and that the letters of Paul were largely complete before that time.
New Testament Conspiracy?
Is it simpler to say that the New Testament writers conspired over many decades to write about actual places and people in such a way so as to convincingly deceive thousands of people into believing that Jesus was the Messiah and that He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, healed the sick, cured diseases, raised Lazarus from the dead, was crucified by Romans, was buried, and rose from the dead. Or is much more likely that it simply all happened and they recorded it?
Was the New Testament Influenced By Pagan Religions?
The claims that the New Testament and early Christianity borrowed important beliefs and practices from a number of pagan mystery religions are serious because they undermine central Christian doctrines such as Christ's death and resurrection. However, the alleged parallels often result from liberal scholars uncritically describing pagan beliefs and practices in Christian terms, then marveling at the striking parallels they think they've discovered.
Was the New Testament Influenced By Pagan Philosophy?
Did the Christianity of the first century A.D. borrow any of its essential beliefs[1] from the pagan philosophical systems of that time? Was first century Christianity as reflected in the pages of the New Testament a syncretistic religion (i.e., a religion which fuses elements of differing belief systems)
Science And The Bible
 Scientific Facts In The Bible
Before you laugh at stupid Christians ask yourself if there is any evidence that the claims of the Bible are true. When studying the science of the ancient world, one is more likely to be impressed with its ignorance than to admire its accuracy. However, the Scriptures are replete with statements that demonstrate scientific knowledge that predates - often by many hundred of years - corresponding discoveries made by the modern scientific world. Given that Bible writers were not scientists and given that the scientific information at their disposal was both sparse and generally misleading, the accuracy of the Bible can only be attributed to the inspiration of God." [DP]
Do All Scientists Support Darwinism?
"All major scientists support evolution." This is the Darwinist’s response of choice to anyone who dares question the notion that matter, time, and chance – not God – have brought all things into existence. When confronted with the argument that real scientists support Darwin’s conclusions too many Christians throw in the towel for lack of knowledge.
What is The Canon of Scripture?
Apocrypha, Gnostic Gospels and Lost Books
What is the Canon of Scripture? Christianity is solely based on the authority of Scripture. If we can't properly identify which of the many ‘books’ floating around legitimately belong in our Bible, there is no way we can distinguish theological truth from error. Section includes the ‘lost’ books of the Bible (a view that DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE) The Apocrypha, The Gnostic Gospels including the gospel of Thomas and the latest sensation... The Gospel of Judas (Although much excitement has been generated by these discoveries, not a little misunderstanding has been mixed with the enthusiasm.). Also includes Constantine and the Council of Nicea.
Also See
Reading and Understanding The Bible
Section includes An Overview of the Old and New Testament, Guides To Reading The Bible, How The Bible Came to Us, A Brief History Of The Bible, A Sermon on Each Book of The Bible, Commentaries etc. Section Includes
Biblical Interpretation
Some Useful (And Very Important) Guidelines, helpful Hints and Golden Rules. Things you should do and what to avoid like the plague
Is The Qur’an The Word Of God?
Consider the claim of the Qur’an described by its admirers as “a literary masterpiece of surpassing excellence”, and is unquestioningly accepted by Muslims to be the infallible Word of God as revealed to Mohammed by the angel Gabriel over 1,300 years ago... But is it? (Article includes ‘Was Muhammad foretold by the Bible?’, ‘Did Muhammad perform miracles?’ and ‘Did the Qur’an have predictive prophecy’?)
Unhelpful Responses To Questions About The Bible
"The Bible must be reliable because it claims to be God's Word." This is circular reasoning: the conclusion is stated as a premise. Also, what about other scriptures which make the same claim, but which contradict the truth-claims of the Bible?
"The Bible's claims about Jesus are true in spite of the fact that it is full of errors in other matters." If the Bible doesn't speak reliably in the areas in which it can be tested, why should we believe it in the areas in which it can't be tested?
"The Bible is God's Word because it makes me feel close to God, it helps my life, etc." This is something, but it can't be adequate by itself, because similar reports and conclusions are drawn about scriptures which contradict the Bible”. (Does It Matter If the Bible Is Historically Accurate? By Gary DeLashmutt)
Credible Authority
As said by pastor Greg Koukl in Testing Religious Truth Claims
“The first way we know something is by authority. Frankly, most of the things we think we know we don't know because we've discovered them ourselves, but rather because someone we trust told us they were so.
If I wanted to know something about radiology, for example, I'd ask a radiologist whose credentials I trusted. Even if I consulted books on radiology, it would have amounted to the same thing: taking the word of someone who was an expert in the field. I wouldn't start from square one to rediscover radiology all on my own. I'd fall back on the books or the counsel of others who know better, and would probably be justified in believing what they had to say.
It's interesting how people will sometimes balk at the notion at trusting an authority like the Bible, when virtually everything they think they know, they've gotten from some authority or another.
Think about everything you know about the past before your own lifetime. Think about everything you know about things that are too small for you to examine yourself - the microscopic world, for example - or too big, too distant for you to examine, like distant stars. Think about every place you think you have accurate information about that you've never personally visited. Think about everything you think you know about disciplines in which you didn't personally do the primary research.
This probably amounts to about 99.9 percent of all of the things we think we know. We don't know them through testing of our own, but through the testimony of others we think we have reason to trust. So, rather than being odd that we would take certain things on authority, it's actually the foundational way we know things. We trust the words of other people who are reliable. The reliability and credibility of the authority is the key issue.
This teaches us an important lesson. It's very natural for us to function on the principle that if the authority is credible, then we're justified in believing the information he gives us”. [01]
In Conclusion..
Is the Bible the Word of God? Those who take the question seriously, gather the available evidence, and examine the difficulties, will discover that the accumulated evidence falls very heavily on the side of the reliability and credibility of the Bible... There is more than enough compelling reason to embrace the Bible for what it claims to be... God's Word.
See Section Reasons To Believe
The Message of the Bible is, initially, unbelievably good... we can all live in a perfect world here on earth, in bodies that will neither age nor deteriorate. In fact, the heart of Jesus' preaching was the good news that the kingdom of God was on its way, and that we could be part of it.
It then throws a spanner in the works by saying that sinful people cannot get there.
After which it hits rock bottom when it tells us that no matter how well we live, we cannot live up to the God's standard of holiness, since we are all sinners who are under the death penalty... God's decreed punishment for any sin. And I have to repeat something I said earlier... If God forgives sin and injustice without any form of punishment whatsoever, He would neither be a holy nor a just God. And He is both. See The Message of The Bible
However, it is one thing to intellectually accept that the evidence that the Bible is accurate, reliable and inspired - and quite another to believe it enough to respond to the demands of it’s message. Intellectual assent will get us precisely nowhere. Virtually all the problems of the world spring from hatred, greed, or lust in the human heart. And God is going to do something about it. Anyone who takes a good, hard and honest look at themselves will realize they are part of the problem. Which means a holy God still has His arrow of justice firmly pointed at you. However, not only is our God a God of justice, but He is also a God of great kindness and mercy, seen by the fact that He sent His own Son to pay the price of our sin... to be put to death in our place. See Sin, Repentance and Salvation on THIS page.
Over and over again, the Bible emphasizes the point that God is good to those who trust and follow Him, and terrible to those who do not. Whether or not your church preaches it, whether or not you know very much about it, whether or not you choose to bury your head in the sand and pretend that God cannot possibly render judgment on this planet, the wrath of God is real. See The Wrath of God
Both Testaments emphasize the reality and terror of God's wrath who will bring a final and terrible judgment down on sinners and evildoers. and when He unleashes it on this planet, it will be by far the darkest period in human history and will bring an end to this world as we know it. . Moreover, it is very near at hand. After this terrible period, God will descend to earth to establish His kingdom. And The End of The Age
End Notes
[01[ Greg Koukl. Testing Religious Truth Claims. http://www.str.org/articles/testing-religious-truth-claims#.U9OhmNLn8Vs
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