Is the Bible True?
If the Bible isn’t true, we are all just wasting our time.
Either these sixty-six books are God’s Word, delivered to us in writing through the apostles and prophets, or we are set adrift on a sea of ideas where the loudest voices get the most attention, and we are left to sort things out as best we can.
I’m convinced there is ample evidence that when we pick up our Bibles, we are in fact interacting with God’s words on paper. But our generation responds to that claim differently than those before us.
The Chronological Snobbery of Our Age
C. S. Lewis coined the term: chronological snobbery. It’s the assumption that because an idea is old, we have surely outgrown it. It is the arrogant assurance that because we happen to be living now, we must be the first to see things clearly.
You will hear it constantly.
“These are all just ancient fables.”
“When scholars actually examine these claims, they fall apart.”
“None of this ancient mythology stands up to intellectual scrutiny.”
Moderns parrot these statements from an influencer they watched last week, not realizing that such objections are warmed-over arguments leveled against the Bible for millennia. God’s written Word has been scrutinized, cross-examined, and criticized by angry hearts ever since God moved the prophets and apostles by his Spirit to record his words.
“We are not adrift on a sea of ideas. God has not left us guessing.”
The leather-covered Bible on our shelves, and the identical words in the Bible apps on our phones, have survived far sharper critics than these. The skeptic who thinks he is the first to bring his case to the court of public opinion is walking into a trial that has been underway for thousands of years.
The Real Objection Is Rarely Intellectual
Here’s the truth about these fine-sounding arguments.
Jesus said it plainly, no doubt upsetting many in the process: “People loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). The most insurmountable obstacle for the skeptic isn’t the evidence. It’s the exposure. Step into the light of the inerrant Word of God and there is no place to hide. We are seen for the sinners we actually are.
Psalm 2 describes it well. The nations would rather rage than submit. They would rather plot against the true King than recognize the moral rules that are part of his Kingdom. Their chant is: “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:3). It is, as Paul wrote, a problem of people who “by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18).
“The most insurmountable obstacle for the skeptic isn’t the evidence. It’s the exposure. Step into the light of the inerrant Word of God and there is no place to hide.”
Ask your next Bible critic, “If I could satisfactorily answer every question and alleviate every doubt you have about the Scriptures being God’s Word, would you wholeheartedly submit to what it says today?” You’ll be surprised how often you’ll hear, “No,” “I wouldn’t,” or “You couldn’t.”
What God Has Actually Given Us
We are not adrift on a sea of ideas. God has not left us guessing.
God has revealed truth to us in clear and cogent words and sentences.
God has given the Bible his unmistakable signature, punctuating his Word with predictive prophecies.
God has sovereignly preserved his book through manuscript evidence unmatched by any other source.
“Your Bible has been through so much worse. It has outlasted empires and emperors.”
And that is only the beginning. This is no leap in the dark.
Take Heart
If some outspoken voice on social media has rattled you, a coworker has shaken your confidence, or a family member has chipped away at your trust in the Bible, take heart. Your Bible has been through so much worse. It has outlasted empires and emperors. Every generation has had its angry skeptics throwing rocks from the shadows—certain the Bible was nothing but fairy tales. And still the truth has prevailed. God’s Word stands strong. It tells the truth about God, the world, and about you and me.
Don’t be embarrassed. Don’t be timid. Read it. Test it. Know that your Bible has withstood the highest scrutiny. Know that it will not fail the examination of our generation either.
Dr.
Mike Fabarez
President, Compass Bible Institute
Dr. Mike Fabarez is the founding pastor of Compass Bible Church.
He graduated from Moody with a Bachelor’s degree in Bible and Theology. Dr. Fabarez earned his master’s degree from Talbot School of Theology and a Doctorate from Westminster Theological Seminary in California.
Dr. Fabarez is the author of several books including: Getting It Right, Why the Bible?, Praying for Sunday, Preaching that Changes Lives, Saturday’s Hope, Bible Survey for Kids, Beyond Bible Basics, Resolved to Follow Christ, Lifelines for Tough Times, Raising Men Not Boys and 10 Mistakes People Make about Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife.
