Why I believe the Bible is true

Early on in the school year, note cards were passed out to our Awana girls (grade 3-6) on which they were given the opportunity to write down any question about God or the Bible. Our head leader took all the questions and has broken them down into three panel nights, where we (the leaders) address four different questions. Last night was the 2nd of the 3 panel nights. My question was "how do we know the Bible is true and not just made up to start a new religion?" Good question!

Here's my multi-faceted answer:

First, the Bible was written by 40 different authors, over a span of 2000 years plus/minus a couple hundred years. Moses didn't know Ezekiel who didn't know Peter. And yet! in all 66 books of the Bible there is one consistent message, which is that God sent Jesus to be our Savior/Redeemer, to have a relationship with us. From Genesis to Revelations, that message is given. The reason why is because although there are over 40 writers, technically, there is only one author: God. In II Timothy 3:16, it says that all Scripture is God-breathed. God breathed the words into the hearts of the writers. But even if you don't believe the Bible is God-breathed, it is still pretty miraculous that all 66 books are consistent in their message, when they were written in different times, countries, and languages.

Second, Jesus is part of the answer. In the Old Testament, over 300 prophesies were made about Jesus. Many of these prophesies were made hundreds to over a thousand years before Christ was even born. And we are not talking about vague prophesies like what you find in a fortune cookie but specific details...where he was born, how he would live, how he would die, what he would look like, family dynamics, etc...I don't know about you, but if I made 10 prophesies about someone who would live 1000 years from now, I'd be very lucky if I even got 2 right. And yet! Jesus fulfilled every single one! Every. Single. One!!! Now, that says something powerful about Jesus but what that also tells me is that Jesus validates/confirms the Old Testament through his own life and the fulfillment of those prophesies.

Third, the importance of eyewitnesses. In the New Testament, with the exception of Paul's books, I believe all the other books are written by men who lived with Jesus, watched Jesus, heard Jesus, and learned from Jesus. Luke 1:1-2 and II Peter 1:6 both talk about how they testified to the life and person of Jesus. One example I gave to the girls last night is what would you believe more, a book about Abraham Lincoln written by his own brother or one written by one the girls in the room. (Okay, I just did a history check...apparently Abe's brother died in infancy...but you get what I mean.) Naturally, they all responded the brother! Eyewitnesses carry more weight. Think of a court-room. Eyewitnesses are key elements to court proceedings because they can testify to things that others cannot.

Last, how much of the Bible has been validated by historical documents or findings! I honestly don't have any facts to give you here but from archaeological digs of Biblical cities, to other historical writings confirming when kings lived and events happened such as droughts/famines/floods/cities destroyed/etc, to the Dead Sea Scrolls matching parts of the Bible as it is today! All these things point to the truth in the Bible.

I'm sure there are other reasons, perhaps some better ones that I am not thinking of today. At any rate, I hope this helps or give something to mull over. If there are any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.