Is the Bible True?

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By Tim Chaffey – (original source – https://answersingenesis.org/is-the-bible-true/can-we-trust-bible-true/)

Tim Chaffey holds a master of divinity degree specializing in apologetics and theology and a ThM in church history and theology from Liberty University School of Divinity. He is content manager for Answers in Genesis’ attractions division.

From archaeology to astronomy, evidence from many fields points to the veracity of God’s Word.

Though written in several genres and three languages by approximately 40 authors with various backgrounds, writing styles, and purposes, the Bible maintains a consistent message without contradicting itself. At Answers in Genesis—the parent ministry of Answers magazine—our statement of faith declares, “The 66 books of the Bible are the written Word of God. The Bible is divinely inspired and inerrant throughout. Its assertions are factually true in all the original autographs.” Those are bold claims, but how can we be so confident?

Some people claim that the Bible is riddled with errors. Their charges against Scripture generally center on scientific and historical matters, such as the age of the earth, the origin of man, and the evidence for the flood and other major events described in the Bible.

We cannot use the scientific method to prove whether certain conversations took place, such as God instructing Noah to build an ark. Nor can we use it to demonstrate whether a historical event resulted in a spiritual truth, such as Jesus’ death on the cross paying for our sins.

But while we can’t examine all the Bible’s details by scientific or historical inquiry, we can investigate plenty of evidence that corroborates biblical details.

Evidence for Biblical Veracity

Archaeologists have located scores of buried cities located precisely where the Bible describes. Excavations have also uncovered an abundance of evidence for events and individuals mentioned in the Bible. For example, several seals (or bullae) belonging to King Hezekiah have been found, and in the past decade, another one was unearthed just 10 feet (3 cm) from a seal that may well have belonged to the prophet Isaiah, one of the king’s advisors. Furthermore, consistent with the biblical accounts, ancient war records from Assyria detail Sennacherib’s conquest of Judean cities and cryptically imply his unsuccessful siege of Jerusalem. Critics challenge the historicity of certain biblical accounts, but their arguments are often silenced by new finds.

Scientific evidence for the Genesis creation and flood accounts abound within other disciplines as well. Astronomical research on short-period comets in the solar system yields data consistent with the biblical timeline. Because they break down relatively fast, these comets cannot survive for millions, let alone billions, of years, as evolutionists imagine.

The biblical flood account is corroborated by geological evidence around the globe. The violently eroded rock surface called the “Great Unconformity,” caused by the initial rising of the floodwaters to cover the pre-flood land, is found across every continent. And only above this “Great Unconformity” do we find all the rapidly buried and preserved graveyards of megascopic fossilized animals and plants, representing the destruction of all pre-flood animals and plants outside the ark, as described in the biblical account. We find also the same rock layers spanning several continents, indicating that they were deposited on a global scale at the same time.

Anthropological investigations among ancient cultures have revealed hundreds of flood legends sharing an uncanny number of details with the biblical record. Similar legends correspond with the Bible’s account of man’s creation and fall and of Babel.

Biological research, particularly in the field of genetics, has shown that one “kind” of animal (such as the dog kind or cat kind) can never be transformed into another kind of animal over time because it does not possess any mechanism to acquire the necessary new genetic information to evolve into another kind. This observation that one kind does not change into a different kind and that variation is only produced within a kind matches Genesis 1, which repeatedly states that God made the animals as distinct kinds, to reproduce “after their kind.”

Paleontologists have uncovered dinosaur remains containing soft tissue and blood cells, which could not exist in fossils that are millions of years old, as evolutionists assume. But these finds are consistent with the biblical account of those bones being buried thousands of years ago during the flood.

Divinely Inspired

In addition to evidence from scientific disciplines, the Bible is filled with unique proofs of being inspired by the Holy Spirit. Hundreds of detailed prophecies were written centuries before the events they accurately described. For example, just as the Old Testament foretold, the Messiah Jesus was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), as a descendant of Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3), Isaac (Genesis 17:19), and Jacob (Genesis 28:14). He was betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9) for 30 pieces of silver that were used to purchase the potter’s field (Zechariah 11:13). Then he was mocked and ridiculed, pierced in his hands and feet, and lots were cast for his clothing (Psalm 22:7, 16, 18). He died (Daniel 9:26) as a sacrifice for our sins and was buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:8–10). After a short time in the grave, he lived again (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10).

In addition, the central events described in Scripture—the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ—have as strong historical support as any event in ancient history.

God Cannot Lie

All these reasons and many others provide compelling evidence that the Bible is true. However, even without these supporting evidences, we should believe the Bible primarily because it is the Word of God. Since it is impossible for God to lie (Titus 1:2), the Bible must be true in all that it affirms. In fact, it is the Bible that reveals to us the proper grounding for knowledge: God made us in his image with the ability to learn about him and his world. And unless we base our thinking on the truths revealed by God, we couldn’t prove anything at all.

Significantly, the Lord Jesus Christ treated Scripture as being authoritative and without error, stating that it cannot be broken (John 10:35) and citing it frequently to correct those in error and respond to their questions (Matthew 12:1–8). Since he is the Son of God, we must follow his example.

Though historical and scientific investigations offer strong evidence of the Bible’s authenticity and reliability, they cannot prove the Bible to be true in its entirety. But the Holy Spirit, given to all believers (2 Corinthians 5:5), grants us the ability to recognize his Word (1 Corinthians 2:10–14), instilling in us a steadfast confidence that the Scriptures he inspired are true.

The Law Of Attraction Debunked

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Steven Bancarz writes:

The Law of Attraction is a teaching that blew up with a book called “The Secret” which has sold about 30 million copies. From Oprah to Tony Robbins, it’s taught by countless influencers, especially those within New Age circles. It teaches that people can manifest whatever they want into their life if their mind, emotions, and energy are aligned with the result they want, because “like attracts like” in this reality. In this video, we debunk this idea, give four explanations for Law of attraction success stories, analyze what the Bible has to say about this idea, and refute misinterpretations of common verses used to promoted this philosophy.

The Incarnation – Quotes to Ponder

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:1, 14

“The Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, needing to be fed and changed and taught like any other child. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation.” – J. I. Packer

“The baby Mary carried was not a Caesar, a man who would become a god, but a far greater wonder – the true God who had become a man!” – Kent Hughes

“The glory of the incarnation is that it presents to our adoring gaze not a humanized God or a deified man, but a true God-man.”  – B.B. Warfield

“We must always remember that union with Christ is possible because of the Son’s descent to earth, not because of our ascent into heaven. The basis of our union with Christ is Christ’s union with us in the incarnation. He became one with us so that we might become one with Him.” – Kevin DeYoung

“God’s being does not consist of material substance, which is created. As uncreated, He is pure spirit. No human eye can hope to ‘see’ Him except to the degree that He chooses to reveal Himself in some mediated form compatible with the finitude of man or in the incarnation of His Son. The glorious good news is that the invisible God became visible in the person of Jesus (John 1:18).

1. The doctrine of the Incarnation means that two distinct natures (divine and human) are united in one Person: Jesus. Jesus is not two people (God and man). He is one person: the God-man. Jesus is not schizophrenic. 2. When the Word became flesh He did not cease to be the Word. The Word veiled, hid, and voluntarily restricted the use of certain divine powers and prerogatives. But God cannot cease to be God. In other words, when the Word became flesh He did not commit divine suicide. 3. When the Word once became flesh He became flesh forever. After His earthly life, death, and resurrection, Jesus did not divest Himself of the flesh or cease to be a man. He is a man even now at the right hand of God the Father. He is also God. He will always be the God-man. See 1 Cor. 15:28; Col. 2:9; 1 Jn. 2:7 (note use of present tense). 4. Thus, we might envision Jesus saying: “I am now what I always was: God (or Word). I am now what I once was not: man (or flesh). I am now and forever will be both: the God-man.

“What do we mean by the word ‘Incarnation?’ The idea is found in several texts which speak of Jesus as ‘coming in the flesh’ (1 Jn. 4:2; 2 Jn. 7), being ‘sent in the flesh’ (Rom. 8:3), ‘appearing in the flesh’ (1 Tim. 3:16); He also ‘suffered in the flesh’ (1 Pet. 4:1), ‘died in the flesh’ (1 Pet. 3:18), made peace by abolishing ‘in the flesh the enmity’ (Eph. 2:15), and ‘made reconciliation in the body of His flesh’ (Col. 1:21-22). In sum, ‘the Word became flesh’ (John 1:14). Thus, by the Incarnation we mean that the eternal Word or second person of the Trinity became a man or assumed human flesh at a point in time, yet without ceasing to be God.”

The doctrine of the Incarnation means that two distinct natures (divine and human) are united in one Person: Jesus. Jesus is not two people (God and man). He is one Person: the God-man. Jesus is not schizophrenic. When the Word became flesh He did not cease to be the Word. The Word veiled, hid, and voluntarily restricted the use of certain prerogatives. But God cannot cease to be God. In other words, when the Word became flesh He did not commit divine suicide.

The Word became flesh! God became human! The invisible became visible! The untouchable became touchable! Eternal life experienced temporal death! The transcendent one descended and drew near! The unlimited became limited! The infinite became finite! The immutable became mutable! The unbreakable became fragile! Spirit became matter! Eternity entered time! The independent became dependent! The almighty became weak! The loved became hated! The exalted was humbled! Glory was subjected to shame! Fame turned into obscurity! From inexpressible joy to tears of unimaginable grief! From a throne to a cross! From ruler to being ruled! From power to weakness!

“The eternal Word, God the Son, entered into this world by being born as a human being. Therefore, it isn’t correct to say that Jesus has always existed or that Jesus was in the beginning with God (v. 1). The Son of God has always existed. The Second person of the Trinity, the Word, was in the beginning with God. But Jesus is the human name given to the second person of the Trinity when he took to Himself flesh. The Word was never called Jesus until Joseph did so in obedience to the command of the angel in Matthew 1.” – Sam Storms

“It was to save sinners that Christ Jesus came into the world. He did not come to help them to save themselves, nor to induce them to save themselves, nor even to enable them to save themselves. He came to save them!” – William Hendriksen

“A gentle, pastoral, friendly reminder: If Santa gives presents because of good behavior, this in turn teaches kids a form of moralism and a works-based system of reward. This is the opposite message of the gospel. The gospel (good news) says that our works have earned judgement. But God has given us what we do not deserve in Christ. Salvation in Christ is a free gift that we did not earn. So, let’s focus this season on God’s grace to those who deserve judgement. Besides, there was only one person who made it on the nice list – He was perfect in our place, so that we could receive the reward He earned. His name was Jesus.” – Pastor Jesse Watkins