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A refreshed talk by Sandy Willson. Very few people have impacted my life like Sandy Willson (TGC bio here). God has used Sandy as my pastor, mentor, friend, fellow prankster, role model, leader, and partner in gospel ministry. Sandy came to see our family when we lived in Indonesia and, while there, I asked him to speak to a large group of university student leaders about trusting The Bible. Today's post compliments previous posts in this short “walking in the Word” Wednesday series: Delighting in God’s Word; The Sufficiency of Scripture; and The Clarity of Scripture. (Below: Sandy with a translator, engaging Q & A after his talk)   We live in an age of questions. Some are asked with honest curiosity, others with deep skepticism. For Christians, especially young believers stepping into the classroom or the workplace, the question often sounds like this: "Can we really trust the Bible?" It’s a good question. But I want to suggest that we ask a better one: Must we trust the Bible? Ultimately, this isn’t just a matter of opinion or preference but about truth, authority, and salvation. And how you answer will shape your worldview, your identity, your eternity. You can’t simply say, “My parents believe it,” or “My church teaches it.” You need to know why Christians must trust the Bible. The Epistemological Foundation: How Do We Know? Before diving into the reasons, let’s talk about epistemology, that is how we know anything about Scripture. The Westminster Confession of Faith provides a solid foundation: “The authority of the Holy Scripture… depends not upon the testimony of any man, or church; but wholly upon God (who is truth), the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God.” (WCF I.4) In other words, the Bible’s authority isn’t based on popular vote, preference, or church tradition. It’s based on the fact that God Himself wrote it. God cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and His Word bears His own divine signature. But how do we become convinced? “Our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.” (WCF I.5) The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Truth (John 14:17) who authored Scripture and works through Scripture. The Spirit reveals the truths of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-12) through the word of God. So, the people of God can know the Word of God.  12 Reasons: You Must Trust the Bible With that foundation, here are 12 compelling reasons you must trust the Scriptures: 1. The Bible diagnoses the real problem Most religions say we’re ignorant or just a little off track. But the Bible says we are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). The solution to this bold diagnosis is divine rescue we know as the gospel of grace. We do not self-help but new life in Christ. Other religions can survive without their founders. Christianity collapses without Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:14) because His work is the only solution to the real problem. 2. The Bible specifically, repeatedly, and believably claims to be the Word of God. Scripture doesn’t whisper, it declares: “All Scripture is breathed out by God…” (2 Timothy 3:16) “You received it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the Word of God.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13) See also Psalm 19 and 119. 3. The Bible accurately predicts the future Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events in detail-many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur. Approximately 2,500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2,000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter, and this without error. (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 10 to the 2000th power (that is 1 with 2,000 zeros written after it)! 4. The Bible is internally and externally coherent 66 books were written by 40 authors, over 1,500 years, yet the Bible tells a unified story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible doesn’t contradict itself and it aligns with real history, science, and reason. 5. The Bible is the best-preserved ancient text With over 5,700 Greek manuscripts and thousands more in other languages, the New Testament stands head and shoulders above all ancient literature in textual reliability with exception of Homer’s Iliad. 6. Jesus and the Apostles affirmed the Bible Jesus quoted it, submitted to it, and proclaimed, “Your word is truth.” (John 17:17) The apostles operated under its authority and also wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:20–21). See also Matthew 5:18-20; I Thessalonians 2:13; and II Timothy 3:16 7. Only the Bible was received by all the ancient churches as the Word of God. Early Christians didn’t create the canon, they recognized it. The criteria of apostolicity, catholicity, orthodoxy, inspiration validated early circulations of books of the Bible, formally sanctioned by Athanasius in his Easter letter of 367, then adopted by the councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397). 8. Only the Bible has been received as the Word of God by godly people for 2,000 years. Here are a few examples- Clement of Rome: "Look carefully into the Scriptures, which are the true utterances of the Holy Spirit." Irenaeus: "The Scriptures are indeed perfect, since they were spoken by the Word of God and His Spirit." Origen: "The Scriptures were written by the Spirit of God." Augustine:"...I have learned to yield this respect and honor only to the canonical books of Scripture: of these alone do I most firmly believe that the authors were completely free from error." Thomas Aquinas: "The author of holy writ is God." We could continue by quoting Calvin, Luther, JC Ryle, among others. “All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2 9. Only the Bible is affirmed by the Holy Spirit as the Word of God. While external evidence matters, ultimate assurance comes from the Spirit doesn’t just prove the Bible to your mind but presses it into your soul. Again, see the WCF 1.4 and 1.5 That’s why unbelief isn’t primarily an intellectual problem. It’s a spiritual one. 10. Only the Bible is used of God to regenerate a soul, transform a life, and grant eternal life. I Peter 1:23: "...you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God..." No other book can do this. The Word isn’t just about life, it gives life. 11. Only the Bible creates godly community and inspires neighbor love for all. Every true revival, every faithful church, every Spirit-filled community is built on the Word. Where Scripture is honored, love for God and neighbor thrives. 12. Only the Bible gives glory to God through exalting His Son's person and work. From beginning to end, the Bible is about Jesus (Luke 24:27). It doesn’t just inform, the Bible exalts Jesus. It reveals the glory of God through the person and work of His Son.  What About the Challenges? Yes, the Bible has been attacked from every angle:
Final Word: Yes, You Can Trust the Bible—And You MustThe Bible doesn’t just claim to be true. It proves it. If you want to know God, understand yourself, make sense of the world, and prepare for eternity, you must trust the Word God has given. “Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.” – Psalm 119:89 “The word of our God will stand forever.” – Isaiah 40:8 So open it. Read it. Wrestle with it. Submit to it. And by God’s grace, be changed by it.  When our son Ben was young, he welcomed Sandy to our home in Indonesia by dressing like him. The greatest compliment is imitation!
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