How You Can Know The Bible Is True (Part 1)

Since the Bible is the Word of God, you would expect to find within its sacred writings references to that fact. You will not be disappointed, for the Bible plainly teaches that its words are the inspired words of God.

The Testimony of the Old Testament

The Old Testament alludes many times to the divine authorship of the words of Scripture. For example, when God called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, Moses balked. He said that he was not eloquent, and he was slow of speech.

But the Lord replied, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say" (Ex. 4:11-12). God promised that when Moses spoke His words, He would direct him, inform him, instruct him and keep him from error.

Later, when Moses was recording the second set of tablets of the Law, God said to him, "Write these words, for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel" (Ex. 34:27). The word tenor in Hebrew refers to "blowing out of the mouth"; the words that Moses wrote came from the mouth of God. Can the divine authorship of the Bible be any plainer than that?

David also indicated the authenticity of the Scriptures and their authorship by God when he said, "The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue" (2 Sam. 23:2). When David wrote God's Word, no extraneous thoughts or ideas crept in.

When Jeremiah was called to prophesy for God, he, like Moses, balked. His excuse was that he could not speak, for he was a youth (Jer. 1:6). But verse 9 says, "Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: 'Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.'" There was no doubt in Jeremiah's mind-the prophecy that he recorded was not his own. He recorded the words that God had put in his mouth.

In addition to these direct references to the divine authorship of the Bible, Jeremiah made numerous indirect references to God speaking through him. Nearly 100 times he wrote that "the word of the Lord" (or a similar expression) had come to him. These words appear many times in Ezekiel as well.

Hosea spoke in a similar vein. The first verse of his book begins, "The word of the LORD that came to Hosea." A similar expression is found in the first verse of the books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

The Testimony of the New Testament

The New Testament is no less impressive in its assertion that the Bible is the divine revelation of God.

The apostle Paul claimed that he spoke what was revealed to him by God. He said, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:12-13).

Paul spoke and wrote what was revealed to him by the Spirit of God. He reaffirmed this thought when he recorded, "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe" (1 Thess. 2:13).

Paul's greatest affirmation that the Bible is the authentic Word of God is 2 Timothy 3:16: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

To this Peter adds, "For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21).

There can be no doubt. The Scriptures claim that the Bible is not the words of men but the inspired Word of God. The Bible is what it claims to be-the authentic revelation of the mind of God.