How Do You Know the Bible Is the Inspired and Infallible Word of God?

[Zenas]

I don’t remember a thread devoted to this exact topic. Matt Black may have posted something similar but it has been awhile. Everyone here believes the Bible is inspired and most of us believe it is free from any mixture of error. But we just seem to take that as a given fact, sort of like the sun rising in the East. No one questions it but no one says why they accept it as true.
In this thread we can discuss and share our ideas on why we accept the Bible as absolutely true.

Is it because of archeological proof? Certainly it exists but it is not as plentiful as we might like.

Is it because of nonbiblical history? If definitely helps but many events in the Bible are not found in history.

Is it because the Bible itself tells us it is true? That would be circular reasoning.

Is it because of our tradition? Almost none of us spend a lot of time with people who doubt the veracity of the Bible. We feed off each other and tend to think alike, but that is a lame reason to rely on something.

So what is it? Hopefully we will get some interesting views and all of us will learn something.

 

[steaver]

I don’t remember a thread devoted to this exact topic. Matt Black may have posted something similar but it has been awhile. Everyone here believes the Bible is inspired and most of us believe it is free from any mixture of error. But we just seem to take that as a given fact, sort of like the sun rising in the East. No one questions it but no one says why they accept it as true.
In this thread we can discuss and share our ideas on why we accept the Bible as absolutely true.

Is it because of archeological proof? Certainly it exists but it is not as plentiful as we might like.

Is it because of nonbiblical history? If definitely helps but many events in the Bible are not found in history.

Is it because the Bible itself tells us it is true? That would be circular reasoning.

Is it because of our tradition? Almost none of us spend a lot of time with people who doubt the veracity of the Bible. We feed off each other and tend to think alike, but that is a lame reason to rely on something.

So what is it? Hopefully we will get some interesting views and all of us will learn something.

For me, if looking at it from a unregenerated pov, it is Historical facts agreeing with Prophecy.

When you consider the enormous amount of Prophecy recorded in the OT and see the Historical record prove the Prophecies correct, you should have no problem then accepting the teachings of the Apostles as indeed inspired by God.

Example, the historical record declares that there was a man named Jesus who claimed He was the Son of God and was beaten and crucified by the Romans at the urging of the Jews (short version). Compare this with Isaiah 53 written some 700 years before this man Jesus was ever born or crucified.

This is just one.

 

[Jedi Knight]

I don’t remember a thread devoted to this exact topic. Matt Black may have posted something similar but it has been awhile. Everyone here believes the Bible is inspired and most of us believe it is free from any mixture of error. But we just seem to take that as a given fact, sort of like the sun rising in the East. No one questions it but no one says why they accept it as true.
In this thread we can discuss and share our ideas on why we accept the Bible as absolutely true.

Is it because of archeological proof? Certainly it exists but it is not as plentiful as we might like.

Is it because of nonbiblical history? If definitely helps but many events in the Bible are not found in history.

Is it because the Bible itself tells us it is true? That would be circular reasoning.

Is it because of our tradition? Almost none of us spend a lot of time with people who doubt the veracity of the Bible. We feed off each other and tend to think alike, but that is a lame reason to rely on something.

So what is it? Hopefully we will get some interesting views and all of us will learn something.

I would say because God is perfect and Jesus said "Heaven and Earth will pass away but my words will by no means pass away." And 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. Notice "ALL scripture".

 

[Trotter]

God said it.
I believe it.
That settles it.

 

[Matt Black]

It's a faith position.

Trotter, your position is interesting; mind if I unpack it?

"God said it." Where, exactly?

"I believe it." That's fine but does the matter of your belief in it make it any more true?

"That settles it." See above - not sure it does!

 

[steaver]

It's a faith position.

Faith certainly is part of it for the believer, it is the icing on the cake so to speak. However, our faith is supported by Prophecy fulfilled in the historical record.

Even the lost cannot honestly deny the historical record. They can and do ignore it to their own destruction.

Paul spent an enormous amount of time teaching how the CHristian faith is based on Prophecy and Fulfillment in history. Paul never expected folks to just blindly follow the Way. He wanted folks to see the truth and put their faith in that truth.

Christians can and should defend the bible with the historical facts recorded throughout history just as Paul did. I'm not implying that you don't, I just don't want Christians to believe that the Christian faith has nothing else to say except "I don't know, I just believe it".

 

[Matt Black]

Fair point. But the "whole of the Bible from beginning to end is infallible and inerrant" is a faith position.

 

[Jason Garrett]

Faith. I am not a Bible scholar so to speak nor am I into apologetics, so I don't know all of the arguments to support physical and historical proofs of the Bible.

Simply put, I have faith that it is. That's all I need.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Faith. I am not a Bible scholar so to speak nor am I into apologetics, so I don't know all of the arguments to support physical and historical proofs of the Bible.

Simply put, I have faith that it is. That's all I need.

I agree with you. It is an article of faith.

 

[Aaron]

The word of God is revealed. It is by the witness of the Holy Spirit that one knows the books of the Bible to be the word of God. There is, of course, a lot of evidence for its historical and scientific accuracy, but the reason anyone knows it is the word of God is by the witness of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Thinkingstuff]

The word of God is revealed. It is by the witness of the Holy Spirit that one knows the books of the Bible to be the word of God. There is, of course, a lot of evidence for its historical and scientific accuracy, but the reason anyone knows it is the word of God is by the witness of the Holy Spirit.

But don't the Mormons use the same logic for the book of Mormon?

8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must cask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.

 

[Amy.G]

But don't the Mormons use the same logic for the book of Mormon?

Do they? What is Mormon doctrine on the Holy Spirit? Do they believe in the Trinity?

 

[Aaron]

But don't the Mormons use the same logic for the book of Mormon?

No. I said nothing about a "burning in the bosom."

Now I'm not sure of your question. Is it about the extrabiblical evidence to the veracity of the Scriptures? or is it as it is stated, how does one know that the Bible is inspired?

Logically, there is only one way. It must be revealed to you. It is a work of the Holy Spirit.

 

[glfredrick]

But don't the Mormons use the same logic for the book of Mormon?

They do... and they have NO evidence that their word is an actual word from God.

We, on the other hand have a CONTINUAL record from the time of the Apostles to now, we have architectural evidence -- we've found the name of David inscribed on the city wall, we've found paintings in Egypt of Jewish slaves, we know of Chaldean Ur and have found inscriptions of the family of Abraham. We know of the Temple in Jerusalem, the tunnel beneath the city for water, Solomon's well in Samaria, the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, Peter's home, etc., etc., etc.

We have over 25,000 texts, fragments, codexes, minuscules and other scriptural evidence, some of which dates to within 35 years of the crucifixion. We have the early churches, with their evidences, including osuaries, crosses, inscriptions, etc.

We have the Dead Sea Scrolls, examined and confirming that the OT text is saved intact. We have the work of the Masorites, who took the Proto-Hebrew and gave us vowel pointing and standarization. We have other fragmetns of scrolls and texts, including the complete translation of the OT Hebrew and Aramaic texts into Greek in the City of Alexandria, Egypt about 250 years before Christ.

Most powerful of all, we have the testimony of transformed lives from those who have read and acted upon the Word of God because it is trustworthy and true.

NO other religion or religious book on earth can claim these same evidences.

The Bible IS the Word of God -- revealed and preserved, just as God said He would, and accurate in every thing it speaks to. Something we can then hold by faith -- a "reasoned" objective faith based in factual and not speculative subjective faith, because the Bible has been confirmed in every way that it has been tested and always proves correct no matter how far adrift the skeptic of the Word gets.

 

[Jim1999]

The empty tomb, the life death and disappearance of the body, convinced me of the veracity of scripture. Faith is not blind. It too comes with evidences, based in historical facts and logic.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[billwald]

>it is Historical facts agreeing with Prophecy.

The Romans crucified 5,000 slaves on the Appian Way when they put down the slave rebellion. How many of them fit the general description of the prophecy?

The make or break question? Did Jesus appear in the flesh after his death? The only evidence is text written by people who have a vested interest in that possibility.

 

[billwald]

>We have over 25,000 texts, fragments, codexes, minuscules and other scriptural evidence, some of which dates to within 35 years of the crucifixion. We have the early churches, with their evidences, including osuaries, crosses, inscriptions, etc.

With more textual variations than there are words in the NT.

 

[Thinkingstuff]

Do they? What is Mormon doctrine on the Holy Spirit? Do they believe in the Trinity?

the argument wasn't based on historical validity but rather a confirmation by the Holy Spirit. Which I suggest is the same logic the mormons use. Whether they believe in the Trinity or not is irrelevant to the logic. The Logic is the Holy Spirit confirmed with me its the word of God there for it is. Which the mormons also say. In which case there is a failing of this approach to verify whether the bible is the very word of God. Certainly this validation point was not used by the early church to canonize which books belonged to canon. The scriptures were lined up with what had been consistantly taught by the apostles and maintained over the years. How consistantly the diverse churches used them if they can be connected to an apostles etc... Books which departed from this were not included into canon. So I was commenting on the logic of the assersion and its failing.

 

[Thinkingstuff]

No. I said nothing about a "burning in the bosom."

Now I'm not sure of your question. Is it about the extrabiblical evidence to the veracity of the Scriptures? or is it as it is stated, how does one know that the Bible is inspired?

Logically, there is only one way. It must be revealed to you. It is a work of the Holy Spirit.

And thus your litmus test fails. For it is the same litmus the mormons use. Whether it is experienced as a burning in your bussom or whether its a deep seated satisfaction that it is true.

 

[Ed Edwards]

Zenas: title: //How Do You Know the Bible Is the Inspired and Infallible Word of God? //

Zenas: First Sentence: // don’t remember a thread devoted to this exact topic. \\

Let me check my current trailer:
Here we go:

All VALID English Language Bibles
Collectively and Individually
contain and are
the Inerrant and Perfect
Written Word of God
preserved by Divine Appointment
for the generation in which they are translated.

Every time I try to prove this at another venue, nobody wants to talk about say 1/2 a dozen statements that we can consider true. Unless we start with some true statements (called by some AXIOMS), and a few terms with which we agree upon the definitions. These are needed to use Mathematical Logic (a branch of Math, not to be confused with so called "human logic" which is something difference) to prove the above statement is also true. Obviously this statement does NOT contradict the Holy Bible as found the KJV, NIV, HCSB, NASB, and other currently popular English Versions. But the Fundamentalists there could never agree. I just need one person to agree with me with basic statements that would lead to a proof of the above statement.

There is another problem here with discussing the subject that was tended. This board tends to take topics about Bible Translations and Versions and turn them into discussions of the Heresy of King James Version Onlyism (KJVO). This is a general religion forum. The forum about Bible Translations and Versions is found in a "Baptist only" set of Forums. So this is what might happen, unless we can get dispensation from the owners:
1. we start to PROVE my statement
2. the KJVO maruaders turn to the conversation to KJVOism
3. the PTB (powers that be) stick the conversation into the "Baptist Only" forums

4. the PTB kill the conversation in the Bible Translation & Version Forum.
5. this would not be fun, I would never get through

Caveat: I have never started with six basic statements (like say the six basic statements frequently used by some of the Fundamentalist Baptists) and ended up totally proving my statement, not here, not there, nowhere. I am eager to try someday.
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