How Do We Know The Bible Is True? Series

Great Mysteries of the Faith:

How do we know the Bible is true?

Psalm 12:6

I love how the Lord works. As some of you may know, this last week was Camp Meeting for the Church of God in Western Pennsylvania. Since I hold my credentials through the Church of God, Camp Meeting is a staple of my year. There are some things that I need to go there for such as pastor meetings and speaking engagements, but there is so much there that I love that I hate to miss any of it. There are old friends there that you only get to see once a year. There is great food, fellowship, worship, and speakers. It is just an enjoyable experience all around.

I must say, because of Camp Meeting, that I tried to rush my sermon preparation this week. I was anxious to get there for as much time as possible, so I tried really hard to find time to get my sermon done quickly. I tried to work on it Monday, but the thoughts never began to flow. I thought I would get it done on Tuesday morning, but I had no peace on what my topic should be. I decided I would think while I mowed the yard, but to my surprise, my brand new mower decided to explode with flames and smoke coming from under the hood. That made for set back after setback as I tried to get Hetrick’s to come and get the mower and leave me another one so I could finish mowing. It also ruined my attitude for the time being and I could not focus on a topic. I became frustrated because I knew my time at Camp Meeting would be cut even more.

After blowing off some steam at the softball game, I came home and began to search frantically through the Bible. I looked over all the passages I read recently. Still nothing. I then went through every page of my Bible and looked at ever highlighted verse in it. Still no peace about a topic. Then, at about one o’clock as I went to turn out the lights, I found an article laying on the pool table that I had wanted to read and had put it off. It was about the importance of proving that the Bible was true.

It was a good article, but I was still not sure I had a topic – until the next morning. As I was eating my breakfast, the doorbell rang. It was a Jehovah’s Witness. For most people, this would be a hassle, but I tend to enjoy their visits. They always think they are getting to talk to a young kid who could easily be persuaded to follow their ways, and they have no idea that I am a pastor and know all about their organization. This time, however, I did not have time for this – I needed to get my sermon going. To make a long story short, I told this lady I was a pastor, and she suddenly did not want to stay very long. She went to leave, and asked her if she had any information that she wanted to leave with me. She said that she did, and she handed me a book entitled, “What Does the Bible Really Teach.” This made my day because it confirmed instantly in my heart what I was to preach on. I was to preach on the validity of the Scripture because it is of utmost importance. Do we need another little book to explain God’s Word to us or does it stand on its own? Can we really believe the Bible at its every word? This is an extremely important topic, because if we don’t know the answer and can’t back it up, then we can become easily entangled in false religions and doctrines such as this lady was.

As we look at this topic, we must first take a look to the Bible to see what it has to say about itself. What does the Bible proclaim about itself? 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that, “All Scripture is God breathed.” Basically, it is telling us that the entire Bible, Scripture, is the Word of God. Then, we come to our Scripture for the day. Turn with me or follow along in your sermon notes as we see what Psalm 12:6 has to say about God’s Word.

And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.

Thus, since the Bible is the Word of God, and the words of the Lord are flawless and purified, then, the Bible must be true. End of story, right? I suppose not or else this sermon would be over instead of just starting. Remember when you were back in elementary school? Your teacher would ask you to give a definition for a word. What was the number one rule when giving a definition? You cannot use that same word in the definition. This is similar in the eyes of most non-Christians. You cannot rely on the Bible to prove itself to be true. After all, many people throughout history claimed to be telling the truth and were found out to be false. I think of baseball great Rafael Palmerio who, under oath, swore that he had never taken steroids. He was adamant about this and shook his finger at the Senator who asked the questions as if to say, “How dare you accuse me of this.” Two months later, Palmerio received a suspension from MLB as he tested positive for taking steroids. I can think of a former president who promised America that there was no infidelity in his marriage with his intern, and that was later to be proven false. People do not take people on their word anymore that something is true or not true, and the same is the case with the Bible. We have to search for more than just the Bible claiming to be true. This morning, I wish to present 4 proofs to you so that you can be absolutely convinced that the Bible is the truth and that you can use to lead others, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses who drop by, to believe that the Bible is the truth and it is all we need. Before we go any further though, let’s ask the Lord to bless our time.