7 EVIDENCES THAT THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD
1. Internal Claims. The Bible tells us it’s the Word of God.
• Direct statements: Over 3,800 times, the Bible uses phrases like “Thus says the Lord,” especially in the Old Testament (e.g., Jeremiah 1:9, Ezekiel 2:4).
• New Testament claims: Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
• Peter affirms Paul's writings: In 2 Peter 3:16, Peter refers to Paul’s letters as “Scriptures,” placing them on par with Old Testament writings.
2. Historical Accuracy. The Bible aligns with archaeology and ancient history.
• Cities and civilizations: Archaeology confirms the existence of places and groups like Jericho, Nineveh, the Hittites, and the Philistines, which critics once claimed were fictional.
• Individuals: The Tel Dan Stele (discovered in 1993) references the “House of David,” confirming King David as a historical figure.
• Events: The Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem, described in 2 Kings 25 and Jeremiah, is confirmed by Babylonian records and artifacts.
• Luke’s precision: Archeologist Sir William Ramsay found that the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts demonstrated extraordinary accuracy in naming political titles, locations, and customs. As an atheist, he was very skeptical of the accuracy of the N.T., so he went to Asia minor to refute it. He discovered and verified the names and locations of 32 countries, 54 cities, and 9 islands named by Luke, and himself became a Christian.
• Generally: “It may be stated categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted [overturned] a single biblical reference.” Nelson Glueck
3. Fulfilled Prophecy. Hundreds of detailed prophecies have been fulfilled, especially in the life of Jesus.
• It’s Prophetic Accuracy in Unique: Of the Bible's 31,124 verses, 8,352 contains predictive material (27%). Of that prophetic material, 81% has been exhaustively documented as having been fulfilled. The remaining 19% deals with events yet future.
• Major prophecies:
• In 700 BC, God foretold of a Persian King who would come and conquer Babylon, releasing captive Israel. This occurred 160 years later in 539 BC. King Cyrus the great is called by name in Isaiah 41:25, 44:28, 45:1-13.
• In 920 BC, God prophesied that a Davidic King would be born, named Josiah, who would burn and destroy the idolatrous altars at Bethel (1 Kings 13:1-6). This was fulfilled 300 years later in 631 BC (2 Chr. 34:5).
• The prophet Daniel (ca. 615-530 BC) predicted the rise of three empires which would follow the Babylonian Empire: the Medo-Persian Empire, the Greek Empire under Alexander the great, and the Roman Empire (Daniel 2:36-40; 8:20).
• The prophecies concerning Israel’s twice being brought back from dispersion have been minutely fulfilled (Isa. 11:11-12).
• Ezekiel (26:1-21) made seven predictions about the destruction of the city of Tyre. The probability of all seven occurring is one chance in 75 million, yet all came to pass exactly in the manner predicted.
• Messianic prophecies:
• The most significant area of prophecy was concerning Christ's first coming. Over 300 prophecies foretold great detail about Him.
• The Virgin Birth, born in Bethlehem, taken to Egypt, of the tribe of Judah, speaking in parables, riding a donkey as King into Jerusalem, rejected by the Jews, betrayed by a friend, sold for 30 pieces of silver, they cast lots for his robe, He’d be crucified, not one bone broken, buried in a rich man’s tomb, resurrected, etc.
• What are the odds? Cover the state of Texas w/ quarters, 2 feet deep, mark the back of 1 of them with an X. Fly a man in and drop him anywhere you want in the state, blindfold him, and ask him to find that quarter with the X, first try! That’s the same chance of just 8 of the Bible’s prophecies being fulfilled by coincidence!
4. Manuscript Evidence. The Bible is the best-preserved text from the ancient world.
• New Testament: Over 5,800 Greek manuscripts, plus 10,000 Latin and 9,300 in other languages — no other ancient book comes close (Homer’s Iliad has ~1,800).
• Old Testament: The Dead Sea Scrolls (discovered in 1947) contain parts of nearly every Old Testament book (as far back as 400 B.C.) and match later Hebrew texts (A.D. 1000) almost exactly — confirming the Bible was faithfully copied over time.
• Time gap: The earliest fragments of the New Testament date to within 10 years of the original writings, much shorter than most other ancient works, which often have more than a 1,000 years between the person and the first manuscript.
5. Transformational Power. The Bible changes lives and societies.
• Countless individuals across history have testified that reading the Bible transformed their worldview, relationships, habits, and purpose in life.
• Examples:
• Chuck Colson – Watergate conspirator who got saved & became an author & founder of Prison Fellowship.
• Josh McDowell – an agnostic pre-law student who was saved and reached out to college students. He’s written 156 books, one selling 27 million copies.
• Lee Strobel – legal editor of the Chicago Tribune who studied Jesus, was saved, and has written 40 books in 128 languages & became a pastor.
• Numerous examples: People in prisons, addiction recovery, or in hostile environments often speak of radical life change through reading Scripture.
• Movements like the abolition of slavery, civil rights, and global humanitarian (hospitals, orphanages, food distribution, medical assistance, etc.) began with Christians.
6. Survival and Influence. No book has had more global impact or faced more opposition.
• Preservation: Despite Roman persecution, medieval suppression, Communist bans, and modern attacks, the Bible has survived.
• Translation: It’s translated into over 3,000 languages — more than any other book in history.
• Cultural influence: It has shaped literature, law, art, science, ethics, and philosophy across the world.
• Moral code: The concepts of human dignity, justice, and mercy in many cultures trace back to biblical principles.
7. Scientific Foreknowledge. The Bible hints at facts later confirmed by science.
• Earth is round & suspended: Isaiah 40:22 speaks of the “circle of the earth” (the term “circle” means a spherical shape). “He stretches out the north over the empty space, and hangs the earth upon nothing” Job 26:7.
• Ocean currents: Psalm 8:8 refers to “paths of the seas.” Matthew Maury, considered the “father of oceanography,” credited this verse with inspiring his research.
• Hydrological cycle: Ecclesiastes 1:7 and Job 36:27-28 describe the water cycle centuries before it was scientifically explained.
• Quarantines & sanitation: were prescribed for outbreaks of communicable diseases. (Num. 19:3-22, Lev. 11:1-47; 12-13; 15:1-33, 22; Deut. 23:12).
• Dietary Guidelines: recommended by the Bible, low-fat, high fiber, are now the standard for good dietary health.
• Antiseptics: Hyssop oil was commanded to be used in infections. It contains 50% antifungal and antibacterial agents (Num. 19:18, Ps. 51:7). The Circumcision of males (w/o it many males get cancer) was proscribed on the eighth day after birth (Gen 17:12, 21:14, Lev 12:3), which incidentally is the peak day in our lives of immunity levels and blood clotting agents.
Summary
While none of these points proves the Bible is God’s Word in a scientific sense, yet considered together, they form a compelling case. The combination of fulfilled prophecy, historical reliability, manuscript evidence, and personal transformation makes the Bible unique among religious texts.
