What assumptions are necessary to believe the Bible is (or contains) the revealed word of God?

Answer 1

That's a fascinating question. Truthfully, I'm having some difficulty separating "necessary" from "sufficient" here, but let's give it a go:

1) There is a God. (pretty obvious)

2) That God chooses to reveal Himself to humanity.

3) He chose to do so through the Bible.

Honestly, I think that last one is pretty much it. I want to think about it some more, but it rather looks like you have to assume the Bible is the revealed Word of God in order to believe it's the revealed Word of God. Faith obviously comes into it, but that was probably a given from the start.

Thank you. That'll give me something to consider for awhile.

Answer 2

Assume that Jesus was a real human being who sincerely believed in His practices, and Christians sincerely believe in His teachings as well.

Assume that Christians have their sincerest intentions in mind when they tell you about their faith, even though there might be a rotten tomato every once in a while (Understand that Christians do not find threats to be an essential ingredient of faith; however, we believe you cannot achieve salvation through any path but the path of Jesus, God in the flesh.)

Assume that there is a *possibility* of an Ultimate Loving Creator.

Assume that you don't know everything about God and Christianity, and this could be a factor that's preventing you from opening your mind to the possibility.

Assume that there is good logic behind Christianity, and this is why 33% of the world believes it, not just because their parents believed it too.

Assume that whatever created this world wants you to know the truth, and He reveals this truth in more ways than science alone. (ie. your kids, the Bible, what's happening in your life, or what specifically is happening to you today)

Assume that whatever created this world, because He is loving, has your best intentions in mind, and even suffering is part of His plan for you. (Suffering draws us closer to God; it is in comfort that we drift away)

Now, you don't need to assume anything else, just meditate sometime during your day, and ask yourself a few questions like, "Has God tried to contact me today? Why have I turned away from the idea of a God? Is it a lack of evidence, or is it just because it's more convenient to not believe? What do I consider evidence... a mathematical theory, a magic trick, or my kids?" In time, I pray that you will find God in your life.

btw, this is the best question I've ever heard on Y!A. No joke, just wanted you to know that. It really made me ask myself why I believe. I don't know if this will enlighten you at all, but I'd like to think that if I were an atheist and read this, I would begin to see things a little differently. Maybe something else would work better for you? I don't know. But at least consider my answer.

Answer 3

The first and the biggest of all assumptions required to believe the bible is true is also the hardest to accept... you have to assume that god is real and that he was able to inspire people to write his word.... News of the word or existence of God is not introduced with the bible and through the bible but is an assumed prerequisite upon the would-be reader before the bible is ever encountered. It's a crazy assumption to make, but there it is.

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Answer 4

It all centers around Jesus. John 1 explains it best. Jesus quoted and taught from the scriptures and never disputed the ancient texts. The men who were with Jesus validated him as the Messiah. Jesus met all of the requirements of the law and prophecy. (regardless of what people say, he did) The NT tells us how he did that and it testifies of the numerous works he did while here. Jesus reveals the scripture and vice-versa.

I can tell you one thing. There is absolutely no way you can compile a collection of books and letters written over that long a period of time that fit together perfectly like the Bible. Nothing compares.

Answer 5

Why You Can Trust the Bible
Some people say the Bible is unreliable, and their views have gained wide acceptance. Thus many today dismiss what the Bible says as untrustworthy.

On the other hand, what Jesus Christ said in prayer to God promotes trust: "Your word is truth." And the Bible itself claims to be inspired by God.—John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16.

What do you think about this? Is there sound basis for trusting the Bible? Or is there really evidence that the Bible is unreliable, that it contradicts itself and is inconsistent?

History and Science
The historical accuracy of the Bible was once widely doubted. Critics, for example, questioned the existence of such Bible characters as King Sargon of Assyria, Belshazzar of Babylon, and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. But recent discoveries have verified one Bible account after another. Thus historian Moshe Pearlman wrote: "Suddenly, sceptics who had doubted the authenticity even of the historical parts of the Old Testament began to revise their views."

If we are to trust the Bible, it must also be accurate in matters of science. Is it? Not long ago scientists, in contradiction of the Bible, asserted that the universe had no beginning. However, astronomer Robert Jastrow recently pointed to newer information that refutes this, explaining: "Now we see how the astronomical evidence leads to a biblical view of the origin of the world. The details differ, but the essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same."—Genesis 1:1.

Men have also changed their views relative to the shape of the earth. "Voyages of discovery," explains The World Book Encyclopedia, "showed that the world was round, not flat as most people had believed." But the Bible was correct all along! More than 2,000 years before those voyages, the Bible said at Isaiah 40:22: "There is One who is dwelling above the circle of the earth," or as other translations say, "the globe of the earth" (Douay), "the round earth." (Moffatt)

Thus the more humans learn, the greater the evidence is that the Bible can be trusted. A former director of the British Museum, Sir Frederic Kenyon, wrote: "The results already achieved confirm what faith would suggest, that the Bible can do nothing but gain from an increase of knowledge."

Foretelling the Future
But can we really trust the Bible's forecasts for the future, including its promises of a 'righteous new heavens and new earth'? (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:3, 4) Well, what has been the Bible's record of reliability in the past? Time and time again prophecies given even hundreds of years in advance have been fulfilled in exact detail!

For example, the Bible foretold the overthrow of mighty Babylon nearly 200 years before it happened. In fact, the Medes, who became aligned with the Persians, were named as the conquerors. And although Cyrus, the Persian king, had not even been born as yet, the Bible foretold that he would be prominent in the conquest. It said that Babylon's protecting waters, the river Euphrates, "must be dried up," and that "the gates [of Babylon] will not be shut."—Jeremiah 50:38; Isaiah 13:17-19; 44:27-45:1.

These specific details were fulfilled, as the historian Herodotus reported. Further, the Bible foretold that Babylon would eventually become uninhabited ruins. And that is just what happened. Today Babylon is a desolate heap of mounds. (Isaiah 13:20-22; Jeremiah 51:37, 41-43) And the Bible is full of other prophecies that have had dramatic fulfillment.

What then does the Bible foretell concerning the present world's system of things? It says: "The final age of this world is to be a time of troubles. Men will love nothing but money and self; they will be arrogant, boastful, and abusive; with no respect for parents, no gratitude, no piety, no natural affection . . . They will be men who put pleasure in the place of God, men who preserve the outward form of religion, but are a standing denial of its reality."—2 Timothy 3:1-5, The New English Bible.

Surely, we are seeing the fulfillment of this now! But the Bible also foretells for "the final age of this world" these things: "Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages." In addition, "there will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another pestilences."—Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:11.

Indeed, Bible prophecies are undergoing fulfillment today! Well, then, what about yet-to-be-fulfilled promises, such as: "The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it," and, "They will have to beat their swords into plowshares . . . , neither will they learn war anymore"?—Psalm 37:29; Isaiah 2:4.

'That's just too good to be true,' some may say. But really, there is no reason for us to doubt anything that our Creator promises. His Word can be trusted! (Titus 1:2) By examining the evidence further, you will become ever more convinced of this.

Answer 6

That there is a God; that He is interested in communicating with us; that at least some of the writings in there were inspired by Him.

There are probably more corollary assumptions too, but I can't think of any....

Answer 7

I suppose one of the biggest is that a god exists at all... and then, that if one does exist, that it's the one believed in by the people who also believe the Bible.

Answer 8

You must suspend all reason and logic and the scientific method and pretend you are with Alice in a not so much fun wonderland of hate and war and slavery to the priests.

Answer 9

You cannot assume anything regarding the bible, you simply believe in it's contents or you don't, the bible is such a controversial book today that it's creating hatred among people.

Answer 10

Belief in God is pretty essential