How can anyone know whether the Bible is true or not?

Question

The answer I like the most is that you ask God in prayer if it is true, but most "christians" I talk with tell me that the Bible is true because the Bible says it is true and you can not trust any answers you think you get from God. To me this seems like a circular argument because if the Bible is not true then I can not believe it if it says it is true. So . . . How can you tell the Bible is true?

Answer 1

It was only by the authority of the Catholic Church, which collected the various books of Scripture in the fourth century, that we have a Christian Bible at all. And it is only because of the Church that the Bible survived and was taught for the many centuries before the printing press made it widely available.


John Wycliff had produced a translation of the Bible, that was corrupt and full of heresy. It was not an accurate rendering of sacred Scripture.

Both the Church and the secular authorities condemned it and did their best to prevent it from being used to teach false doctrine and morals. Because of the scandal it caused, the Synod of Oxford passed a law in 1408 that prevented any unauthorized translation of the Bible into English and also forbade the reading of such unauthorized translations.

Tyndale was an English priest of no great fame who desperately desired to make his own English translation of the Bible. The Church denied him for several reasons.

First, it saw no real need for a new English translation of the Scriptures at this time. In fact, booksellers were having a hard time selling the print editions of the Bible that they already had. Sumptuary laws had to be enacted to force people into buying them.

Second, we must remember that this was a time of great strife and confusion for the Church in Europe. The Reformation had turned the continent into a very volatile place. So far, England had managed to remain relatively unscathed, and the Church wanted to keep it that way. It was thought that adding a new English translation at this time would only add confusion and distraction where focus was needed.

Lastly, if the Church had decided to provide a new English translation of Scripture, Tyndale would not have been the man chosen to do it. He was known as only a mediocre scholar and had gained a reputation as a priest of unorthodox opinions and a violent temper. He was infamous for insulting the clergy, from the pope down to the friars and monks, and had a genuine contempt for Church authority. In fact, he was first tried for heresy in 1522, three years before his translation of the New Testament was printed. His own bishop in London would not support him in this cause.

Finding no support for his translation from his bishop, he left England and came to Worms, where he fell under the influence of Martin Luther. There in 1525 he produced a translation of the New Testament that was swarming with textual corruption. He willfully mistranslated entire passages of Sacred Scripture in order to condemn orthodox Catholic doctrine and support the new Lutheran ideas. The Bishop of London claimed that he could count over 2,000 errors in the volume (and this was just the New Testament).

And we must remember that this was not merely a translation of Scripture. His text included a prologue and notes that were so full of contempt for the Catholic Church and the clergy that no one could mistake his obvious agenda and prejudice. Did the Catholic Church condemn this version of the Bible? Of course it did.

The secular authorities condemned it as well. Anglicans are among the many today who laud Tyndale as the "father of the English Bible." But it was their own founder, King Henry VIII, who in 1531 declared that "the translation of the Scripture corrupted by William Tyndale should be utterly expelled, rejected, and put away out of the hands of the people."

So troublesome did Tyndale’s Bible prove to be that in 1543—after his break with Rome—Henry again decreed that "all manner of books of the Old and New Testament in English, being of the crafty, false, and untrue translation of Tyndale . . . shall be clearly and utterly abolished, extinguished, and forbidden to be kept or used in this realm."

Ultimately, it was the secular authorities that proved to be the end for Tyndale. He was arrested and tried (and sentenced to die) in the court of the Holy Roman Emperor in 1536. His translation of the Bible was heretical because it contained heretical ideas—not because the act of translation was heretical in and of itself. In fact, the Catholic Church would produce a translation of the Bible into English a few years later (The Douay-Reims version, whose New Testament was released in 1582 and whose Old Testament was released in 1609).

When discussing the history of Biblical translations, it is very common for people to toss around names like Tyndale and Wycliff. But the full story is seldom given. This present case of a gender-inclusive edition of the Bible is a wonderful opportunity for Fundamentalists to reflect and realize that the reason they don’t approve of this new translation is the same reason that the Catholic Church did not approve of Tyndale’s or Wycliff’s. These are corrupt translations, made with an agenda, and not accurate renderings of sacred Scripture.

And here at least Fundamentalists and Catholics are in ready agreement: Don’t mess with the Word of God.

Answer 2

As for me, I began finding out the Bible to give an explanation for the countless miracles I witnessed, which not anything else would provide an explanation for. Go determine. Indeed, fundies and xians do err; Yet it's the final Amen that makes even the double minded likes of you holy. Indeed, Bible contradicts itself; Yet opposite matters are for evaluating, and thereby studying actual grace isn't towards any, now not even you. Indeed, ideals are inaccurate; So all ideals must get replaced with okay-now the identify of God is grace, in an effort to have mercy, which multiplies peace. Bottom line: permit God be actual and each and every guy a liar, adding each and every biblical creator, and adding the person CJ. For whilst the God shew is ended as written, then it (sin and loss of life) in no way even occurred, nor ever will. So it is a "shew", that's to mention it is allegoric comparative educating, all allegory in each covenants, written aforetime for our studying. The GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ WITH YOU ALL. AMEN.

Answer 3

You cannot know if it is true or not by asking anyone except God he can show you and help you understand his Word but of course to be truly able to know it's true you would need to look into it to check it out, for how could you possibly have any idea what is in a black box if you don't open it to look? It's the same when it comes to the Bible many people habve many and varied oppinions about the Bible as in everything else, but the only way you can make sure you know the truth about anything, is to make a detailed examination of it, after all you would not like to be judged by someone who does not know anything about you, and judges you without even checking out any evidence or information about you, but simply by knowing you are a human being.That would not be fair would it? Ipersonally know the Bible is true because I took time to check it out, but you need to check it out for yourself, granted, you might need help to check it out, it is a big book, but it can be done, I had no idea about the Bible when I first looked into it but I had help and was able to find out how to find in it what I need to know.

Answer 4

If it wasn't true it never would have lasted this long in time ..and yet somehow it has survived centuries of burnings , banning , killing , deaths, wars...ect...and yet here it is ...amazing !
And the bible is phrophetic in nature , I will for times sake give one small example ..It states in ezekiel 37:- Israel ( that little dot on the map)) yet always in headline news...Israel will become a nation it's own nation...And in 1948..thousands and thousands of years later it did just that ! Not to mention all of the archeolgy unearthed , artifacts ect...that coenside with it..and I know no other book that can move you like that one ! plus what they found it pharoah's tomb...Awesome depictions, of his life on the walls ..Discovery channel! Remember this age old secular saying : "Truth stands the test of time"!
Good luck today with all of your answeres ! Leah
btw- I am not a christian ..just in love and informed ..

Answer 5

i think common sense can answer that. the book was written by men that thought the world was flat. thought there were demons in the forests. thought that the oceans had sea monsters. treated women as if they were not real citizens.
but when you think of the stories. i mean.... they are good ways of saying how to treat each other through life, but, world floods( how did they get the north american buffulo on the ark?), people turning to salt when they look back at a burning city, parting seas. its all too much.
and in the end, you have to really look at where man was intellectually at the period. at that time... if there was an eclipse, we thought god was mad and it was the end of the world
so i have to say no, its not true. a nice collections of stories of how we should treat each other... but thats about it

Answer 6

Scientists of great minds (non-believers) actually investigated the places and events that happened in the Bible. They came to the conclusion that the Bible is true. No need to discuss this any further.

Answer 7

Well, technically there is no evidence of the bible being true. I have a friend that says the same thing that you described... he does not question anything. When I ask him something, his answer is that it is in the bible. I ask him how he knows it is right... and he responds with, because it says so in the bible. That isn't good enough for me...

Answer 8

When you truly become a believer and become a born again Christian as the Bible says you must in John 3:3, You will feel the power of the Holy Spirit in your heart and you will see God working in your life and you won't doubt anymore. Does Billy Graham doubt, no way, Because he reads his Bible and Prays everyday and he feels and sees the Power of God everyday in his life. There is a reason missionaries travel to africa to preach to people in a jungle and leave everything america has to offer behind. It not by accident, its not on a whim, they know because they have seen and felt his awesome power, when Jesus died on the Cross at Calvery he died to wash our sins away. He gave his life for us. When we accept him by faith his Power comes into our hearts, seeing isn't believeing, believing is seeing. Read Ephesians 2:8-9, Jesus died so that we might live, if you die without Jesus you go to a lake of fire with the devil, yikes!!, The Cross at calvery is the key, a Perfect man crucified for us, He paid our sin debt so that we might live. Do you ever sin, fail, or just plain mess up. Jesus paid for that sin against God, But once he arose from that grave we can now have him in our hearts, his Holy Spirit will live within us if we let it, You need to be Born Again, just pray this sinners prayer and you can be, just pray Dear Jesus, I know and confess that I am sinner in need of salvation. I believe you died on a cross at calvery and arose from the grave to wash away my sins, I ask you right now to come into my heart and save me, I pray this Prayer believing in the name of Jesus Amen. If you prayed this prayer with a sincere heart you are now a child of God, rejoice that your name is written in the Lambs book of Life. Jesus will now send his Holy Spirit to come and live in your heart and guide you into all truth. If you have any questions just send me an email, God Bless YOU!!

Answer 9

I know for a fact that the book of Leviticus was written by a non-human scientific mind. That would make It's contents true to me as coming from God Himself.

Answer 10

Anything that has no ability to be heavily cross-referenced against known fact, has no citations, no bibliography and is written with human bias intact needs to be taken as subjective until empirically proved otherwise. The bible fits that description.