The Bible is just a book written by man so why should I trust it?
First, the Bible is not one book written by one man. The Bible is made up of 66 different books written by 40 different authors over 1500 years. The following attributes of the Bible are evidence of a supernatural signature:
A. Supernaturally fulfilled prophecy—predictions of the future that are precise, detailed and accurate. The Bible is the only volume ever produced by man in which detailed prophecies relating to the rise and fall of individuals and empires are given with hairsplitting accuracy. Daniel gives prophecy so detailed it reads like history written after the fact. There were dozens of specific prophecies fulfilled in Jesus’ life alone.
B. Supernatural unity--the bible was written over a period of 1500 years by 40 different authors, and the story told is absolutely cohesive and consistent.
C. Supernatural events--the bible is an index to history (not like a fairytale) and nothing has been disproven about the historical facts of the bible.
D. Supernaturally changes lives (existential validity)--God changes us in a way we never could change ourselves when we obey the Scriptures. This experience of transformation is universal, the same around the globe. It transcends all economic, ethnic, geographical boundaries. When people consistently obey the teachings of this book, something radical happens, both to individuals and to whole cultures.
E. Supernatural survival--the Bible is a fighter (The Bible has demonstrated supernatural survival through time and persecution. There have been many powerful, concerted attempts to destroy this book—externally [through destruction] and internally [through criticism]—to no avail. The Bible remains the bestselling book of all time. If this book had not been the book of God, men would have destroyed it long ago),
F. Supernatural insight--The Bible answers the big questions of life (ORIGIN--where did we come from, MEANING--Why were we created/what's our purpose, MORALITY--Why do I feel guilty when I do certain things or don’t do certain things/ how can I know right from wrong, and DESTINY--What happens when we die?) in a way consistent with the way we experience and perceive the world and in a way that is internally cohesive (it makes sense). Many religions give answers, but the question is whether they give answers that fit the world the way we know it to be.
The Bible fully acknowledges both the true nobility and true cruelty of man. Man’s nobility is real, explained be the fact that we’re made in the image of God (man has transcendent value; that’s why humans have civil rights and not animals). Man’s cruelty (his sin and true moral guilt) is real, explained by the fall. The Bible also gives the solution to the problem of man’s cruelty (fall): The solution to guilt is not denial; it’s forgiveness. The Bible’s answer resonates with the deepest intuitions we have about ourselves and our world.
Since we have good reason to trust the Bible as supernaturally inspired, how should we interpret the Bible?
Think of the Bible like a jigsaw puzzle. Unlike most jigsaw puzzles that have all the pieces close in size, our world/universe (God’s general revelation) and the Bible (God’s special revelation) has pieces the size of a house while others are the size of a fingernail. The BIG pieces make up an overwhelming majority of this puzzle. If you look for and connect the BIG pieces (the frame) first, you will find more pieces that correctly fit to one another because the BIG pieces are distinct, bold, solid, firm, unchanging, unequivocal, powerful, piercing, and only fit one way; on the other hand, the small pieces are mysterious, ambiguous, shapeless, slippery, nebulous, and seem to fit in many ways. The BIG pieces provide the framework to hold the smaller pieces intact; therefore, meaning flows from the BIG pieces to the smaller pieces. The pieces of the puzzle are measured in significance and importance.
BIG pieces (from the bible):
1. Who/ What created us?--Holy Trinity (Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 2 Corinthians 13:14)
2. What are the attributes of this Creator?
a. God is a personal Spirit (John 4:24)
b. God is omniscient—knows everything (1 John 3:20)
c. God is omnipotent—all powerful (Jeremiah 32:17, 27)
d. God is omnipresent—present everywhere (Psalm 119:7-12)
e. God is sovereign (1 Chronicles 29:11-12, Psalm 115:3)
f. God is holy (Revelations 4:8)
g. God is Absolute Truth (Psalms 117:2)
h. God is righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21, Psalm 145:17)
i. God is just (2 Thessalonians 1:6, Psalm 25:8)
j. God is love (1 John 4:8, 16)
k. God is merciful (Ephesians 2:4-7)
l. God is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13, 2 Thessalonians 3:3)
3. MEANING (What is our purpose?)—To be in relationship (submission and communion) with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, and to be a light and salt to the earth. See John 14:23, 1 John 1:3, 1 John 2:15, 1 John 5:1-4, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Revelations 3:20, 1 Corinthians 12:13, and Matthew 5:13-16.
4. MORALITY (How can we know right from wrong?)—The Bible describes the acts of the flesh (what is wrong) and the fruits of the spirit (what is right). See Galatians 5:19-26
5. DESTINY (What happens after we die?)—We either accept God’s gift of grace by trusting in Jesus as our Lord and Savior; thus, inheriting eternal life, or we pay our debt (sins against our Creator) in hell. See John 3:16, Romans 5:9, Matthew 25:46, Matthew 10:28, and Romans 6:23.
Now on to the small pieces (mysterious questions we may never know with 100% certainty) of this puzzle:
How EXACTLY did God speak to Moses? Where are dinosaurs in the bible? Why would God allow the devil in the garden of Eden? Did God create the world in 6 literal days? Why do animals feel pain? And we could go on and on ad infinitum.
The point here in all this is we don't disregard the obvious (Big Pieces) for the sake of the mysterious (small pieces). In other words, we don't find clarity in ambiguity from what is unclear. We find clarity in ambiguity from what is clear. For instance, we don’t completely disregard what we do know in mathematics (algebra, trigonometry, and calculus) because of all the unsolved mathematical problems.
If you try to understand and connect the small pieces that don't belong together before the BIG pieces-- you'll find yourself confused, frustrated, anxious, and hopeless in the fog of mystery. On the other hand, those that look for and connect the Big pieces before they move on to the smaller pieces are rewarded with the fruits of wisdom--joy and serenity. These are just the benefits for this world. There is extrinsic value (beyond this world) as well.
We will never complete the entire puzzle in this life, but we all try. If you focus on putting the BIG Pieces together and allow meaning to flow from the BIG pieces to the smaller pieces you will get much further on your quest for TRUTH.
Lastly, the diversity of the Bible goes beyond people and time; there are also many different genres of the bible that include:
Apocalyptic, Prophecy, History, Law, Wisdom, Parable, Poetry, and Epistle. Therefore, know the genre of the book you are reading and read it in its proper context.
Apocalyptic, Prophecy, History, Law, Wisdom, Parable, Poetry, and Epistle. Therefore, know the genre of the book you are reading and read it in its proper context.