Why Trust the Bible?
What if the foundation you rely on to navigate life's complexities is stronger than you ever imagined?
In a culture where opinions, philosophies, and trends constantly shift, Scripture remains a steadfast source of truth, clarity, and hope.
Pastor Brandon’s sermon Scripture, from the Ecclesiology Series, reinforces that the Bible is more than an ancient text – it’s the living, active, trustworthy Word of God.
Scripture is Built on Solid Evidence
Many question the reliability of the Bible we hold today.
But biblical manuscript evidence far surpasses any other ancient document.
Example 1: Document manuscripts
As Brandon highlights:
"We have almost 6000 ancient manuscripts of the New Testament from the Greek language alone, and then we have almost 24,000 manuscripts of the New Testament from all of the other ancient languages around the region."
In comparison, classical texts by historians like Tacitus or Herodotus have significantly fewer surviving copies.
The Bible stands unparalleled in its historical documentation, making its preservation extraordinarily trustworthy.
Example 2: Dead Sea Scrolls
Additionally, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946 profoundly confirmed the reliability of the Old Testament.
Scrolls dating back to around 150 B.C. were found to be nearly identical to the texts we use today, underscoring Isaiah 40:8: "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever."
Example 3: Scripture’s self-witness
The Bible’s trustworthiness isn’t just historical – it’s witnessed within itself.
Paul affirms the divine trustworthiness of scriptures in 2 Timothy 3:16:
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."
This isn’t merely a collection of historical or poetic writings; these are words inspired directly by God.
Scripture not just trustworthy, also practical
Scripture isn’t only authoritative; it’s deeply practical.
It shapes our beliefs, guides our decisions, and corrects our paths.
Brandon explains that Christians historically have been known as "people of the book" because scripture shapes:
Their worldview
How they raise their children
How they find and sustain love in marriages and in relationships
How they frame societies and politics
How they think about the world
Scripture is also indispensable for finding wisdom (Psalm 19:7), hope (Romans 15:4), and endurance (Psalm 119:11).
Three Ways to Trust Scripture
Still, submitting to scripture takes faith and trust.
Pastor Brandon outlines three ways to view the Bible that will help you to trust it:
1. View Scripture as Your Primary Teacher:
“There's a lot to be learned from other books and YouTube and sure, even Tiktok at times... But as believers, what we say is, ‘My primary teacher is the word of God.
My main teacher where I go to learn is I go to the Word of God. As Paul writes to the Corinthians, the wisdom of man is foolishness in the sight of God.’”
2. Allow yourself to be convicted:
“If we’re honest, … there’s some of us in here that maybe have not created space i our hearts and our minds for scripture or a preacher to call us out…We receive the curse of being offended.
When you live offended, when you live in a fence, it begins to build a fence around you, and so now you can't take in the advice from other people. You can't take correction from others…
We have to create space in our heart and our theology that I'm going to let this word offend me at times, as David said, search me and know my heart and reveal that there's any offensive way in me (Psalms 139:23-24).
3. View Scripture as Loving Correction:
The Bible acts as a kind of lane correction for your life.
Pastor Brandon put it this way:
“God says ‘I’ve marked out a race for you. I don’t need you to be getting out of your line. I don’t need you getting sidetracked by comparison or by sin or by addiction. I want to get you back on track.’”
Start Trusting Scripture Today
Engaging Scripture doesn’t require perfection—just consistency and willingness:
Get a Bible: Prioritize having your own physical copy to deeply engage with.
Study in Community: Join Bible studies to deepen your understanding through collective insights.
Verify Teaching: Adopt the Berean approach from Acts 17:11, examining Scriptures yourself to confirm truth.
Sermon Highlights
"We have almost 6000 ancient manuscripts of the New Testament from the Greek language alone."
“The Bible is the highest selling book of all time, every year.”
"If you do not believe these are God's words, then you do not deserve to preach these words."
"Christians have historically been called 'people of the book' because we tie our entire lives to this book."
Watch the full sermon, "Scripture (Ecclesiology Series)," here.
For more about the relevance of scripture in daily life and how to engage in scripture, see our article "Apply Scripture in Everyday Life".
