It takes a certain amount of faith to believe what the Bible tells us, but its accuracy in historical accounts, its truth scientifically, its truth about the human condition, its unity with itself over 1,500 years of its creation, and its uniqueness in religious texts go far to convince any honest searcher of its truth.
The Bible claims it was inspired, or "breathed out," by God Himself (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21). That claim alone makes it compelling enough to investigate, for if true the Bible should be the most important and treasured document ever created.
The Bible is unique. Though other religious texts throughout the world claim divine input, the Bible is the only one created through about forty different "authors" over a period of 1,500 years that claims divine Authorship. These writers lived in different cultures, had wildly different levels of education, wrote in at least three different languages, and wrote about nearly every human condition. Even with so much against it, the Bible is consistent within itself.
Spiritually speaking, the Bible also makes unique claims. It says that people are sinners and have rebelled against God. There is no penance, no good deed, no sacrifice a person can perform, the Bible says, to get into a right relationship with God. God must initiate the restoration. God must make the first move. God must provide the sacrifice. These claims are not only unique, they are widely unique.
Though the Bible is not a history textbook, nor a science manual, it is accurate when it speaks of history and science. Its description of the water cycle was written centuries before science "discovered" it. Historically, extra-biblical texts and archeology confirm its accuracy even up to the present age. For decades skeptics criticized the Bible for its mention of Hittites (2 Kings 7:6 and others) when there was no other evidence of such people. But in 1876 some evidence of the Hittite culture was discovered. Within fifty years, the Hittites' far-reaching influence and vast holdings were identified and confirmed the biblical accounts.
Prophetically, the Bible records several thousand fore-tellings of events and people. These prophecies are detailed, not just general predictions. Some were fulfilled relatively quickly (for example, Abraham and Sarah having a son, Peter's denial of Jesus, and Paul being a witness in Rome). Others were fulfilled hundreds of years after they were given, and some await future fulfillment. Jesus Himself fulfilled 300 specific prophesies made centuries before His earthly birth. It is because so many biblical prophecies have already proven true that we trust God will fulfill the prophecies that haven't yet come to fruition.
When the truth of Bible, which claims to be the Word of God, can be proven accurate in historical record, scientific proofs, and prophesy, it is wise to look further into its more important aspects. When the Bible says that every person is a sinner (Romans 3:23) and deserves death (Romans 6:23), it should make us sit up and take notice. When it says that Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) and that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life (John 3:16), we’d do well to heed that truth as well.
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