{"id":4629,"date":"2025-05-19T19:50:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T00:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veritasfidei.org\/?p=4629"},"modified":"2025-10-21T13:46:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T18:46:51","slug":"how-do-we-know-the-bible-is-the-word-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veritasfidei.org\/en\/how-do-we-know-the-bible-is-the-word-of-god\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfHOW DO WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD?"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOW DO WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

One of the most controversial topics in theology and contemporary culture concerns the veracity and authority of the Bible as the Word of God. Many groups, both atheists and \u201cprogressive Christians,\u201d have undermined the authority of the Bible to such an extent that it is no longer even considered a good moral book. If anything, in today’s culture, many consider it to be the thoughts of archaic people about what they believed about GOD, but that it has little relevance and little or no authority for our daily lives.<\/p>\n

In this writing, we are going to debunk these ideas by formulating and defending a<\/p>\n

DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENT FOR THE AUTHORITY AND INERRANCY OF THE BIBLE.<\/h2>\n

The doctrine of inerrancy can be simply defined by the following statement:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe Bible (in its original manuscripts) is true, free from errors and falsehoods in all that it teaches and affirms.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It also means that GOD has truthfully revealed, in common language, what he wanted to express to human beings.<\/em><\/p>\n

This does not mean that rhetorical freedoms used in various literary and discursive genres cannot be included. Nor are rhetorical figures, paraphrases, approximations, etc., considered \u201cerrors,\u201d just as they are not considered so in ordinary communication. So-called \u201cgrammatical errors\u201d are not \u2018errors\u2019 at all; grammar is a function of usage. Thus, for example, when JESUS says that the mustard seed is the \u201csmallest,\u201d the Master is not teaching a botany class. He is using a local analogy to explain a spiritual truth. We know that there are smaller seeds, but in the regional context in which JESUS operated, the mustard seed would be understood by his immediate audience, in effect, as \u201cthe smallest seed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christians generally argue in circles (the fallacy of affirming the consequent or begging the question) to try to prove the inerrancy of Scripture. For example, they say, \u201cThe Bible is inerrant because the Bible is the word of GOD.\u201d And how do we know that the Bible is the Word of GOD? Because the Bible says so.<\/p>\n

Although there are theologians who simply assume or derive inerrancy inductively, I believe that inerrancy is something that can be deduced from the person and authority of Jesus Christ by taking certain writings in the Bible as a set of historical documents using the same standards of historiography that apply to any ancient writing.<\/p>\n

The argument is anchored in the same historical event that underpins Christianity in general: The Resurrection of JESUS:<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Why Christians believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of GOD:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. JESUS claimed to be GOD.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. JESUS rose from the dead, validating His claim.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Everything GOD teaches is true.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. JESUS taught that the Old Testament is the Word of GOD.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. JESUS authorized the apostles to teach in His name.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. The New Testament is the written testimony of these apostles.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  7. Conclusion: The Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the Word of GOD\u2014true, authoritative, and without error.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Next, we will justify both historically and biblically the complete and expanded argument above. I would like to point out that the argument is deductive and adheres to the laws of logic: that is, if the premises of the argument are true, then the conclusion is necessarily true.<\/p>\n

    Complete Deductive Syllogism in Favor of the Authority and Inerrancy of the Bible (with References)<\/h2>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Part I: The Divine Identity of Jesus (Historical Foundation)<\/h2>\n

    In this section, although we have included references from the New Testament, the premises are based exclusively on historical evidence.<\/p>\n

    P1<\/strong><\/span>. JESUS claimed to speak with divine authority.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

    That JESUS spoke with divine authority is recognized as a historical fact. This means that in multiple independent sources, JESUS considered himself to be the Messiah and the Son of Man (a messianic title with divine authority). His enemies also accused him of usurping GOD’s throne (accusing him of blasphemy), and his followers considered him to be the Son of GOD. For a complete historical treatment and defense of this premise, see this series of articles (in order):<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Challenge: Jesus never said, \u201cI am God.\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
    2. The Deity of Jesus: A Defense. Part 1: Introduction<\/a><\/li>\n
    3. JESUS Receives Honors Due to GOD<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
    4. JESUS Shares the Attributes of GOD<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
    5. JESUS Shares the Names of GOD<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
    6. JESUS Shares the Acts of GOD<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
    7. JESUS Shares the Throne of GOD<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Related verses (for a believing audience):<\/span><\/p>\n

      \u25aa John 10:30<\/strong> – “I and the Father are one.”<\/span><\/p>\n

      \u25aa Mark 2:10<\/strong> – \u201cThe Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

      \u25aa Matthew 5:21-22<\/strong> – \u201cBut I tell you…\u201d (JESUS speaks with authority about the Law).<\/span><\/p>\n

      P2<\/span>. JESUS was crucified, buried, and His tomb was later found empty.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

      \u25aa Mark 15:37-47<\/strong> – Death and burial of JESUS.<\/p>\n

      \u25aa Mark 16:1-6<\/strong> – The empty tomb.<\/p>\n

      \u25aa Matthew 28:5-6<\/strong> – \u201cHe is not here, for he has risen…\u201d<\/p>\n

      P3<\/span>. Multiple independent sources attest to the post-mortem appearances of JESUS.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

      \u25aa 1 Corinthians 15:3-8<\/strong> – JESUS appeared to Peter, to the Twelve, to more than 500, to James, and to Paul.<\/p>\n

      \u25aa Luke 24:36-43<\/strong> – JESUS physically appears to the disciples.<\/p>\n

      \u25aa John 20:27-29<\/strong> – Thomas touches the risen Christ.<\/p>\n

      P4<\/span>. The best explanation for these events is that GOD raised JESUS from the dead.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

      \u25aa Romans 1:4<\/strong> – \u201c…declared to be the Son of GOD with power… by his resurrection from the dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

      \u25aa Acts 2:32<\/strong> – \u201cGOD raised this JESUS, and we are all witnesses of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

      C1<\/span>. Therefore, GOD vindicated JESUS’ claims, including His claim to be divine.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

      \u25aa Acts 17:31<\/strong> – \u201c…He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

      \u25aa John 2:19-21<\/strong> – JESUS predicted His resurrection as proof of His authority.<\/p>\n

      Premises P2<\/span><\/strong>, P3<\/strong><\/span>, and P4<\/strong><\/span> form the basis of the historical argument for the resurrection, and as such, they are amply justified by the following chart<\/a> (you can download it to your phone or computer).<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      If you prefer to explore the detailed argument, you can find it in the following more academic paper:<\/p>\n

      Resurrection de JESUS<\/a>.<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

      A third option: You can watch this video with the complete historical argument in favor of the resurrection below.<\/p>\n