5 Reasons to Trust God‘s Word

1. The Bible repeatedly confirms itself to be the Word of God.

(2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:16–21)

While trusting Scripture because Scripture claims to be trustworthy is circular reasoning, such reasoning is technically logical and can be necessary to establish starting points for thinking (like using logic to reason that logic exists).1 Circular claims are a problem if no other reasons exist to believe them, but we have sound reasons to believe Scripture. More importantly, God can rightly claim to be the authority about his own Word. He knows everything, does not make mistakes, and cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

2. Scripture confirms its own validity through internal unity.

For such an immense work, the Bible’s internal unity is remarkable. God’s inspired Word came through 40 writers from diverse backgrounds, writing across multiple genres over roughly 1,500 years. Yet Scripture contains no contradictions in the original autographs.

Scripture is also confirmed by consistently fulfilled prophecies. For example, the Old Testament contains many prophecies about the Messiah, including details about his birthplace, ancestry, betrayal, manner of sacrificial death, and burial. Jesus not only fulfilled these to the letter, but also accurately prophesied his own betrayal, death, and resurrection (e.g., Matthew 20:18–20, 26:21–25).

3. Millions of transformed lives speak to the authenticity of God’s Word.

Throughout history and around the world, millions of transformed lives offer living testament to the truth of God’s Word. Only the Bible contains the saving gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). Jesus himself is the living Word of God (John 1:1), whom we can trust as the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

4. The Bible has been faithfully preserved.

With thousands of manuscripts copied (some as little as 30–50 years after the recorded events), the New Testament’s reliability far surpasses that of other ancient texts. The Old Testament also shows remarkable preservation. For instance, only minor stylistic variations existed between the Dead Sea Scrolls and manuscripts from over a millennium later. This preservation shows that God fulfilled his promise to preserve the Scriptures (Psalm 12:6–7).

5. The observable world confirms the Bible.

From geological evidence of a global flood, to biological observations that living things only reproduce “according to their kind,” to archeological confirmation of biblical people, places, and events, science and history consistently match God’s Word.