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Coming from a sincere place:
Why does the Bible have the authority? What makes it trustworthy?
Please avoid saying “It’s true because it says it’s true” type arguments (to avoid the circular argument and logical fallacy).
Discussion
51 comments
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Because the ideas of man have proven to be self centered, unreliable and written with pride not love.
Men’s hearts are deceitful and wicked no matter how people come across.
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Why not?
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But the Bible is verified outside of itself. Your question is flawed.
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The Bible must be used to support it’s authority
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…….. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-5, 11-14 ESV -
What’s the alter native. Human ideas lead to disaster. We have a history of disaster
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It is the Authority..
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The maker of something is the authority of it. God is the maker so He is the ultimate authority and His manual the guide book
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Is there any book which tells from the beginning and the end that why bible is the authority.
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This question is a little problematic. Not in the sense you can’t answer it. But that you shouldn’t answer it in the way the OP is demanding.
For Christian’s to answer this question with intellectually honesty and accuracy, the Bible must be used.
When I hear this type of question I tend to have to question the motives of the person who asked the question. Asking someone to show the authority of the Bible without the Bible is like asking a scientist to prove gravity without using science. It’s an obvious category error of the most blatant of kinds.
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If not, what’s it matter?
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If a processing believer filled with the holy spirit does not have inner witness that the Bible is the word of God and need other ways to know that it is – then there is a problem.
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The Bible is historically accurate and known to be written during the lifetime of eyewitnesses. There are no ancient texts that we have as many surviving documents of (hundreds of not thousands more than other ancient manuscripts to compare to).
Because it is written as a history, it sets Christianity apart: of all the world religions, it is one of the few that you can actually test the evidence. No need to rest on blind faith here.
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What other book even documents the origin of life, much less does it with such detail and accuracy?
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The word of God, must be approached, as if, men who were inspired by God to speak to mankind, wrote it. The evidences for this will become evident as the reader will see this “Bible” as spiritually alive and powerful even dividing between the thoughts and intents of the heart. As you research the 66 books you will find that it was written by over 40 authors on 3 different continents of a couple thousand years and yet the message is remains a tightly knit, interwoven message , as if, written by a single author. Then there is the archaeological evidences if accuracy, then there is the quoting of Jesus from the Old Testament. There is also the message of mankind from the beginning if time to its end. Choice is yours. God has given light to every person coming into this world (John 1:9) and by that light we can see that the light of God’s word is true (Psalm 36:9). Does it not amaze you that certain rules are applicable to all peoples? I mean, it is never acceptable to kill your own family or steal from one another in the various societal communities around the planet, yet many of these communities have never even heard of the Bible, Moses, or the ten commandments. I recommend you read the Bible, as if, God wrote it just for you. A message to explain how we all began, where sin and suffering entered, God’s plan before time to reconcile, and God’s love for all to be saved.
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To the OP: pretty easy to answer:
We look at the Bible as a purely historical work.
We see that the New Testament is written as history and from this we see that Jesus is God.
We see that Jesus gave his authority to the Catholic Church.
And the Catholic Church Determined what is in the Bible the Bible.
Therefore the Bible has the authority of the Catholic Church which is the authority of God
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The Bible derives its authority from the Canon. Meaning it’s inspired books that dealt with God and his teachings. By this, we rely to grow our faith.
There was a church, the Catholic Church that met in council to decide what contents the Bible may have, and for what purpose the Bible be used.
The purpose is for reading in the “Liturgy of the Word” which is the first part of the catholic mass. Back then, the Bible is hand written by scholars for reproduction starting 400AD.
Not until the advent of the printing press in 1500 that the bible was mass produced. Making it available to the masses.
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It’s true because it says it’s true… IF it holds up to what it says in all other matters as well. Such as :
History, prophecy, cosmology, astronomy, biology, etc.
If it is true it will be upheld under scrutiny. -
Well, it is not circular to have one testify about one’s self. I can testify that I am my father’s son. Another can also give the same testimony. Whose testimony is stronger?
Mine, because I told my friend, and he has seen. but I could have hidden my adoption, if that were the case. My friend would not have as true a testimony.
My father and mother’s testimony would be more true than mine, my mother’s being the strongest, as my father could only hope she did not commit adultery, but she knows if she did or not.So, the Bible IS permitted a voice to say so.
In fact, proof FROM the Bible, scientific information that was impossible for mankind to have, until the last 150 yrs is proof, and it is the Bible testifying
Fulfilled prophecy?
Same thing.In fact anything that will support the Bible being the only true Authority will always have its basis on the Bible’s claim. It is inescapable.
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To your first question, is authoritative because is God’s word! 2 Timothy 3:16
2 Peter 1:20-21 Because it testifies about The Creator. Genesis 1:1To the second question, it makes it trustworthy because God is true, Romans 3:4
Because God is faithful in everything He does and says. Numbers 23:19
Since God is faithful, He is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.
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It has withstood the test of times. It’s not a historical book but it’s histories are true, such as the history of the Jewish people. It’s prophesies have come to past. And most important of all, it testifies of a God that it would be impossible for any human to imagine. The God that is revealed to us in scriptures, is Love, unconditional love that dies for His enemies. That love is manifested in the life and person of Jesus Christ. Tell me, of all the gods that exist, which is like the God of scriptures?
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Just read it and see what it does to you.
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Because Jesus Christ of Nazarene actually lived & did what he did!! There is countless records justifying that , no one in the history of mankind has been able to dispute the fact that Jesus really lived, he really was crucified, & he rose from the dead. Religions & scholars throughout the last 2,000 have recognized that. There are many resources online that can help navigate you discovering that! The Bible beginning to end is about Jesus & the story of God redeeming his creation & when the messiah finally came & fulfilled the mission the Bible was complete & we are in the last days. The Bible was written by numerous men across different generations in different places of the eastern world but it never contradicts itself , never has a mistake, which gives us insight on how trustworthy it is !! And lastly , the lineage of Jesus’s family can be dated all the way back to Adam which means people kept great records of human history , hope this helps
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It’s honestly a matter of faith.
The bible is historically honest and faithful but at the end of the day there’s no one piece of proof that will convince a skeptic that it’s true. Depending on your view of Jesus, He trusted the words of scripture and he entrusted the apostles with His teaching.I was an Atheist for 14 years and big into the four horsemen like Dawkins and all about “reason and logic” but something changed. My heart changed and the Gospel did it’s work. There was no “huraay” moment of proof just a deconstruction of pride and a reflection of my true self in light of the Gospel. It changed me.
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We can know it’s true by the power of the Holy Ghost and the fruits of the spirit. (Galatians 5:23) this is how I gained my witness of the Bible and The Book of Mormon as being the Word of God 🙂
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because the earliest copies we have of it are the same as today showing it hasn’t changed over time, because there’s a bunch of scientific facts written in it thousands of years before modern science discovered them proving those things written in the bible are true and scientifically accurate, because every one of the disciples willingly went to their deaths for the cause because they knew Jesus was real and rose from the dead and proved He is God. If you knew it was all a lie would you defend it to the death and be martyred?
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Well, first and foremost, it was written by people who were in a position to know. Setting aside divine inspiration for a moment, all of the authors either knew the Lord personally, or were at least close enough to Him to be able to authoritatively declare His will. Put simply, if any book is authoritative, it is the Bible.
As for circular reasoning, my response to that would be to hand you a banknote and tell you that if you can prove it is real without referring to it, you can keep it. You NEED to refer to a banknote to prove its authenticity. It’s what’s called a self-authenticating document, just like a passport, or a birth certificate. I can’t prove to you that I am who I say I am. Testimony is the closest thing you will ever get to proving that I am Jay Zeke Malakai. The Bible has more proof of Christ’s identity than I have of mine.
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16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV)
God breathed
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Hi. It’s a huge question that could be answered for hours. My short answer is prophecy. The prophecies alone from the Old Testament, both quoted and validated in the New, and fulfilled precisely….even as recorded as events covered in secular history, is more than enough to convince any skeptic who is seeking truth AND peace with God. Fulfilled prophecy also proves God’s Sovereign and knowing all ends from the beginning.
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-66 books
-40+ authors
-Variety of different kinds of people (Kings, farmers, fishermen, slaves, warriors, prophets, preachers, etc.)
-2000+ in writing.Yet the message flows, is noncontradictory, infallible, and is the same throughout the entire Bible.
That mankind is sinful and unrighteous, there’s a need for repentance and redemption, and that can only come from a God sent Messiah a.k.a. Jesus Christ. -
1. Why wouldn’t the Bible be reliable? We don’t approach any other text assuming it to be false.
2. Contemporaneous witnesses would quickly have rubbished biblical accounts before they gained currency
3 Discrepancies make a text more reliable: if you and I wanted to concoct a hoax, we would ensure our accounts tallied.
4. The philosophical scope of Biblical narrative far surpasses human authorship, which makes divine inspiration look entirely reasonable
5 Biblical writings could not have come from evil or mad authors since they are complex and teach high morals; “good” people would not have peddled falsehoods (which is what they would be if the Bible were unreliable) about God
6 The standard historians’ test for authenticity is the number of extant manuscripts and their dating from shortly after the events they describe. The Bible passes this test far more successfully than any number of historical events that we would never dream of challenging. Koranic references to Jesus fall down badly on this. 7 Collective experience over hundreds of years suggests that Christianity has much to commend it. Selected words from selected authors (and our opinion thereof) do not affect the issue of Biblical veracity
8 Expecting secular authentification of Bible is unreasonable – why would we expect to find such documents? And why would we assume them to be of greater importance than the Bible they try to discredit? (Actually there are secular historians who mention Jesus).In short it makes more sense to regard the Bible as true, even though our efforts to understand its depths will take many years. Finding ideas we dislike or find challenging does not disprove their validity.
And many (though not all) questions about scriptural infallibility are rooted in a desire to disprove the Bible ie not in the objective search for truth.
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If you read it with your mind, its just like any other book with millions of interpretation but if you read it with your heart you will find that its the only truth, way and life
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Quite simply, I know the Bible is the Word of God because God told me it was, by His Holy Spirit.That doesn’t mean I understand it all, nor is it by understanding we accept it as holy,again only by His Spirit can we say it is holy
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Because after 2000+ years the Bible has never been refuted as not genuine. People call it fake without proof. But the Sovereignty of God prevails in all matters.
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The Bible has authority because what it teaches and affirms is true, first from external evidence. The New Testament is considered by even the most liberal scholars to be the most reliable ancient text in history. We also know God exists from a mountain of evidence, but for the sake of time at the moment, there is God who can act, so there can be acts of God, in other words, miracles. Therefore, we can believe the miracles in the New Testament because they are possible and it is reliable in every other fashion, by every metric applied. The New Testament refers constantly to the Law and the Prophets, (the Old Testament), as being God inspired. So if you are looking for authority of the Bible, it has authority because it is true historically, scientifically and philosophically as well as being divinely inspired. Read the outline of the 12 point argument in I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist.
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Because it lines up with reality.
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The Resurrection is the foundation of the Bible’s reliability. In it lies the truth of the whole Bible, and unless it is disproven, the Bible remains true.
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It is painfully historically accurate. God’s appointed scribes did not try to make Israel look good. They proved God’s righteousness by allowing Israel to make it’s self look foolish (repetitively [redundantly {frequently
}]). I am inclined to trust such honesty and distrust stories that are only about a group of perfect characters. -
Lee Strobel’s book, “The Case for Christ”, has a chapter which discusses this. Among the things mentioned were: textual/grammatical/linguistic evidence, historical/eyewitness/opposition (i.e detractors of the time failed to detract it when it would be easier then) evidence, manuscript numbers, geographical evidence, archaeological evidence… the list goes on
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It is an Old Book!
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Who compiled the canon originally?
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It has to take an infallible authority to define what is the infallible scripture so the faithful are clear on the public revelation in it that is closed. Otherwise there could be doubts that there is true scripture out there, invalid scripture in there, and no infallible interpreter on that which is only implicit and not explicit. Who is that infallible authority? Jesus said to his apostles, not the crowd on a hill, that “whoever hears you hears me”. Were any at the councils successors to the apostles who could speak definitively on what is truly scripture? If not, then we are stuck with the doubts above. If yes, then to believe the Bible and that interpretation should make us wonder what he modern apostles are for today.
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It is THE WORD OF GOD. Yes, actually penned by humans, but these human authors were inspired by Holy Spirit..God Himself
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If you believe that you are concieved and was born into this world by your mother, it was there; if you are breathing the air that made you alive, it was there; if you are eating the foods that came from edible plants, fishes, and meat, it was there; one day i will die and so are you, you better believe that the bible is true because salvation by faith in Christ is there, written for you.
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Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
If someone wants to seek God in any form then they are instructed to approach Him and His Word in faith and to accept that the Word speaks with authority. In Isaiah 1:18 God says
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.If you and I approach the Bible and God we must accept that the Bible is the Word of God and know that through it and by it God will deal with us one way or another.
Christians today, who were also once people who had nothing to do with God , have discovered that the Bible is His absolute Word that has a clear authority. We may not understand everything in it straight away but through study and application we discover that it’s message of love, of God reaching into the world, to save it from itself and His coming wrath. -
The Bible has authority because it’s the word of God that is why it is also trustworthy but if was not the word of God the it wouldn’t have authority or trustworthiness. In this case God is the absolute truth and the ultimate authority
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