Is the Bible reliable? Does it contain myths, or are the stories true? Did the writers simply write down stories they had heard from other people, or did they experience the things firsthand that they wrote about?

The Bible is not made up of cleverly devised fables or myths. “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:16 NAB).  Many of the Bible writers were actually eyewitnesses of their written accounts.  “But we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16 NAB; see also 1 Peter 5:1) Eyewitnesses also handed down their accounts to others who carefully researched these things. (Luke 1:1-3) Still others studied and pondered. (Ecclesiastes 12:9-10) But none came from human will. (2 Peter 1:21)

All scripture was inspired by God: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16,17 NIV).  The Bible ‘thoroughly equips the servant of God.’ It does not need to be supplemented, as though it were not complete. The Bible alone contains “the faith that was once for all handed down to the holy ones” (Jude 3 NAB). There is nothing more to add to the Bible’s 66 canonical books.

The writers of the Bible tell one unified story:

·         They have the same understanding of God.

·         They have the same understanding of human nature.

·         They share a common understanding of Jesus.

·         And they have the same hope – that God’s purpose will be accomplished.

The writers of the Gospels did not simply write a secondhand account. They were eyewitnesses, or recorded the testimonies of “those who from the first were eyewitnesses” (Luke 1:1-3 NIV).

“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead“ (Acts 10:39-42), recorded by Luke, who used “eyewitnesses.”

They had seen and touched Jesus. (1 John 1:1-3) There were many other witnesses as well. Jesus presented himself alive to many people after his resurrection “by many infallible proofs.” (Acts 1:1-3 NKJV; KJV) He even “appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time.” (1 Corinthians 15:6-8) He also performed many public signs that were not recorded in the Gospels. (John 20:30; 21:25)

The Bible is reliable. It can be trusted as God’s infallible word. No other book on earth can make this claim.