Do you desire to know the truth? How valuable do you believe the truth is?
Nowadays, people believe there is no absolute truths--it's just a matter of personal choices. When we believe that everything can be true, then it means that we should agree that stealing and murder are okay because that may be true to some people.
When one+one no longer equals two every time, then there is no set standard of doing anything, do you agree? Therefore, absolute truth is vital in living a proper life. For example, when everyone believes that murder is absolutely wrong every time, then we all can know how to react whenever murder occurs. We would set laws to prevent it from happening and follow a set of procedures when it does happen. Otherwise, if we don't believe that murder is absolutely wrong, then we would live in a world of disorder and terror. This is just a small example of how important it is to know the truth.
Where do we find the truth? Many people claim to have the truth, but how could they all be the truth when they contradict one another?
The truth is found in the Bible. Why the Bible? Isn't it just a book like any other book? The Bible is the greatest book that has ever been written, and it contains absolute truths, and nothing but the absolute truths. Now, before you roll your eyes, let us consider why I'm making such an outrageous claim, alright?
I believe the Bible to be the source of absolute truths. When I say that I believe in the Bible, I'm not saying that simply for the sake of believing. Believing the Bible is not blind faith, contrary to what many believe. I repeat: believing the Bible is not blind faith. Yes, I have very good reasons to believe the Bible...
The Bible is completely trustworthy. How can we know? It is trustworthy because:
1) It is accurate
If something is not accurate, how could it be true? If a book you read tells you that the United States of America currently has forty states, wouldn't you raise an eyebrow? A book has to be accurate in as much information it gives out as possible. The more accurate it is, the more trustworthy it is.
The Bible fulfills this accuracy requirement in every detail. Even though parts of the book were written over three thousand years ago, archeology has time and again proved its validity. The descriptions of the way of life of ancient days are proved true by what archeologists have found so far, even down to the smallest details!
Science also proves the authenticity and accuracy of the Bible. Did you know that thousands of years before scientists proved it, the Bible states that the Earth is round and that it hangs in space?
And get this: not only is the Bible accurate regarding the past, but is also accurate about the future! Hundreds of prophecies in the Bible have already come true in every detail--prophecies that were written hundreds and thousands of years before the foretold events actually took place! Take, for example, the eternal destruction of Babylon. What was once the world power lies in ruins to this date, exactly as the Bible foretold. It was something unimaginable when the prophecy was given, because it is like saying that the crowded New York City or Shanghai will be totally uninhabited forever in a month from now. Among other prophecies in the Bible are the prediction of the successions of world kingdoms: Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome--in that order. Only a handful of prophecies are yet to be fulfilled, and can you blame me for eagerly anticipating their fulfillment?
2) It is honest and straightforward
Would you trust a book if it is dishonest, boastful, covers up people's mistakes and faults, filled with exaggerations, and if it is written in an ambiguous language?
From the first page, the Bible describes historical accounts in an honest and straightforward manner, without sugar-coating the embarrassing or costly mistakes that people made. For example, Moses, the writer of the first five books of the Bible, did not hide the fact that he had disobeyed God which consequently cost him dearly--he lost the privilege of receiving God's promises to the nation of Israel. The Bible also truthfully told us of the terrible sins the great King David committed: he committed adultery with a married woman and murdered her husband. And Paul, one of the greatest apostles of Christ, was open in telling people how he had wrongfully and shamefully persecuted Christians prior to becoming a devout Christian himself.
3) It is written by eye witnesses
While a book does not have to be written by an eye witness in order to be trustworthy, don't you agree that it is more trustworthy if it is written by someone who has personally gone through what they write? Let's pretend that you've written a book about the experiences of performing an operation on someone, yet you yourself have never set foot in medical school, let alone have operated on someone. And now let's say that your friend has written a book about the same topic, but the difference is that she has been a surgeon for twenty years. Which book do you think people would trust more, yours or your friend's?
The Bible is written by eye witnesses. It is written by those who had personally saw, heard, tasted, and felt what they had written. It is written by men who personally witnessed the wars and battles in ancient times, the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And because they had witnessed all these firsthand, many were willing to die for what they saw. Nothing could convince them that what they had experienced was untrue.
4) It is written by more than one eye witness
The more eye witnesses a book has, the more trustworthy and truthful the book becomes. Often, a textbook that teachers and students use is written by more than one eye witness. Learning from materials written by multiple eye witnesses gives students an extra layer of assurance of what they study is true and trustworthy.
The Bible consists of sixty-six individual writings written by about forty men. We call the sixty-six writings "books." "Bible" simply means "books," so that's why it's called the "Bible."
5) It is consistent and harmonious throughout, without contradictions
Would you be surprised to know that a book is entirely consistent and harmonious even though it was written by dozens of people who lived in different centuries, cultures, with different languages, and who had never met one another?
Well, most of the forty Bible writers had never met one another because they lived in different time periods and places. The oldest part of the Bible was written about 3,500 years ago! And the last books were written about 1,900 years ago. So if you do a little math, you will see that the Bible was written in a span of 1,600 years. Yes, in spite of the great gap in time and the differences in cultures and languages, the entire Bible is incredibly accurate and consistent in subject matters, themes, and messages. All of the Bible writings harmonize with one another without contradictions. How can this be?
How can a book that is written in a span of 1,600 years by forty men be so accurate and consistent? The Bible is accurate and consistent because it actually has only one Author.
The Bible says, "Every Scripture is God-breathed." (2 Timothy 3:16, WEB.) "Scripture" means "writing," and here, it refers to the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. What does "God-breathed" mean? It means that it was God, Jehovah, who told the forty men what to write. Jehovah is the Author, and the men acted like His secretaries, who recorded down in writing what He told them to write. This is why the Bible is accurate and consistent--it only has one Author!
In a nutshell, the Bible is trustworthy because it is accurate even in the smallest details, historically sound, scientifically sound, honest, consistent throughout, and all of its prophecies have been fulfilled so far--all because it was written by the all-knowing God.
In other words, believing in the Bible is believing in a bundle of facts, and these facts are God's everlasting truths for all "that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men." (Ephesians 4:14) Contained in these facts is the "Good News of Christ ... the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes." (Romans 1:16) Can believing in facts be blind faith?
Dr. Shirley Cheng (b. 1983), a blind and physically disabled award-winning author with twenty-seven book awards, proclaimer of Jehovah God's good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, Summa Cum Laude (Highest Honor) graduate with Doctor of Divinity, motivational speaker, self-empowerment expert, poet; author of nine books (including "Do You Love Jehovah?"), contributor to twenty-two, and an editor of one; and a parental rights advocate, has had severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since infancy. Owing to years of hospitalization, she received no education until age eleven. Back then, she knew only her ABCs and very simple English; other than that, her book knowledge was non-existent. However, after only about 180 days of special education in elementary school, she mastered grade level and entered a regular sixth grade class in middle school. Unfortunately, Shirley lost her eyesight at the age of seventeen. After a successful eye surgery, she hopes to earn multiple science doctorates from Harvard University. http://www.shirleycheng.com
Do you have questions about the Bible? Something you don't understand? Do you need a bit of guidance in developing a relationship with Jehovah? Then Shirley would like to help you! Please contact her via her site at http://www.shirleycheng.com and she would be more than glad to do her best to answer your questions! Never hesitate to ask questions, for no question about the Bible is ever too small or stupid.