God’s Word is [the Bible]. God is dependable and faithful. All that He says is accurate. Consequently, the Bible is error-free.
Jesus says we can trust the Bible
The most important thing in the Christian faith is knowing the Lord Jesus. How do we get to know Him? Mainly through the Bible. So to be able to know Jesus, we need to be sure we can trust the Bible. Jesus says we can.
In the beginning of the Bible we read “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). This is a comment by the author of Genesis. But Jesus says that God said these words (Matthew 19:4-5). So the words of the Bible, according to Jesus, are God’s words. They are not just a collection of stories and poetry of people who had an experience with God. The Bible is the product of one mind: God’s. The Bible tells us: trust Jesus. And Jesus tells us: trust the Bible. They confirm each other’s authority.
Jesus showed it
Not only did Jesus teach us that the Bible is inspired by God. He also demonstrated it. He has the greatest authority since he is God’s Son. But Jesus told Satan that He would follow God’s Word when he came to tempt him. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” Jesus declared, quoting Matthew 4:4. Additionally, Jesus gladly died because He understood that this was how the Bible prescribed He should die (see, for example, Matthew 26:24 and 53–56). Since He acknowledged the Bible as God’s Word, God the Son adopted it as His own authority. We can do it too, if Jesus did.
God’s Word for you and me
Jesus affirms that God speaks in the Bible. Then He goes one step further. He teaches that God speaks to us in the Bible. In the Old Testament, God tells Moses “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). But Jesus tells the Sadducees that God says this ‘to you’ (Matthew 22:31). So the Bible is not just God’s words for the people who heard them in the past. The Bible is God’s Word for you and me right now. Therefore it is such a privilege to have the Bible and to read the Bible. It brings such blessing to obey the Bible. For if we accept the Bible as the Word of God, it will be at work in us and change us (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
What about the New Testament?
You might respond, “Jesus was referring to the Old Testament.” How can we be certain that the New Testament is also inspired by God? The Holy Spirit attests to the fact that the New Testament is God’s Word when you read it with a heart that is fixed on God. God’s speech is explained in the New Testament as being not exclusive to the Old Testament. Jesus promised that the disciples will receive additional revelations from the Holy Spirit following His earthly ministry. And in 2 Peter 3:16, Peter referred to Paul’s epistles as “scripture,” or the Word of God.
Trust God
Do not be concerned that the Bible is unreliable due to flowery language, generalizations, other customs involving the quotation of individuals, or other problems. You end up creating your own religion if you reject the Bible’s authority. Put your faith in the Bible as God speaks to you. His message is that everyone who confesses his sins and accepts Jesus Christ as his Savior is eligible for [pardon of sins] and eternal life.
