Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes,
our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions,
they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
John Quincy Adams
Many in today’s world want to believe that truth is relative. You’ll hear them say, “What’s true for you isn’t necessarily true for me.”
In the case of taste, that statement may apply. You might love coconut, hard rock music, and skinny jeans ; I do not. And that should be OK. We all have our preferences.
But to understand the absolutes of reality, we must consider the facts and evidence in order to judge rightly and respond accordingly. Truth is truth. And when it comes to our eternal destiny, we cannot risk basing our hopes on untruth, no matter how well-intentioned.
Yet falsehoods frequently masquerade as truth, and have for centuries.
So how are we supposed to know what is right and true concerning our eternal destiny?
Behold the Truth
There’s no getting around the fact that every one of us will die. And though we don’t know the details of what happens next, the Bible is clear: When we trust in Jesus, who took the punishment we deserve for our sins, God graciously grants us eternal life with him in heaven (John 3:16). This is the way he’s established (John 14:6).
But why should we believe the Bible? That‘s a key question every person needs to be able to answer.
Whole books have been written on the subject; I’ve listed a few at the end of this post. But here’s a sample of categories that affirm the Bible is reliable truth, to whet your appetite. And with each I’ve provided just one example or a link to one.
So what facts and evidence prove the Bible is true?
- Thousands of archaeological discoveries verify names and places mentioned in the Bible. Nothing has been found to repudiate any scripture. (One amazing example: When Truth Unfolds.)
- Over 5,000 ancient manuscripts or fragments corroborate the Bible.
- Hundreds of prophecies have come true with 100% accuracy. (Compelling Evidence offers just one set of prophecies concerning one city–all of them fulfilled with mind-boggling perfection.)
- A number of scientific and medical facts mentioned in the Bible have also been proven accurate. One example:
- Over the centuries, millions of lives have been transformed because of Christ’s work within them. (When Love Drove Out Hate tells just one miraculous story.)
But don’t take my word for it. Find out for yourself “the state of facts and evidence.”
Study the photos of archaeological finds. Many are available online.
Learn about fulfilled, biblical prophecies and why the argument that they were written after the fact is provably false. (Read Is the Bible True?/ Fulfilled Prophecy as a good starting point.)
Consider all the scientific and medical facts mentioned in the Bible and how unfolding knowledge over the ensuing centuries has verified their accuracy.
Read biographies of those who hit rock bottom in their lives and how God lifted them up, often in miraculous ways.
We begin to recognize lies
when we know the truth.
Beth Moore, Praying God’s Word, 76
And if we truly seek after God, he has promised, we will find him (Proverbs 8:17).
Believe in the Truth
Many people believe that heaven is earned. If our good deeds outweigh the bad, God will allow us to enter. But that teaching is not in the Bible. And if we’re going to assert the veracity of scripture (which we must, given the overwhelming evidence), then we have to accept:
This is not a matter of taste, choosing our beliefs depending on what we like, as with food, music, or clothing.
This is a matter of life and death.
Now is the time to behold the Truth, believe in the Truth, and belong to the Truth, if you haven’t made that choice before.
You’ll be so glad you did!
If you’re already a Christian, please share in the comment section below about what brought you to accept the Bible as truth and Jesus Christ as the Way to eternal life.
For further reading: The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith, both by Lee Strobel, and Why Should I Trust the Bible by William D. Mounce.
Photo credits: http://www.wikimedia.org; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.jenikirbyhistory.getarchive.net; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.publicdomainpictures.net; http://www.canva.com.
From the Inside Out 
Every jot & tittle is truth. Worthy of clinging to for dear life. Learn the truth & live the truth and find peace.
Blessings
Amen, Loralu! Your few words say much. Looks to me like you have the beginnings of a poem!
Nancy, I was blessed to be raised believing the Bible was true. About the time I was old enough to start questioning it, I heard Josh McDowell tell his story. He had tried to disprove the Resurrection of Jesus and ended up becoming a believer in Christ because of it. Afterwards I bought some cassette tapes (That tell you how long ago it was.), one of which was about the truth of the Bible. It was so good to know that what I had believed all these years had real evidence to back it up. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your experiences, Annie. I too grew up in a Bible-believing family with a strong church community. The story you shared about Josh McDowell is new to me. Interesting and affirming! Years ago as an older child, I saw a filmstrip-with-record (And now I’m dating myself too!) about some amazing archaeological finds that corroborated scripture. It was a faith-strengthening moment for me too. Since then, of course, I’ve heard and read and even seen in Israel much evidence for the biblical record. Once someone starts to examine all the proof, it becomes increasingly difficult to argue it all away!
Excellent, Nancy. Thanks so much.
Thank you for stopping by, Shelley. Praise God you found HIS excellence here!
All one has to do is open his eyes: evidence for God is evident everywhere in creation. The Bible presents life as it really is. It’s not filled with stories about flawless hero’s, rather it tells of weak and flawed men whom God chose to save and use for His glory. It’s all true. You have to be obstinate in your unbelief to not understand. Read Romans chapter one.
Thank you for your faith-affirming comments, Robert. I can tell your faith is firmly planted and rooted in scripture!
Yes. It is an excellent resource!
Please share with us about that, Steve!
First Sis, I’ve really come to like Blaise Pascal and really starting to get into the more “classic” preachers and some of their teaching. Almost 70 and proof “old dogs” can still learn new things!! LOL! But seriously if it wasn’t for the Word of God, I wouldn’t be a Christian. I was raised in a MAJOR religious denomination and just had so many questions since being young. When I met my future brother-in-law in high school we would talk “religion.” I would tell him what the church would say or believe and he would tell me what the Bible said. 1 Timothy 2:5 did the trick and I’ve been trying to serve the Lord since just before my 17th Birthday. What a life, what a journey! (P.S. and because of the WORD, it’s just beginning!). Great message Sis. I love it. God Bless!!
Thank you, Roland. What a wonderful story you have to tell, about you and your BIL–all the way back to high school! I love how it was a specific Bible verse that drew you to accept Jesus as your Savior. And you are so right–this life on earth is just a (short!) beginning to the ETERNITY in heaven we have to look forward to! Praise God!
As a teenager, I had irrefutable evidence (for me) in some changed lives that could only make sense if God changed them. It was way more than their belief system changing them. Then mine was changed. My desires, almost against my will were changed. Then is 45 years of marriage, a really good one, as we have journeyed with God and his word as our foundation. Coincidence? Um…NO
Lives changed for the better by Christ is hard to explain away, especially when one considers the overwhelming number of them. I wonder how many biographies and memoirs have been written about those who did an about-face upon accepting Jesus in to their lives? Surely enough for a library! And that wouldn’t include all the people whose stories were never recorded. Irrefutable evidence for sure! Thank you for sharing your story here, Gary.
I was blessed to have a Mom who led me to the Lord when I was five years old. I distinctly remember kneeling in from of the sofa in our living room and asking Jesus to forgive my sins and come into my heart. I have never had any doubts as to the veracity of God’s Word. As the old saying goes: “God says it; I believe it; and that settles it!”
Your steadiness through difficult circumstances, Cheri, speaks volumes of the strength and wisdom you’ve received from your Heavenly Father–all because Jesus Christ has resided in your heart all these years.
I can’t explain it in a brief comment, but somehow Jesus saw me as a very sad broken 8 year old and drew me to him. I gave my little girl heart to him and started my faith walk. Yes Jesus is the truth. My 67 years of life testify to the truth of his faithfulness even when I was less than faithful. Even in the inevitable valleys. He does not fail. His love endures forever. When you know Him, you know. Perhaps the prayers of a godly Grandma before she passed away shortly after I was born was a catalyst in my salvation. I like to think so. But the truth: nothing compares to the power of Jesus. The great I AM. You gotta know Him to fully understand. Thank you for your excellent post on Truth. So good, Nancy!
Thank you, Benita. My lifetime with Jesus includes similar experience to yours. God has proven himself faithful time and time again, even when I failed him. A person has to “taste and see” (Psalm 34:8) for themselves, don’t they. Then they KNOW!
Amen!
yes lets believe this amazing truth! well laid out, Nancy!
Thank you, Jean! Everything about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit IS amazing! He offers us absolute forgiveness, unfailing love, perfect wisdom, Spirit-enhanced fortitude, implacable strength–to mention a few of his attributes that he brings to bear in our lives. AMAZING indeed!
My faith holds to the solid rock. He never changes while everything around does.
SO much reassurance in that reality alone: Our God never changes. He is ALWAYS good, loving, faithful and more! Thank you, Pam!
I simply can’t read the Bible without being wowed by the deep detail and content from the beginning cover to the end. God included details that seem somewhat trivial but He did so because it matters and it makes it that much more believable. I also love the gospels—how they include the same base stories yet each one may have a slight uniqueness, it’s the idea that the author was able to give account to their own personal experience.
When someone doubts the Bible or God’s existence I can only point them to go read for themselves, I don’t see how someone couldn’t believe it after they dig in.
Great post Nancy!!!
Thank you, Alicia. You are so right: the Bible itself provides evidence for its veracity. One example: though written over 1500 years of time by 40-some authors from all different walks of life, there is unmistakable unity through all 66 books. That’s because “all scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16).
Amen!! Yes there’s an ongoing theme throughout the Bible, pointing to Jesus…and mercy, grace, obedience, love, God’s faithfulness, etc.
This is such a great post, and much needed. I suppose I initially believed because when I was growing up we went to church off and on. So I am thankful that I learned the truth early. However, after having a more solid relationship with the Lord, there are times when I have felt an overflowing feeling of the Lord and I think to myself, “How can this not be real?” Hopefully that makes sense. It is hard to explain how one feels when praising the Lord and seeing His goodness in our lives! But it is magnificent and beyond reason.
You make perfect sense, Bridget! When we “taste and see” what God is like for ourselves, when we put our trust in him and see him work on our behalf, when we pray and feel his presence, we KNOW he is real! He IS magnificent, and what he offers us IS beyond reason!
Yes! “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” Perfect! And thank you! You said that so well. It brings me joy just talking about God’s goodness. ♥️
Hi Nancy,
I was six years old when I accepted the Lord. It was in Sunday School class and I was kneeling in the birthday chair (it had different colors on the spindles,Legs, and seat) My Sunday school teacher leg me to the Lord. As I got older 17 I started studying the Bible and how it came to be 66 books. That all scripture is profitable for instruction, reproof… was certainly true. Thank you Nancy for a thought provoking webblog. 🙂
Isn’t it amazing how much we remember about the moment we invited Jesus into our lives–even though we were very young? And then as teenagers many of us committed ourselves to God, wanting to live his way and for his purpose. Not that I lived up to those promises with perfect submission. But–praise God–he never gave up on me! Thank you for sharing your story, Sam.
Nancy, I loved this. I became a Christian when I was 14, and I was always ready to believe the Bible. My sons, however, struggle with this. Your thoughts give me some good material to encourage them to study and better understand the Bible is truly God’s word to us. Great post!
Thank you, Jeanne. I pray for holy curiosity for my loved ones who haven’t yet accepted Jesus into their lives, that they’ll seek truth instead of blindly accepting what critics say. Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis was an important resource for our son when he began questioning his faith!
Ahhh, thanks for that suggestion! I think we have that book. My sons may really benefit from reading it. 🙂