Can I Trust the Bible? How Do We Know It's True?

Has the Bible been changed over time? Who decided which books belong in Scripture? And what do we do with the verses we don't fully understand? These are honest questions, and God is not intimidated by them. Working through 2 Peter 1:16-21, we explored why Christians can trust Scripture, and why the deeper issue usually isn't the book at all.

Key takeaways:

• The Bible rests on eyewitness testimony, not invented myths or a game of telephone passed down through generations.
• The biblical canon wasn't created by a committee centuries later, it was recognized because these writings already carried the authority of eyewitness and apostolic testimony.
• Scripture is fully human and fully divine: real people wrote it, carried along by the Holy Spirit.
• Questions about the Bible's reliability often point to a deeper question, can we trust the God who speaks through it?
• Jesus reveals a good, faithful, near God, so we don't have to fear our doubts, we can bring our honest questions and keep listening.

Not a Cleverly Devised Myth

Peter opens by insisting that the apostles did not follow "cleverly devised myths" when they proclaimed the power and coming of Jesus, they were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Christianity was never meant to rest on legend or feeling; it was built on real people who saw, heard, and testified to what actually happened.

How We Know the Bible Wasn't a Game of Telephone

A common objection pictures Scripture like a giant game of telephone, garbled through generations of retelling. But the historical process of preservation and recognition tells a different story. The biblical canon wasn't invented by a committee centuries later; it was recognized because these writings were already carrying the authority of eyewitness testimony and consistent apostolic teaching.

Carried Along by the Holy Spirit

Peter's key phrase is striking: prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but "men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." Scripture is fully human in its writers and fully divine in its origin, not dictated mechanically, but breathed out through real people in real history.

The Deeper Question Beneath the Evidence

Here's the turn that makes this message more than an apologetics lecture: beneath every question about the Bible's reliability is a deeper one, can I trust the God of the Bible when His Word challenges my opinions or confronts my desires? Sometimes it isn't the Bible we struggle to trust. Sometimes we don't trust the God who speaks through it.

Bringing Our Questions to a Good God

The good news is that Jesus reveals the heart of the God who speaks, and He is good, faithful, and near. As the message puts it, "The question isn't whether God has spoken. The question is whether we're willing to listen." Because of Jesus, we don't have to fear our doubts. We can bring our questions, study what we don't understand, and grow in trusting God's voice.

If you're wrestling with doubt, healing from church hurt, or simply want to understand why Christians trust the Bible, this is an invitation to keep asking honest questions, and to keep listening.

Want to keep exploring why the Bible is worth trusting? Read Why the Bible Still Matters, or learn more about what we believe at Love Church.

This post is adapted from a message preached at Love Church San Diego. Watch the full message on our YouTube channel.