Seven of the most important questions you will ever ask...

Cont.
6. Is the Bible reliable?
The early Christians didn’t have a "Bible," as we know it. The New Testament wasn’t compiled. There was no such thing as the printing press. Few could read. Their salvation wasn’t dependent upon the owing or even believing the Bible, but upon their relationship with the person of Jesus Christ . They heard a spoken message, believed it, put their trust in the living risen Jesus, and were converted by the power of the unseen God.

That was in the first century. In 1972 AD, I had a similar experience. After I was converted, I picked up a Bible and it confirmed my experience. I was experiencing a peace that I couldn’t understand, and felt clean on the inside. It was as though I was a completely new person. I had a sudden love for God, and couldn’t stop thinking about Jesus and what He had done on the cross. I was amazed to read in Scripture about a "peace that passes all understanding," that if any man is in Christ he is a "new creature," that "the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts," and that the Holy Spirit points the believer to Jesus. Again, the Bible didn’t convert me; it simply confirmed my experience, and became an instruction book for me to know God’s will.

The New Testament was written in Greek, which is a far more complex language than English. The Amplified Bible expounds the original language so that we can understand its true meaning. Here is a key promise from Jesus, translated directly from the Greek:

"The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]" (John 14:21, Amplified Bible)

Believe the Scriptures, and make a habit of reading them every day without fail (see Psalm One for the benefits of a disciplined life). As you obey what you read, Jesus will become very real to you.

When someone tells you the Bible isn’t reliable--that they think they have found a mistake, look into it closely and you will find that they are the ones who have made the mistake.