One of the most common objections to the Bible today is its reliability. While Christians believe the Bible is authoritative and reliable, many non-Christians believe the Bible is too old, written by people hundreds of years after the events, and has been translated too many times for modern readers to know what it initially said.

One issue is the rise of the internet.  Before the internet, writers had to go through several hurdles to publish.1 They would be required to fact-check themselves and cite each source.  Now, anyone can publish anything and call it fact. Anyone active in ministry from 2003 – 2006 remembers the DaVinci code book and movie controversy.  It became common for people to ask if Jesus married Mary Magdalene and then had children. Church leaders had to point out that the book was fiction, but even then, many people believed it true.  Fictional accounts like this have continued to gain more traction.  According to Digital Limelight Media, by the mid-2000s, blogs had become so popular that over 32 million Americans were reading them.2

The rise in online content has created a problem for many who want information that requires proper research. This seems to have developed a sense of skepticism towards any claims. So, when a pastor or any Christian speaks about the Bible, the skeptic will respond that the Bible is not trustworthy. This underscores the crucial need for proper research and fact-checking in the digital age to ensure that the information we receive is reliable and accurate. That brings us to the question of the Bible’s reliability.  Can modern readers trust the Christian scriptures to reveal the person and teachings of Jesus?  While a blog like this does not allow for the space to answer this question completely, certain truths can be mentioned with the hope that you, the reader, will conduct further research. 

The first evidence is that eyewitnesses wrote several books of the New Testament.  The books that eyewitnesses did not write were written while eyewitnesses were still alive.3 Peter wrote a key passage: "For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty (2 Peter 1:16 NASB). While some modern skeptics may reject the Bible as truth, the Bible writers testify about being first-hand eyewitnesses to the events of Jesus’ life.  Blomberg tracks the authenticity of Mark as a gospel writer.  It is commonly held by church tradition that Mark was a translator or interpreter for Peter. It is also widely believed that Mark wrote the first account.  Therefore, Mark would have written what he learned from Peter, a first-hand eyewitness.4

Anyone doubting the reliability of the Bible is highly encouraged to look at the evidence. Multiple sources offer historical reliability, proving the authenticity of our modern translations. To deny the Bible as authentic would be to deny the evidence. The evidence points to eyewitnesses writing what they witnessed and then passing that to the ancient church.  The early church writers spoke in unity as they devoted their lives to the one who died, was buried, and rose again.  As Paul stated, “and He died for all so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf (2 Corinthians 5:15).

1 L. Blomberg Craig, The Historical Reliability of the New Testament: Countering the Challenges to Evangelical Christian Beliefs(Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2016), 35.

2 “The History of Blogging,” Blog, DLM, accessed September 10, 2024, http://dlmconoversion.com/blog/the-history-of-blogging/#.

3 Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2017), 22.

4 Craig, The Historical Reliability, 55.

Bibliography

Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2017.

Craig, L. Blomberg. The Historical Reliability of the New Testament: Countering the Challenges to Evangelical Christian Beliefs. Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2016.

DLM “The History of Blogging.” Dlmconverion.com, accessed September 10, 2024, http://dlmconoversion.com/blog/the-history-of-blogging/#.