The Bible makes a claim to being the very word of God – not just containing the words of God, but being the perfect revelation of God Himself. The Bible says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). The phrase “God said” occurs over 3800 times in the Old Testament alone. The apostle Paul calls the Scriptures “the oracles of God” in Romans 3:2. The author of Hebrews calls God’s word “living and active” in Hebrews 4:12. Jesus Himself recognized the absolute authority of the Old Testament and submitted His life to it. In John 10:35, He said, “the Scripture cannot be broken.”
How can we know for sure that the whole Bible really is the word of God? Here are 5 lines of evidence that confirm the divine inspiration of Scripture:
1. The testimony of Jesus
Jesus directly affirmed the authority of the Old Testament and indirectly affirmed the New Testament. In Luke 24:44, He said, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” This covers the entire Old Testament canon which existed in Jesus’ day. Jesus viewed these Scriptures as the very words of God (cf. Matt 15:3, 6).
By promising His apostles that the Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth after His departure (John 16:13), Jesus endorsed what the New Testament would eventually teach as well. The New Testament writers later understood themselves to be inspired by God in the same way as Old Testament writers (cf. 1 Thess 2:13).
2. The claims of Scripture about itself
The Bible repeatedly claims to be the very word of God. In addition to 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21 says, “no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The human writers did not invent the message, but were given the message by God’s Spirit. Paul confirms this in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, “when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God.”
Some books of the Bible directly state they are the words of God, such as the books written by the prophets. Over and over we find the phrase, “Thus says the Lord”, followed by a message spoken on behalf of God in the first person (cf. Isa 1:11, Jer 1:4, Hag 1:5, Zech 1:3, Mal 1:2). The historical and poetical books also claim to record the very words and works of God (cf. Judg 3:4, 1 Sam 10:18, 1 Chr 17:3, Ps 36:1, Prov 30:5-6).
3. The unity of Scripture
The Bible is not just a random collection of religious books, but a unified story from beginning to end. From Genesis to Revelation, one consistent message unites the whole – God’s glorious plan to redeem mankind from the Fall. There is one coherent narrative across all 66 books containing many themes like God’s holiness, justice, sovereignty, mercy, faithfulness, sacrifice for sin, and ultimate triumph.
Though the Bible was written by over 40 authors from different backgrounds over 1500 years, it shows a remarkable internal consistency. This is only possible because the Spirit guided all the authors to contribute to one unfolding story.
4. Fulfilled prophecy
Hundreds of prophecies in the Bible have been specifically fulfilled in history and validated the divine authority of Scripture. For example, the Old Testament contains over 300 prophecies about Jesus Christ alone which were made centuries before His birth – prophecies about His ancestry, birthplace, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection (cf. Ps 22, Isa 53). Every one was precisely fulfilled, confirming that those prophets spoke the words of God.
The Bible also contains many prophecies given to various nations – like Tyre’s destruction in Ezekiel 26 – which were literally fulfilled in later history. The 100% accuracy of biblical prophecy supports the Bible’s claim to be the word of God.
5. The archaeology of biblical history
Over and over, archaeological discoveries have confirmed the trustworthiness of the Bible’s historical accounts. Places, people groups, rulers, buildings, battles described in the Bible which were once doubted have later been verified by archaeological finds. If the Bible’s history is accurate, we can trust its spiritual teachings too.
For example, critics used to deny the existence of Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler who sentenced Jesus to death. But in 1961, archaeologists found an inscription mentioning “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea” at Caesarea in Israel. The Hittites, Horites, and other obscure ancient people groups mentioned in the Bible once were doubted too, but archaeology has confirmed such groups did exist. The biblical accounts are historically reliable.
In summary, we know the Bible is the word of God because of Jesus’ affirmation, Scripture’s own claims, its unity, prophecy fulfillments, and archaeological support. God gave us the Bible so we can know Him. We can trust His word and know it comes from Him.