Can I trust the Bible?

Christians are people of faith. Protestant evangelical Christians like me, in particular, are also people of “the book.” For me, the Bible and faith are inextricably threaded together, warp and woof. When someone asks, “Should I trust the Bible?”, I see that as a question of faith. After all, when someone declares, “I believe the Bible.”, that is a statement of faith. This may seem like common sense, but this background of faith is helpful to frame how we would answer questions about the trustworthiness of Scripture.  

In one of his works, C.S. Lewis noted the difference between reading poetry for pleasure and a science textbook for a school assignment. The type of book you hold, and your purpose in reading the book, largely influence how you read it. This is especially true of Scripture. After all, when we consider a book like the Bible (which is a book unlike any other book), we must be mindful of our frame of reference and our interpretive intuitions. We must first ask, how are we to approach the Bible? 

Approaching the Bible

In my tradition, we hold that Scripture was written by men divinely inspired by God. This means that while the authors of Scripture were human, God superintended the writing process so that every word was as He willed.

Second, we also hold that the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to man. That is, God reveals all that is necessary for us to know to be redeemed, serve Him truly, and live obediently. This affirmation of faith is the grounds for studying God’s Word, seeking to understand every passage accurately in light of His divine self-disclosure.

Finally, we believe that Scripture, because God is its author, is both true and trustworthy. As you see, each one of these statements requires faith, and a distinctly Christian faith at that.  

The Reality of the Bible

By being God’s Word, Christians would also assert that reading the Bible awakens us spiritually to the reality of God and ourselves before God. The Bible questions us, as Kevin Vanhoozer argues, by placing us before God and rendering us accountable to God.[1] 

Because of this, we cannot simply come to Scripture and respond with mere intellectual assent to propositions. We cannot merely read Scripture as a fascinating history or narrative. In reading with the “eyes of faith,” the Bible calls us to respond in faith. Such answerability sets Scripture apart from all other books. Indeed, Paul’s words to Timothy call for both response and receptivity.  

“Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”  (2 Tim. 3:16) 

Take Up and Read

As a people of faith, Christians should be motivated to take up and read, especially as every Scripture is both from God and useful for us, as this passage reads. Thus, we come to the Bible humbly, in faith, expecting to learn and be corrected, accepting whatever we may find. As the Bible awakens us and calls us to answer in faith, there is a sense, then, that we do not simply read the Bible; the Bible also reads us.

As John of Damascus, an early Christian apologist, once wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is also assuredly profitable. Wherefore to search the Scriptures is a work most fair and most profitable for souls. For just as the tree planted by the channels of waters, so also the soul watered by the divine Scripture is enriched and gives fruit in its season and is adorned with evergreen leafage, actions pleasing to God. For through the Holy Scriptures we are trained to action that is pleasing to God, and untroubled contemplation. For in these we find both exhortation to every virtue and dissuasion from every vice. If, therefore, we are lovers of learning, we shall also be learned in many things. For by care and toil and the grace of God the Giver, all things are accomplished. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (NET). Wherefore let us knock at that very fair garden of the Scriptures, so fragrant and sweet and blooming.”

– John of Damascus, Orthodox Faith[2]

In turn, the call is to believe what Scripture says with faith. To put it simply, we must take God at His word. Even more, the call is to respond in faith. We must answer the divine address in being faithful witnesses by loving God and living unto God. When someone asks, “Should I trust the Bible?”, that is a question of faith. When someone declares, “I believe the Bible.”, that is a statement of faith. 

[1] Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Mere Christian Hermeneutics, 14. 

[2] John of Damascus, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Volume 4, 1899.

Matt Capps

Matt Capps is the Lead Pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, NC. Matt earned his B.A. at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, an M.Div. with Biblical Languages at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a D.Min. in pastoral theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Ridley College. Matt and his wife Laura have three children.