Is the Bible True?
One of the quiet assumptions most of us carry through life is that truth simply exists. We speak of truth, argue about truth, appeal to truth, and expect truth to hold steady no matter who is speaking or what is being said. But rarely do we stop to ask a more fundamental question:
Why should anything be true at all?
In recent years, even secular thinkers have begun circling this question, recognizing that truth does not stand on its own. It requires a foundation. And when that foundation erodes, truth itself begins to fracture along with culture, morality, and meaning.
Scripture has addressed this long before modern philosophy ever caught up.
Truth Begins With God
The Bible does not present truth as an abstract principle or a human achievement. It presents truth as something rooted in God Himself.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10)
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7)
Notice what Scripture does not say. It does not say wisdom begins with intelligence, education, consensus, or experience. It says wisdom begins with right relationship to God.
This is foundational. According to Scripture:
Truth is not discovered first and then applied to God
Truth flows from God and is revealed to man
Jesus makes this unmistakably clear:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
Truth is not merely something Jesus teaches. Truth is who He is.
Human Reasoning is not Enough
We live in a culture that places enormous confidence in human reason. Science, logic, and experience are often treated as self-sufficient tools for determining what is true. And while these tools are valuable, Scripture is clear about their limits.
Human reason:
Is finite
Is fallen
Is shaped by assumptions we cannot fully prove
Take just one example: the uniformity of nature.
Every scientific experiment assumes that the laws of nature observed today will behave the same way tomorrow. But this assumption cannot be proven scientifically without circular reasoning. We assume uniformity because experience has been consistent. But that consistency itself is the very thing being assumed.
In other words, science depends on faith commitments that science itself cannot justify.
Scripture explains why this works:
God is faithful
God sustains creation
God upholds order
“In Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)
Without God, uniformity becomes habit, not certainty. Order becomes coincidence. Truth becomes provisional.
Revelation as the Necessary Foundation
The Bible presents a simple but uncomfortable reality: either truth is revealed, or it is ultimately unreachable.
If humans must possess exhaustive knowledge to guarantee truth, then truth is impossible. None of us knows everything. We are bound by time, place, perspective, and limitation.
Scripture resolves this dilemma through revelation.
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)
God does not reveal everything but He reveals what is necessary:
Who He is
Who we are
What is right and wrong
What salvation requires
This is why the Bible is not merely informative but is authoritative.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
The Bible does not compete with human reason. It grounds it.
The Bible and the Shape of Culture
It is historically undeniable that Western culture’s laws, moral frameworks, language, and understanding of human dignity was shaped by Scripture. Concepts like:
Human rights
Moral accountability
Justice tempered by mercy
Truth as objective rather than personal
These did not arise in a vacuum.
This does not mean culture worshiped Scripture perfectly. It often failed. But it borrowed heavily from a worldview where:
God exists
Truth is real
Humans are accountable
Meaning transcends the self
When those assumptions are removed, culture does not become neutral. It becomes unstable.
Scripture warned us of this long ago:
“Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)
The result is not freedom, but fragmentation.
More Than Cultural Utility: Living Truth
It is important to say this clearly: the Bible is not merely useful but is true.
The danger of treating Scripture as only a cultural or psychological necessity is that it stops short of the gospel. Christianity does not claim that the Bible merely organizes perception. It claims that the Bible reveals:
A holy God
A sinful humanity
A real cross
A risen Christ
Paul does not argue for Christianity as the best worldview. He proclaims it as historical fact:
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.” (1 Corinthians 15:17)
Truth, in Christianity, is not an idea. It is an event.
Why This Matters Personally
This is not just a philosophical discussion. It touches everyday life.
When truth becomes self-defined:
Morality becomes negotiable
Identity becomes unstable
Meaning becomes fragile
Suffering becomes unbearable
But when truth is grounded in God:
Morality has coherence
Identity has anchor
Suffering has purpose
Hope has substance
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
Conclusion: The Bible as Revelation of Truth
The Bible does not ask to be evaluated as one text among many. It presents itself as God speaking.
It is not merely the precondition for truth in a cultural sense but is the revelation of the God who is truth.
Remove God, and truth collapses inward.
Remove Scripture, and truth becomes untethered.
Receive Christ, and truth becomes living, knowable, and redemptive.
That is not just intellectually satisfying.
It is spiritually necessary.
