Is the Bible real? Some claim it’s been rewritten and reworked to control people. Others argue that Jesus never claimed to be God, or that his story was exaggerated centuries later. With all that noise, how can we know what’s true?
That’s exactly what The Evidence podcast explores in its second episode. If you’ve ever wondered how we can know the Bible is true and trustworthy, you’re not alone. There are real answers worth considering.
Common myths about the Bible
One of the biggest hurdles to trusting the Bible is the cloud of conspiracy theories surrounding it. Some of the most common include:
- The Council of Nicaea chose which books to include—and edited out others for political reasons.
- Jesus' divinity was a late invention, added long after he died.
These ideas might sound compelling at first, but they don’t hold up under historical scrutiny. So how do we know the Bible is true when these myths keep circulating? The best place to start is by understanding how the Bible actually came together.
How the Bible actually came together
One of the biggest misconceptions is that the Bible was written centuries after Jesus lived. In reality, many of the New Testament writings began circulating just 20–30 years after his death. That’s incredibly fast by ancient standards!
People passed down these texts both orally and in writing. This was common and highly respected in ancient Jewish culture.
And these writings spread rapidly. Over 25,000 ancient copies of the New Testament exist, far more than any other ancient text. Historians use manuscript evidence to determine authenticity. The Bible has more of it than Homer, Plato, or Caesar combined!
Some skeptics point to “errors” in ancient manuscripts. In reality, the majority are minor, like spelling differences or word order. None of them change the meaning of any core belief. The historical facts contradict the idea that the Bible was drastically edited over time.
Why the Gnostic Gospels weren’t included
You may have heard of books like the Gospel of Thomas or the Gospel of Judas. People often refer to these as the “Gnostic Gospels.” Some people argue that church leaders unfairly excluded these books from the Bible. But a close look reveals why the committee excluded them.
First, they were written much later, long after the original eyewitnesses had died. Their content is often bizarre or inconsistent with the rest of Scripture. (One even describes a talking cross that walks out of the tomb on Easter morning.)
The early church used four main criteria when determining which books belonged in the Bible:
- Apostolicity (Was it written by an apostle or close companion of Jesus Christ?)
- Consistency (Does it align with the rest of Scripture?)
- Antiquity (Was it written close to the events?)
- Widespread Use (Was it recognized and used by the early church?)
The Gnostic writings failed on all four.
Think of it like Star Wars. The original trilogy has a clear tone and vision. If someone wrote a spin-off today claiming it was part of the original, it’d be obvious it doesn’t fit.
That’s how the early Christians viewed these extra texts. They knew which stories had roots in real events and which didn’t.
The Bible’s trustworthiness isn’t a blind leap
Is the Bible real? Yes. How do we know the Bible is true? Because its origins are rooted in history, its claims were recorded by eyewitnesses, and its message has been preserved through the most rigorous manuscript tradition in ancient literature.
Of course, skepticism is natural. Asking questions is healthy. But the evidence holds up. The Bible wasn’t thrown together in secret—it was copied, spread, studied, and preserved across cultures and centuries. And it continues to change lives today.
Don’t just speculate—read it for yourself. You might be surprised by what you find!
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With so many translations of the Bible—New International Version, English Standard Version, and of course King James to name a few—how do we know which one is the most accurate?
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