Ever been in the middle of sharing the Gospel with someone when they suddenly interrupt you with, “But how do you even know that the Bible is true? Didn’t men just write that book? How can you be sure it hasn’t been changed over the centuries?” These questions can catch you off guard, especially when you’re passionate about sharing Christ but haven’t thought deeply and learnt about how we actually received the Scriptures.

This week we have discussed why we need to contend and learn about our faith, we have answered the question “Is God real?” and explained why bad things still happen although God is good. Today, we’re presenting a positive case for the Christian truth claim that the Bible is true. But first, we must address the fundamental question: How did we receive the Bible?

2 Timothy 3:16-17
New King James Version
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The word “inspiration” here means “God-breathed”, showing us the divine origin of the Bible.
This creates an issue for certain people because they can’t seem to fathom the idea that God wrote a book that fell from heaven for men, or that God was dictating to men who simply wrote down His words verbatim. These people end up believing that the Bible is just human effort, and so they don’t trust it because if humans wrote the Bible, how can we say it’s from God?

But the process of inspiration is not really what either extreme suggests. Let’s examine exactly how the Bible was given to us.

2 Peter 1:21
New King James Version
21 For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

This means that prophecies were not brought forth by human will, but men were moved to utter them by the Spirit. The word “moved” here means “to be borne along,” like a ship that has lost control on the sea and is controlled by the wind.
The human authors retained their personalities, vocabularies, and writing styles, but they were carried along by the Holy Spirit to write exactly what God intended.

When we look at the Bible, we have to see the full inspiration of God working through human instruments. Even Jesus Himself, who is the express image of God, recognized the authority of these books and validated their divine origin.

Matthew 5:17-18 
New King James Version
17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Jesus didn’t discredit the Old Testament scriptures or complain about textual corruption or lies in the scriptures. Instead, He validated them, testified of their truth, and declared that not a single word of what was written would remain unfulfilled. This is powerful proof of the integrity of the Old Testament — Jesus Himself read these scriptures and didn’t complain of their reliability.

Let’s break down how the books of Scripture came to us. The Old Testament consists of three main sections.

First, we have the Torah, which are the first five books of Moses. These foundational books were passed down from generation to generation orally in an unbroken chain until their contents were finally committed to writing. The children of Israel sang songs and told stories, preserving these divine revelations through careful memorization until Moses recorded them under divine inspiration.

Next, we have the Neviim, which are the books of the prophets. This section includes books like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophetic writings. The prophets spoke as they were divinely inspired by God, often receiving visions, dreams, and direct revelations. In these books, you see incredible prophecies about the life of Jesus written hundreds of years before He was born. These detailed predictions about the Messiah’s birth, ministry, death, and resurrection are proof of their divine inspiration.

Finally, we have the Ketuvim, which are the poetic and wisdom books like Psalms, Proverbs, and other writings. The Psalms, for example, were inspired by God through David and other psalmists who poured out their hearts in worship, prayer, and prophetic declaration under the Spirit’s guidance. And we see a lot of these texts quoted in the New Testament which shows their validity.

The New Testament follows a similar pattern of divine inspiration through human authors.

The Gospels tell the story of Jesus’ life on earth as recorded by certain disciples and close followers. Matthew, Mark, and John were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ ministry, while Luke carefully interviewed eyewitnesses and compiled his account under divine guidance. Each Gospel tells the singular story of Jesus’ birth, rising influence, ultimate death, and resurrection, but includes different stories of His teachings and acts throughout His life, providing a complete picture from different perspectives.

The book of Acts relates the actions and teachings of the various apostles after Jesus’ death and resurrection, showing how the early church was established and how the Gospel spread throughout the known world.

Then we have the Epistles, which are the inspired writings of the apostles and followers of Jesus, addressing practical issues in the early church while revealing deep theological truths.

Finally, Revelation was written by John based on supernatural visions he received while exiled on the island of Patmos.

This is the breakdown of the entire Bible, and every single book was inspired by God through human authors who were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Luke 24:27 
New King James Version
27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Jesus expounded all things in Scripture concerning Himself. The scriptures then was just the Old Testament, and Jesus showed Himself through this; this means that the focus of the entire Bible is Jesus Christ. Every single book of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, points to Jesus.
Hence, we can come to the full conclusion that the central theme of the Bible is Jesus Christ.

The Bible is a compendium of the plan, the provision, and the announcement of salvation. In the Old Testament, there was a plan for salvation revealed through types, shadows, and prophecies. In the Gospels, we see the provision of salvation through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. In Acts and the Epistles, we see the announcement and application of this salvation plan to all nations.

The remarkable unity of Scripture across centuries and cultures, its fulfilled prophecies, its historical accuracy, its transformative power, and its central focus on Christ all testify to its divine origin.

So, finally, the Bible isn’t just a collection of religious writings; it’s the inspired, authoritative, and completely reliable Word of the living God.

After this week’s devotionals, you now have the tools to engage skeptics, answer difficult questions, and remove intellectual barriers to the Gospel. The question is: will you use them? Will you step out of your comfort zone and into conversations where your faith might be challenged? Will you be ready when someone asks you to give a reason for the hope that is within you?

Don’t let this week’s learning become mere head knowledge. Let it transform you into a confident, equipped defender of the faith who can contend earnestly without compromising love, who can answer hard questions without losing heart, and who can stand firm in truth while extending grace to those who seek it.

Prayer Point
Lord, give me wisdom to defend the Bible’s truth and authority when it’s questioned, and let Your Word transform my life daily. Thank You for equipping me this week to contend for the faith with both knowledge and love. I commit to being an active defender of Your truth, ready always to give an answer for the hope within me.