The Bible stands at the heart of the Christian faith. But this leads to an inescapable question: why should we trust the Bible? Written to help non-Christians, longtime Christians, and everyone in between better understand why God’s Word is reliable, this short book explores the historical and theological arguments that have helped lead millions of believers through the centuries to trust the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Written by pastor Greg Gilbert, author of the popular books "What Is the Gospel?" and "Who Is Jesus?", this volume will help Christians articulate why they trust the Bible when it comes to who God is, who we are, and how we’re supposed to live.
This little book is a fairly short, but excellent, read. The Christians of today's generation often end up believing in God, but they have no idea why or even how to explain their reasons to those who ask. And in our "don't believe everything you read" culture, many are skeptical of the inerrancy and inspiration of the Scriptures. But Greg Gilbert lead the reader through seven chapters answering vital questions regarding the inerrancy of Scripture.
From translation copies and historical reliability to document accuracy and the resurrection, Gilbert skillfully and carefully demonstrates how biblical manuscripts are reliable, accurate, and right. He discusses the question of miracles and testifies to how Christianity is based on the resurrection of Christ. For unbelievers, this book would be extrememly beneficial if they desired to understand the basis for Christianity, as Gilbert logically and methodically answers the main questions people have about Scripture. For believers, this book is a great help in showing us how we might defend our faith to those who question us. Gilbert writes in a simple way while yet tackling difficult arguments, and he enables his reader to understand the information in order to pass it on to others.
Gilbert talks about whether the meaning of Scripture would have been lost through translation from the original languages or whether the Bible was just "copies of copies of copies of copies". He takes his reader through questions such as "Are these really the books you're looking for?" or "Were the authors of the biblical documents deluded or deceived or were they telling us what really happened?"
My favorite chapter was called "So Did It Happen?", which refers to the resurrection. I wished it could have been the last chapter. But like Gilbert says, the book title is "Why Trust the Bible?" and not "Why Trust That Jesus Rose from the Dead?", so the seventh and last chapter concludes that we can indeed trust the documents that have been translated knowing that they are inspired by the Holy Spirit and contain the reason for Christianity and the proof of a resurrected Man. Gilbert also discusses how the resurrection means something from the Old Testament and the New Testament, for both are necessary for a complete picture of the wonder of salvation.
Another great book in the 9Marks series! Check out a review of What is the Gospel?, which is another book by Greg Gilbert in the same series.
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