If the Bible cannot be trusted, how can its message be taken seriously? This is an essential question for any one who is seeking the truth. When we explore the mountain of evidence, we find strong reasons to believe that the Bible has been preserved accurately, just as God Himself has promised.
1. What Did God Promise About His Own Word?
The Bible consistently claims to be the inspired Word of God and affirms that God’s message will be preserved. In Matthew 24:35, Jesus says:
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Similarly, in the Old Testament, Psalm 119:89 declares:
Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
In Isaiah 40:8, it says:
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.
These statements are not mere claims; they are assurances that God, who is all-powerful, safeguards His Word for future generations.
If God has the power to create and sustain the universe, it logically follows that He has the power to fully preserve His Word.
Trusting God’s ability to protect His Word is consistent with believing in His sovereignty and faithfulness. If you can't trust these fundamental promises, how can you trust God at all?
2. The Manuscript Evidence
One way to determine whether the Bible has been changed is by examining the manuscripts—the ancient copies of the biblical texts. Scholars have discovered thousands of manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments.
- For the New Testament, we have over 5,800 Greek manuscripts, some dating as early as the 2nd century A.D.
- For the Old Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls (discovered in 1947) include copies of Old Testament books that date back to the 3rd century B.C.. When scholars compared these scrolls with the Masoretic Text (the standard Hebrew Bible used today), they found these scrolls match the texts we have today with remarkable accuracy. The consistency confirms that the Old Testament has been faithfully copied for over 2,000 years.
The claim that the Bible has not been changed or corrupted is not merely based on blind faith, but on the vast manuscript evidence available to us. Any scholar is welcome to check and compare. If corruption had occurred, we would expect to see major differences between these early manuscripts and the ones we have today, but we do not.
In fact, the Bible has more manuscript evidence than any other ancient document ever existed.
3. Copying Errors vs. Corruption
It’s true that minor variations, known as “textual variants,” exist among the thousands of manuscripts. These variations are primarily small copying mistakes, such as differences in spelling, word order, or the use of synonyms. However, over 99% of these variants have no impact on the meaning of the text. For example, a scribe might write “Jesus Christ” instead of “Christ Jesus,” but this does not change the message.
These errors are easily identified by comparing the thousands of manuscripts because they are still available today for any one to examine and compare. The remaining variants are carefully studied by scholars using a science called textual criticism. By comparing the thousands of manuscripts, scholars can identify and correct these errors, bringing us as close as possible to the original wording.
Importantly, these minor variations do not change the meaning or message of the Bible. The core teachings—about God’s character, Jesus’ life, teachings, death, and resurrection, and most importantly our salvation—remain consistent throughout.
4. The Role of the Early Church
The early Christians took the preservation of Scripture very seriously. The teachings of Jesus and the apostles were seen as sacred and authoritative, deserving careful handling. Early church leaders, such as Clement of Rome and Ignatius, quoted large portions of the New Testament in their writings, some of which date to the late 1st and early 2nd centuries.
In fact, they quoted the Bible so much that even if we had lost every manuscript of the New Testament today, we could still reconstruct nearly the entire text from these early quotations.
These early citations serve as an additional layer of verification. They show that the content of the New Testament we have today is the same as what the early church believed and preserved.
If changes had been introduced, they would have been evident in these writings. Yet, the message remains consistent, reinforcing the reliability of the text.
5. What About Changes in Translation?
No two languages are identical, making perfect translation impossible. Even the world’s best translators cannot fully capture the style and nuance of Shakespeare’s works. Yet, this doesn’t hinder our ability to access or understand Shakespeare’s original works at all!
Some people worry that the Bible has been corrupted through translations into different languages. While translations can vary based on word choices, they are all based on the earliest and most reliable manuscripts available. Modern translations are carefully checked and compared with the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic texts.
Furthermore, the existence of multiple translations (such as the NIV, ESV, or King James Version) actually helps protect the Bible’s message. Many Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic words can carry multiple meanings and can be translated differently. By comparing different translations, readers can get a clearer understanding of the original meaning. This transparency prevents any single group from altering the text.
It’s also important to note that differences in translation do not equate to corruption. They reflect the challenge of conveying meaning across languages, not an intentional change of the message. Since no two languages in the world are the same, translations do have their own limitations.
While this is inevitable, it does not affect the validity of the Bible because we still have access to thousands of the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts for us to cross-check.
6. How Does the Bible Compare to Other Ancient Texts?
When we compare the Bible to other ancient writings, the evidence for its reliability is overwhelming. For example:
- The writings of Plato survive in only 7 manuscripts, the earliest of which is from 1,200 years after he lived.
- The works of Homer’s Iliad have about 1,800 manuscripts, with a gap of 500 years between the original and the copies.
- The Quran: Including partial manuscripts and major fragments, there are only several dozen significant examples from within the 7th to 10th centuries. However, for near-complete manuscripts, the number is fewer than 10 within 500 years of Mohammad's life.
In contrast, the Bible has thousands of manuscripts with far shorter gaps between the originals and the copies.
No other ancient document is as well-documented or preserved. If we choose not to trust these thousands of ancient manuscripts, we'll just need to reject all other ancient documents in history as well.
7. The copying of the Bible as a global 'blockchain'
The process of copying the Bible in ancient times shares some intriguing similarities with the concept of blockchain technology. Both rely on distributed verification, cross-checking and transparency to ensure accuracy and prevent corruption.
In blockchain, data is recorded in a distributed ledger across multiple nodes (computers). If one node tries to alter the data, the discrepancy is immediately detected because the other nodes retain the original record.
Likewise, the Bible was copied and distributed widely across different regions. Copies were made in places like Rome, Egypt, and Asia Minor, by different scribes working independently. This widespread distribution made it impossible for any one person or group to alter the text without those changes being identified in comparison to other manuscripts.
In blockchain, each new transaction links to the previous one, creating a chain of trust. Similarly, each new Bible copy was based on previous copies, with scribes meticulously preserving the text. If a mistake or alteration occurred, it could be identified by comparing it to the thousands of other chains of copying made by other scribes in other parts of the world.
This system of checks and balances ensured the integrity of the Bible, especially when we have thousands of preserved manuscripts copied from different periods in history and and in different regions of the world. Just as blockchain resists tampering through decentralization and public verification, the Bible’s widespread copying and distribution also helped preserve its accuracy and authenticity over time.
Why This Matters
The question of the Bible’s reliability is crucial, and the evidence strongly supports that the Bible has been preserved accurately over the centuries.
If you are genuinely seeking the truth, I encourage you to read the Bible with an open mind. Consider its claims, investigate its message, and decide for yourself. You might discover that the Bible not only withstands scrutiny but also offers a life-changing encounter with the God who loves you.
