Can I Trust the Bible?

For some of us, the Bible is intimidating.

For others, it’s incredibly familiar. We know where the books are. We’ve heard the stories. We can quote the verses. But somewhere along the way, our hearts have grown cold toward words we’ve heard hundreds of times.

And sometimes our approach to Scripture falls somewhere in between. We need encouragement, so we open to a random page, find a verse we like, and carry it with us without ever asking what it actually means.

Psalm 119 gives us a different picture.

Throughout its 176 verses, almost every verse points us back toward the Word of God. Scripture is described as God’s law, testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, commandments, righteous rules, and Word.

Why would the longest chapter in the Bible spend so much time talking about the Bible?

Because this is more than just another book.

One Library. One Story. One Savior.

The Bible is a library of 66 books written by more than 40 authors across roughly 1,500 years, multiple continents, languages, cultures, and genres.

There’s law. History. Poetry. Prophecy. Gospel. Letters. Apocalyptic literature.

That can make Scripture more complicated than the inspirational quote we sometimes want it to be. Understanding it takes work. We have to ask what a passage meant to the people who originally received it before asking what it means for us today.

But across all those different books runs one story.

Creation begins good. Sin enters the world and fractures our relationship with God and one another. Throughout the Old Testament, God begins unfolding His rescue. Then the Word becomes flesh.

Jesus comes.

He lives the perfect life we could not live. He takes sin upon Himself at the cross. He rises from the grave, defeating Satan, sin, and death. He sends His people into the world, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and Scripture ends by pointing toward the day when Jesus will reign forever and make all things new.

Different authors. Different generations. Different genres.

One Savior.

But Can We Trust It?

Being remarkable does not automatically make something reliable.

That matters, especially for someone approaching Christianity skeptically.

The sermon walked through the manuscript evidence behind the biblical text and compared the Bible with other works of ancient literature. Thousands of New Testament manuscripts allow scholars to compare copies and study where differences appear. Discoveries such as the Dead Sea Scrolls give similar insight into the transmission of the Old Testament.

That doesn't mean Christians should be afraid of hard questions about Scripture. We should investigate them.

Tim shared that this was part of his own journey. He was once the college student looking for almost any excuse not to attend church. Eventually, desperation brought him into a room where he heard Scripture taught.

Then something changed.

He started reading.

He started studying with other people.

He started sharing Scripture with others.

The skeptic eventually became the pastor standing on a stage teaching the same Bible that once confused him.

Is the Bible Still Relevant?

Maybe your objection isn't reliability.

Maybe it's relevance.

What could an ancient book possibly say to life in Phoenix in 2026?

Quite a lot.

Jesus' teaching addresses anger, lust, money, anxiety, poverty, eternity, relationships, and the way we treat other people.

Scripture isn't afraid of the subjects that make us uncomfortable.

And that discomfort may actually reveal something important.

If an infinite, holy God is speaking to finite, imperfect people, why would we expect Him to agree with everything we already think?

A Bible that simply repeats our preferences back to us cannot transform us.

But Jesus can.

More Than “Read Your Bible”

The response to all of this isn't guilt.

It isn't simply walking away thinking, “I guess I should read my Bible more.”

The invitation is bigger.

We get to know God through His Word.

We get to study Scripture together. We get to ask questions. We get to teach it to our kids. We get to wrestle with difficult passages alongside people from different generations. And as God changes us through His Word, we get to pour what we're learning into someone else.

That's discipleship.

So wherever you are, start.

Open the Bible. Join a group. Ask questions. Study with someone. Teach what you're learning to another person.

And above everything else, don't stop at loving the Bible.

Let the Bible lead you to love Jesus, the One at the center of its story.