There have been a number of books published over the years with titles like, "The Bible as History," and "The Bible in History." For myself, I believe that the Bible is a book of truth. I believe that it is God's word. I believe it is at once a love letter, written to mankind that provides us with a wealth of information to apply to our lives and walk with God, but a lifetime on this earth is not enough to learn the entirety of its contents and apply those contents. The effort to learn and apply those contents however, is vitally important.

Jesus broke things down for us when he said, "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

The Bible is a luxury that was given to us by God. There are those men and women who have never read the Bible and are saved to eternal life, people who have found Christ while imprisoned and tortured. They were given the truth of Christ by others, and lived with love in their hearts for Him and for their own torturers, even going to their deaths, never having read a single printed word of the Bible. This does not diminish the Bible, but rather, confirms its rightful place of importance and significance, demonstrating that what Jesus taught is evident in the lives of those who truly turn to Him out of the world.

There are obviously many who would disagree with my views regarding the Bible. I have often said that the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself. Those in disagreement with me would say that such a statement is no more than simple, circular logic or reasoning. I disagree.

The Bible has an astonishing continuity, and that is because, even though it was written over thousands of years, by some forty different authors, the influence for their writings came from only one source. "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 perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."2 Timothy 3:16,17

That statement alone for me, is reason enough to respect the validity of the Scriptures, but for many it simply isn't enough. For those who feel that way, I would suggest that they look at the whole of the Scriptures, from beginning to end, with an open mind. I say "open mind," because if one goes to examine the Scriptures with an assumption that most of it is myth or legend, it will only prevent one from seeing the "larger picture," that continuity I mentioned, not only of purpose, but of the revelation of God's character and His perfect will for mankind.

No longer can Jesus be credibly dismissed as a mythical figure, just a "wise man" or "moral teacher." He is still called a liar and a lunatic by some, but they are people most often who have not read the Bible for themselves and seen where the "parts fit together," so to speak. That isn't a slam against those who choose that position either.

I had a good talk with a friend of mine who fancies himself to be a sort of Celtic druid. He and I talked about how he viewed Jesus. He told me that he actually has read the Bible a couple of times, but that he regarded it largely as myth. I asked him how he viewed Jesus in light of that position. He didn't deal with whether Jesus was a good teacher or a wise man. He simply dismissed Jesus as a fictional creation from the first century.

If you look at that assumption objectively the Bible just doesn't allow that position to fit though, because of a little thing called predictive prophecy. I didn't bring that up to him though. (laughing here) Since he is a student of history, I called his attention to Josephus and other extra-biblical sources which mention Jesus or His followers. Even most liberal minimalist biblical historians, that would regard the Bible as primarily fiction will acknowledge the actual historical existence of Jesus. That seemed to be enough for my friend. It tends to be enough for a lot of non-believers, because they trust extra-biblical historians and sources instead of the Bible.

That's okay. The acknowledgement of the truth of His existence is a first step toward Him. Perhaps the next step will be toward a thorough examination of God's holy word. You never know. But I do tend to explain to people afterwards in such discussions that predictive prophecy foretold accurately the coming of Jesus, His virgin birth, His place of birth, His mission, His death and His resurrection. When someone questions the accuracy of the Bible, I bring up the confirmation of things in both the Old and New Testaments by modern archaeological finds. The Bible has been doubted and then been shown to have been accurate by these things, time and again.

I've mentioned before that Luke's Gospel account used to be in serious doubt by most scholars whose worldview regarded the Bible as largely fiction. Luke's writings were in doubt also by some biblical scholars who called themselves Christians, but who didn't necessarily hold to the divinity of Jesus. What is more remarkable than that fact is that many of the things they disputed in the Book of Luke and the Book of Acts as inaccurate historically were proven wrong by archaeological finds.

In his writings, Luke named several cities, people and locations that were in doubt for lack of evidence. Archaeological discoveries and advances however, have proven him to have been a very accurate historian. Archaeologist Sir William Ramsey had looked upon the Book of Acts after his schooling in an unfavorable light, "but more recently I found myself often brought into contact with the Book of Acts as an authority for the topography, antiquities, and society of Asia Minor. It was gradually borne in upon me that in various details the narrative showed marvelous truth."

In other words, Sir Ramsey changed his mind when faced with the evidence, and if other scholars were not so convinced as Sir William Ramsey was by his own experiences, the archaeological confirmations of such biblical persons as "Lysanius, tetrarch of Abilene," "Gallio, the proconsul of Achaea," "Erastus," a fellow laborer with Paul for Christ, and Pontius Pilate, have certainly demanded that they change their approach to such a Book, making it much harder for them to dismiss as fiction. Luke's correct usage of governmental titles and his unerring presentation of the names of cities, countries and island locations have convinced most who ever doubted that what they were dealing with was in fact, a historically accurate document. The facts contained in Luke's writings have even caused those who had attached a much later date of authorship to have to revise their estimates.

I don't expect this kind of discussion to really prove Jesus to anyone, but to know that the Bible is accurate is a very telling thing. We should do our best when we can, and when someone is willing to listen, to show them that it is accurate. The proof of our Lord's existence remains a thing that takes place only in the heart. The Bible is meant to be a meeting place for God and the people He created, but so much more than that. It's a wonderful gift, insomuch as He gave it to us, to reveal Himself to us, and to show us His will for us and so many other things. If you are a believer, I encourage you to make a habit of reading it and studying it on a daily basis, and to talk to God about it and wait upon Him.

If you are not someone who claims a belief in Christ, let me suggest that reading the most overwhelmingly well-read and published literary work in all of history would not be a waste of your time. It has influenced the history of the entire world. Why not read it and find out why?