The Bible is God’s inerrant word to us. Period. While many believers agree with me, some people will say that truth means we don’t need to do anything to defend the Bible. It can stand on its own. After all, it is God’s Word.

God’s Word can stand on its own.  Nowhere in Scripture does the Bible try to prove itself. The assumption—no, the conviction—of the biblical writers was that the Scriptures are true, reliable, trustworthy, and the Word of God.

  • “God​—​his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 18:30).
  • “The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up” (Ps. 19:7-8).
  • “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).

The truth of these verses doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stand up and defend the Bible. To state that more directly, we can defend why we are convinced that the Bible is God’s Word. This is no mere academic exercise; any defense we offer regarding the Word of God is tied to why we live by its truths.

“In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15).

If we don’t live by the truth of God’s Word—if we don’t strive to please God and live in His righteousness—any “defense” we try to offer on why the Bible is God’s Word will fall on deaf ears. Such inconsistency reminds me of the clichéd statement: “What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying.”

So why exactly do you believe the Bible is God’s Word?

Please don’t say “It just is” or “The Bible says it is and that’s good enough for me.” To the skeptic in your family that smacks of blind faith or something you simply choose to believe because it makes you feel good. And when we ask the critical “why” questions, we don’t take ourselves down the path of doubt. In fact, quite the opposite happens: we strengthen our faith.  

I never doubted God’s Word or doubted the Christian faith, but in college, I did begin to ask the “why” questions. Again, this never arose from some unspoken doubt, but I did wonder: I’ve grown up hearing and accepting these truths about the Bible, God, Jesus, and faith, but why do I accept them?

And with that I began to read books on apologetics and defending the faith. People like Josh McDowell and Norman Geisler opened my eyes to the reasons I can believe. My faith grew and my convictions became firm. I attended a secular university, and my convictions of the truth of God’s Word kept me strong.

Would you do the same? Ask yourself the hard questions a skeptic would ask you. It’s important to know what you believe, and it is equally important to know why you believe it. In a culture that says it’s OK to believe anything and hold it as “true for you,” you’ll stand out as someone whose beliefs are solid. Your well-reasoned convictions can be attractive to those whose owns ideas and beliefs are shifting sand. 

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock” (Matt. 7:24-25).

Subscribe to this blog at the top of the page! And encourage others by sharing this post.

For a printable version: click here.

This post supports the study “Do We Need to Defend Our Faith” in Bible Studies for Life.