Ask the average Christian if he or she believes the Bible and you will probably hear a resounding YES!  However, probe a bit further and you will find that this belief is flimsy at best.  Press the person on the issue by asking why, and you will probably hear one of a handful of pat answers on which many have come to rely.  Some will say, “I believe the Bible because I was raised that way.”  Others will be honest and say, “I don’t know why; I just do.”  Many, however, will exclaim, “I believe the Bible because I tried it and it worked for me.”  

 

Wrong Answer

 

This last group represents a growing number of Christians who have succumbed to the pressure of Postmodern/Post-Christian ideology prevalent among many of today’s young adults.  According to contemporary thinking, experience is the ultimate test of reality, and the individual is the arbiter of truth.  Thus, the most authoritative answer many young Christians believe they can give is, “I’ve tried it and it works for me.”  There are two major problems with this answer as it relates to the defense of our belief in the authenticity and historicity of the Bible.

 

First, this answer leaves a logical hole big enough to drive a Mac truck through.  If “it worked for me” is the only criterion for the veracity of truth claims, then anyone who has ever experienced positive life-change can say that their source of truth is as valid as the Bible.  For example, the alcoholic who hasn’t had a drink in ten years because he chose the light post outside of his window as his “Higher Power” can now say that his light post is as valid as the Bible because “it worked for him.”  The logical dilemma should be obvious.

 

Second, this answer falls short of the biblical mandate to give a “reasoned response” to anyone who asks us the reason for the hope we have within (1 Peter 3:15).  The Greek word Peter employs here (apologia) means to give a well-reasoned, verbal defense of one’s position.  Unfortunately, “I tried it and it worked for me” is not very well reasoned.  In fact, this answer completely ignores reason and is based solely upon experience.  That is not to say that experience is necessarily invalid or unimportant.  However, experience must never lead the way.  Our experiences, as in the case of the aforementioned alcoholic, can lead us astray.  Not to worry, though, there is a better way.

 

A Better Answer

 

I believe the best answer to the question, “Why believe the Bible” actually came from Peter, himself.  Who better to give a defense of the Bible than the man who admonished all believers to give an answer for their faith?  In the first chapter of 2 Peter, The apostle offers a cogent, winsome and memorable argument.  I have distilled Peter’s argument down to a one-paragraph answer that I give whenever someone asks me why I believe the Bible:

 

I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents, written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses.  They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies, and they claim to be divine rather than human in origin.  

 

This answer is a summation of Peter’s argument, but it captures the essence of his defense of the validity and historicity of the Bible.  More importantly, since it is a summation of a biblical passage (1 Peter 1:16ff), we can easily memorize it and refresh our memory by reviewing the text.  Moreover, if we believe that the Bible is the Word of God, we also believe that any argument born of faithful exposition will be powerful and effective.  This answer doesn’t negate our need for the Spirit’s power (since only He can change the heart of man), but it definitely meets Peter’s mandate.

 

So, the next time someone asks you what they can say to that professor who despises Christianity, or that classmate, family member or coworker who continues to stump them with annoying questions that they can’t answer.  Think twice before you suggest the old reliable, “I tried it and it worked for me” defense.  I think there may be a better answer.