The most important question any Christian should be able to answer is why we choose to believe the Bible. The standard fallback answer given by many is “I was raised that way”. The problem with this sentiment is that many things that we were raised to believe turned out to be false. For example, our parents told us if we went outside with wet hair, we would catch a cold. As adults we learned that a cold is a virus.
Another answer often given is “I tried the Bible and it worked for me.” This answer certainly opens up a huge logical hole when based on a personal experience. Malcolm X changed his life, he tried the Nation of Islam and it “worked for him”. He later denounced his beliefs in Islam and was killed for it. What about the changed life of a Mormon or a Jehovah Witness.
Our response, as Christians, should sound something like this…
“I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents, written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses, reporting supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed their writings are Divine in nature and not of human origin.”
Dr. Voddie T. Baucham, Jr., Dean of the School of Divinity at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia
