The Bible is true because it says it’s true!! Right?

A poster in an atheist, Fakebook group recently made the following statement:

Ever heard this? “The Bible is true because it’s the Word of God… and we know it’s the Word of God because the Bible says so.”

That’s Circular Reasoning — a logical loop that never leaves the starting point.

Example:

> “All Scripture is God-breathed…” (2 Timothy 3:16)

This verse is often used to “prove” the Bible’s divine origin… by quoting the Bible itself. It’s like a used car salesman saying, “Trust me, this car is perfect — just look, it’s written right here on the bumper sticker.”

Real evidence doesn’t need to refer back to itself to be convincing — it can be tested, examined, and confirmed from outside sources. If your proof is just “because I said so,” it’s not proof — it’s just repetition.

In other words, this atheist is trying to say, “Christians claim the Bible is true because the Bible says it’s true!”  This is a criticism I’ve seen leveled toward Christians many times.  It’s more of a straw man than a legit criticism, though, because I don’t know any Christian who really says this.  The reality is the exact opposite.  The Bible says it’s true because it IS true!

Let me explain; my name is Bentley.  Really.  That’s my name.  If someone asked me my name, I wouldn’t say my name isn’t Bentley.  I wouldn’t say my name is John Smith.  I wouldn’t say Bentley could be my name.  I would say my name is Bentley!  I’m affirming something that is true.  If I’m being honest, and Bentley is really my name, then you would expect me to confirm that it is.  In that same way, the Bible confirms itself to be true because it is true.  Get it?

Now, if I tried to claim the Bible was true but the Bible itself said that truth cannot be known, then we would have a problem.  If truth cannot be known then anything the Bible says can be suspect.  How would I even know if the statement, “truth cannot be known,” is a true statement?  The existence of absolute truth seems to be an ontological necessity.  To even say, “Nothing can be known absolutely,” is itself an absolute statement.  To claim that truth is relative or that it’s subjective or that truth cannot be known are all self-defeating statements. Here's some irony for you: All arguments against absolute truth only serve to make obvious the reality of absolute truth!

The Bible is true and it confirms itself to be true.  It’s not circular reasoning.  I’m not claiming the Bible is true because it says it’s true.  No one is claiming that.  I’ve tried explaining this to atheists before but they can’t put aside their own, flawed, talking points long enough to understand it.  Please, let’s put that straw man to bed and get on to the real question: How do we know the Bible is true?  If anyone sincerely seeks to know what is true, that is the question he needs to be asking. 

Answering the question, How do we know the Bible is true, is far more challenging than picking apart the straw man argument built by atheists.  I could talk about the number of extant manuscripts and the science of textual criticism; I could talk about the historical certainty of Jesus, His miracles, and His resurrection; I could talk about all the archeological finds that confirm events discussed in the Bible; I could talk about the superior wisdom of the Bible in describing the human experience; or I could talk about my life experience in seeing of the moral correctness taught in the Bible.  All of these things might seem persuasive but we need to be careful about how we conclude the Bible is true.  After all, is the Bible true because some other thing says it’s true?  If that were the case, we may be putting the authority of the other things above the authority of the Bible! The skeptic above revealed that he believed the ultimate authority resides in these other things when he said, "Real evidence doesn’t need to refer back to itself to be convincing — it can be tested, examined, and confirmed from outside sources. "

If the Bible is true, then it is true regardless of anyone else’s opinion.  How can I say, I’ve studied the Bible and found that it's true?  Who am I to give my opinion on the revelation of the Omniscient One?  Let me be clear: I am not the judge of the Bible - the Bible is the judge of me.  I will not say the Bible is true because I judge it to be true!  I am not that proud!

So how do I answer the question?  I’ve struggled to come up with a good illustration so let me tell you how I see it.  This might seem a little far fetched but hear me out.  Don’t laugh until I'm finished.

Does anyone remember the scene from The Karate Kid where Miyagi agrees to teach Daniel karate?  You can watch the scene on YouTube (here) but I’ve transcribed the relevant part:

Miyagi: “First make sacred pact.  I promise teach karate - that my part.  You promise learn.  I say, you do.  No questions.  That your part. Deal?”

Daniel: “Deal.”

As Daniel holds his hand out to shake on the agreement, Miyagi puts a sponge in his hand and tells him to wash and wax the cars.  When Daniel starts to protest, Miyagi cuts him off and reminds him of the agreement.  If Miyagi says it, then Daniel should do it without question. 

If you haven’t seen the movie, you’ve missed a treasure that helped shape the teen experience in the 80s.  That's too bad. Anyway, there was a reason Miyagi had him wax the cars (“Wax on.  Wax off.”).  And it wasn’t just waxing the cars, it was also sanding the floor, painting the fence, and painting the house.  It wasn’t until after Daniel had done all these things that Miyagi’s karate training became apparent.  

But let's back up a little, why did Daniel agree to enter into this “sacred pact” with Miyagi.  Daniel had moved to a new city where he was being bullied by a group of teens from Cobra Kai, the local karate school.  Miyagi was the maintenance man from Daniel’s apartment complex.  One night, as the rowdy teens were violently beating Daniel, Miyagi rescued him and defeated the entire gang single-handedly.  It was after this, that Miyagi agreed to teach Daniel karate and made the sacred pact.  Daniel agreed to do whatever Miyagi said - not because he was the greater authority than Miyagi but because he realized Miyagi was a greater authority than him!

So, now, let’s land this plane.  I don’t know more than the Bible.  Rather, God has given me the ability to reason (Isaiah 1:18) and I have come to realize that the Bible has more wisdom than I have.  It is this realization that has led me to lay down my own authority and submit to the authority of the Scripture.  I didn’t judge the Bible as true by my own arrogance, haughtiness, or pride.  Instead, I yield myself to its commands out of obedience, humility, and meekness.

Consider these words of Jesus:

John 14:21, He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

So you see, when we trust Jesus, He makes Himself known to us.  Jesus said, “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).  When I asked Jesus to be my Savior, I also made Him my Lord.  I don’t always understand His commands.  I don’t always know His plan.  I certainly don’t always obey Him like I should.  Yet the more I try to be obedient, the more I come to see the truth of His promises.  That is how I know the Bible is true.

Once we yield ourselves to God’s word, then the truth of them becomes more obvious.  Just as I was saying above, the truth affirms the truth.  Of course textual criticism affirms the integrity of the Bible, of course archaeology reveals the veracity of the Bible, and of course everything the Bible proscribes is morally correct.  The Bible is true and every light by which we might examine it will show that it is true.