140. Is the Bible the Word of God? Can We Trust Scripture Today?

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What if the most ancient book still holds the most relevant truths for today? Welcome to a candid exploration of the Bible's credibility and significance in our skeptical, noisy world.

We're diving straight into the challenging question many believers and seekers face: Is the Bible truly God's word, and can we trust it? This isn't just theological curiosity—it's the bedrock question that determines how we navigate life, faith, and truth in a world overflowing with competing voices.

The evidence might surprise you. From the remarkable manuscript preservation (over 5,800 Greek New Testament manuscripts) to the mathematical impossibility of Jesus fulfilling hundreds of specific Old Testament prophecies by chance, the Bible's reliability stands on solid historical ground. Consider how 40+ authors across three continents, spanning 1,500 years, produced a single, coherent narrative about God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ. That's not coincidence—it's divine inspiration.

But reliability only matters if it's relevant. While TikTok therapists and trending podcasts offer fleeting wisdom, Scripture addresses the timeless questions at the core of our humanity: Who am I? What's my purpose? Where will I find true hope? As Rebecca shares, "You don't need a trending podcast to tell you how to live. You need the voice of the one who made you."

Whether you're questioning Scripture's authority, rediscovering its power, or seeking deeper understanding, this episode offers thoughtful insights without judgment. We conclude with four reflective questions to help you examine your relationship with the Bible and practical next steps for engaging with God's living word. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ—will you listen?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Hello and welcome to the Radiant Mission Podcast.
My name is Rebecca Toomey andwe are in a special series right
now called Coffee Talk, wherewe are really diving deep into
some big questions and we arediving into our faith and I hope
that this series has beenencouraging to you.
I hope this episode isencouraging to you.
If you're loving it, shoot me amessage and if you're not

(00:56):
loving it, shoot me a message.
I would love to know yourthoughts on this series so far.
So today's question, it isfoundational Is the Bible the
word of God and, moreimportantly, can we trust it?
Today there are a lot ofopinions in this world.

(01:16):
There's a lot of self-helpadvice, a lot of spiritual noise
, and the Bible is oftendismissed as outdated noise.
And the Bible is oftendismissed as outdated, altered
or even irrelevant.
Some will say it's just acollection of ancient writings
with no real authority, andothers question how we know it's

(01:38):
even accurate anymore.
But if you're a follower ofJesus, this question isn't
optional, it's essential.
So let's talk today about theBible.
Where did it come from?
How do we know it's reliableand why it remains the living,

(01:58):
authoritative word of God?
All right, so let's dive rightin.
Let's look at what scriptureclaims about itself first of God
.
All right, so let's dive rightin.
Let's look at what scriptureclaims about itself first of all
.
2 Timothy 3, 16 through 17 saysall scripture is God-breathed
and is useful for teaching,rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness.

(02:19):
Hebrews 4, 12 says the word ofGod is alive and active, sharper
than any double-edged sword.
The Bible doesn't claim to be ahelpful book of morals.
It claims to be God's own word,inspired by the Holy Spirit and
living in power.

(02:40):
Jesus affirms the authority ofscripture repeatedly.
In Matthew 5.18, he said not asingle jot or tittle will pass
from the law until all law isfulfilled.
This means that even thesmallest part of the law, as
insignificant as a letter or astroke of a letter, will not.

(03:02):
Jesus referred to scripture asthe truth, and if Jesus believed
it, then we should too.
Next, we're going to talk aboutwho wrote the Bible and how it
was preserved.
So the Bible isn't just onebook.

(03:24):
It's 66 books and it waswritten by over 40 authors on
three continents over the spanof 1500 years.
And yet it tells one unifiedstory From Genesis to Revelation
.
It's about God's plan to redeemhumanity through Jesus Christ.
How is that possible?

(03:46):
Because while the Bible waswritten by human hands, it was
inspired by the Spirit of God.
2 Peter 1.21 says For prophecyhad its origin in human will.
But prophets, though, human,spoke from God as they were
carried along by the Holy Spirit.

(04:08):
And when it comes topreservation, the manuscript
evidence for the Bible isoverwhelming.
To preservation, the manuscriptevidence for the Bible is
overwhelming.
We have over 5,800 Greekmanuscripts of the New Testament
, tens of thousands of earlytranslations and quotes from
church fathers and the Dead SeaScrolls that prove the accuracy

(04:28):
of the Old Testament text.
Like Isaiah, nearly identicalafter thousands of years.
The Bible is not onlyspiritually powerful, it's
historically reliable, whichbrings us to fulfilled prophecy.
One of the strongest argumentsfor the divine nature of the
Bible is fulfilled prophecy.
The Old Testament containshundreds of prophecies about the

(04:51):
coming Messiah.
Old Testament contains hundredsof prophecies about the coming
Messiah and Jesus fulfilledevery single one.
Here are some examples Born ofa virgin Isaiah 714.
Born in Bethlehem Micah 5.2.
Rejected by his own peopleIsaiah 53.3.
Pierced for our transgressionsIsaiah 53.5.

(05:13):
53.3,.
Pierced for our transgressionsIsaiah 53.5,.
Crucified between criminalsIsaiah 53.12,.
Buried in a rich man's tombIsaiah 53.9,.
And resurrected Psalm 16.10.
And in John 5.39, jesus saidthese are the very scriptures

(05:36):
that testify about me.
This isn't coincidence, youguys.
This is confirmation.
Only God could inspire prophecycenturies in advance and
fulfill it perfectly.
So is the Bible still relevanttoday?
Yes, of course.
More than ever, the Biblespeaks to our identity, our sin,
our purpose, our hope.
It answers the questions thatour souls are asking.

(05:57):
And while culture changes,god's truth does not.
Isaiah 40, verse 8, the grasswithers, the flower fades, but
the word of our God standsforever.
Psalm 119, 105.
Your word is a lamp to my feetand a light to my path.

(06:18):
You don't need a trendingpodcast or a TikTok therapist to
tell you how to live.
You need the voice of the onewho made you.
So why do so many people rejectthe Bible?
Well, because the truth isoffensive, convicting and it's

(06:39):
powerful.
Hebrews 4.12 tells us thatscripture cuts deep.
It reveals motives and exposessin.
That's uncomfortable in a worldthat says live your truth.
But the Bible doesn't give usour truth.
It gives us God's truth.
It gives us God's truth Jesussaid in John 17, 17,.
Sanctify them by the truth.

(07:01):
Your word is truth.
If we want to grow, we can'tavoid the word of God.
We need it open, we need tostudy it and we need to let it
shape us.
As we close today, I'm going toleave you with a few reflection
questions to consider this week.

(07:22):
First, do I treat the Bible asGod's living word or just good
advice?
Second, have I built my beliefsaround scripture culture?
Number three what's one verseor chapter I can dig into this
week to go deeper?
And number four do I believeGod still speaks through his

(07:42):
word today?
Thank you so much for joining mefor this episode of Coffee Talk
.
Yes, the Bible is the word ofGod.
It is trustworthy, it isrelevant, it's alive and it's
powerful, and through it God canspeak and will speak directly
to your heart.
If this episode was encouragingor it challenged you, please
share it with someone who needsto be reminded that the truth

(08:04):
still exists and it's found inthe word of God.
And if you missed earlierepisodes in this Coffee Talk
series, definitely check thoseout.
Episode 139, are Demons Real?
And episode 138, is Satan RealAre great to explore more of the
unseen spiritual battle thatmany of us are up against.

(08:25):
Thank you for tuning in and forbeing on this journey and if
you'd like to stay connectedoutside the podcast.
You can do so by joining themission on instagram, at the
radiant mission, on facebook atthe Radiant Mission Podcast, or
on YouTube by searching for myname Rebecca Toomey, t-w-o-m-e-y
.
And today I am going to closewith Romans 10, 17.

(08:46):
Faith comes by hearing, andhearing by the word of Christ.
Wishing you a radiant week andI'll see you next time.
Bye everyone.