The Bible makes enormous claims. It tells us who God is, why the world is broken, who Jesus is, how sinners can be saved and where history is going. Christians build doctrine and seek to shape their lives by it.
But can we trust the Bible? Was it changed over time? Were its books chosen by political leaders? What about contradictions, difficult passages and the fact that human beings wrote it?
Those are fair questions. Christianity need not be afraid of examination; the history of the biblical text is open to investigation.
As a Pentecostal church aligned with Assemblies of God Great Britain, we believe the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, infallible and all-sufficient for faith and practice. That confession does not mean we ignore evidence. It tells us what kind of book we believe the evidence leads us to receive.
What do Christians mean by "inspired"?
Christians do not believe the Bible fell from heaven as a finished volume or that its writers became unconscious instruments.
The Bible is a library of history, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, Gospel, letters and apocalyptic vision. Its writers have recognisable styles and purposes.
At the same time, Scripture says its message comes through the work of God. Second Timothy 3:16 describes Scripture as God-breathed. Second Peter 1:20-21 says the prophets spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Inspiration therefore involves God's sovereign work through real human authors. Their humanity is not a flaw in the process; it is the means God chose. Luke researches and arranges material. David writes from personal anguish and worship. Paul addresses concrete problems in local churches. Through all of this, the Holy Spirit gives the Church God's trustworthy written Word.
Has the Bible been changed over time?
The Bible was copied by hand for centuries before printing. Copyists sometimes made mistakes: a repeated line, an omitted word, a spelling difference or an attempt to make a sentence clearer. These are called textual variants.
That fact can sound alarming until we understand how textual study works.
We do not possess one secret copy that must be trusted without comparison. We have a large and geographically diverse body of manuscripts, early translations and quotations. Scholars compare them openly. The many manuscripts create more variants to count, but also give us more evidence with which to identify the earliest recoverable wording. Most differences are minor; more meaningful ones are usually marked in modern Bible footnotes.
Evidence for the Old Testament
The Dead Sea Scrolls include biblical manuscripts more than a thousand years older than many previously known Hebrew copies. The Israel Antiquities Authority reports that they contain material from every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther.
Some manuscripts closely resemble the later standard Hebrew text; others preserve differences. Together they show substantial continuity and a real history of copying.
Evidence for the New Testament
The New Testament is preserved in thousands of Greek manuscripts and many early translations and quotations. They vary in age, completeness and quality. Textual critics compare age, geographical spread, reading difficulty, scribal habits and the relationships between manuscripts. Modern translations draw on this work.
So has the Bible been changed? If the question means, "Did copying produce any differences?", the honest answer is yes. If it means, "Was the original message lost through an uncontrolled chain of whispers?", the evidence says no. We can identify where the meaningful questions lie, and the central message of creation, covenant, Christ, cross, resurrection and new creation does not depend on a hidden or unique wording found in only one late manuscript.
How were the books of the Bible chosen?
Another popular story says powerful church leaders selected the books centuries later and suppressed alternatives. The actual process was slower, earlier and less dramatic.
The Old Testament Scriptures were received within Israel long before Jesus, and He and the apostles treated them as God's authoritative Word.
The New Testament books were written in the first century and circulated among churches. Paul's letters were shared. Gospel accounts were read. By the second century, Christian writers were already quoting a core collection as authoritative.
The Church did not make a book inspired by voting for it. It recognised writings that carried apostolic authority and had already demonstrated their place in the worship, teaching and life of the churches.
Several questions guided recognition:
Was the writing connected to an apostle or the apostolic circle?
Did its teaching agree with the faith handed down from the apostles?
Was it widely and consistently received among the churches?
Had it proved spiritually authoritative in public worship and discipleship?
Councils later listed the books, largely confirming an established pattern of use. There were discussions at the edges, but the central books were not waiting for an emperor to choose them.
Does archaeology prove the Bible?
Archaeology can confirm places, illuminate daily life, clarify political settings and support or challenge a historical interpretation.
It cannot put inspiration in a display case. A pottery fragment can confirm a city or official; it cannot prove that God raised Jesus from the dead. Christians should welcome archaeology without sensational headlines. An unresolved site is not proof that the Bible is false, and a familiar name is not proof of every biblical event.
What about contradictions?
Some alleged contradictions disappear when we read the text carefully. Two accounts may select different details without denying one another. Ancient writers often arranged material by theme rather than strict chronology. A rounded number is not necessarily an error. A speaker's words can be faithfully reported in summary rather than as a modern audio transcript.
The four Gospels tell one story from distinct perspectives. Matthew highlights fulfilment, Mark emphasises action, Luke explains that he investigated and arranged his account, and John selects signs to make Jesus' identity clear.
Differences are not automatically contradictions. To establish a contradiction, we must show that two statements affirm and deny the same thing, in the same sense, at the same time.
Not every difficulty has an easy solution. Some involve complex questions of language, chronology or manuscripts. Christians should be allowed to say, "I need to study that further."
Why are some passages so difficult?
The Bible comes from cultures distant from modern Britain. A proverb is a wise generalisation, not an unconditional promise. A Psalm may use vivid poetry. Apocalyptic writing communicates through symbols. Old Testament civil laws belong to Israel's covenant setting and must be read in relation to Christ. A letter addresses a real congregation even as the Spirit speaks through it to the whole Church.
Some passages also disturb us morally, particularly those involving war, judgement, slavery or the treatment of women. They deserve patient study, not evasive slogans. We should ask:
What did the text mean in its original setting?
What kind of writing is this?
Where does it stand in the Bible's unfolding story?
How does it relate to the character and work of Jesus?
What truth is being taught, and what response does it require now?
The difficult parts should not be isolated from Scripture's movement from creation and fall, through covenant and promise, to Christ, the Spirit, the Church and the renewal of all things.
Why does Jesus matter to our view of Scripture?
Christians do not begin with a book floating free from history. We begin with Jesus.
Jesus received the Scriptures of Israel as God's Word. He appealed to them in temptation, teaching and controversy. He treated their authority as decisive while confronting interpretations that avoided God's purpose. After His resurrection, He showed His disciples how the Law, Prophets and Psalms pointed to His suffering and glory (Luke 24:25-49).
He also authorised the apostles as witnesses and promised the Holy Spirit would guide them in bearing witness to Him (John 14-16; Acts 1:8). The New Testament arises from that apostolic testimony.
If Jesus is the risen Lord, His view of Scripture must shape ours. We do not worship the Bible; we worship the God who speaks through it. But we cannot honour Christ while treating His Word as disposable.
What does "all-sufficient" mean?
Saying the Bible is all-sufficient for faith and practice does not mean it is an encyclopaedia containing every fact about medicine, engineering or economics. It means Scripture gives us everything necessary to know God's saving truth and to live faithfully before Him.
The Bible is the final written authority by which teaching, prophecy, tradition and spiritual experience are tested. Pentecostal Christians welcome the present work and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Precisely because we welcome them, we need Scripture. The Spirit who inspired the Word does not contradict Himself.
A prophecy should be weighed. A sermon should be examined. A powerful experience should be tested. No leader, trend or private revelation stands above the written Word of God.
How should I read the Bible?
Read prayerfully
Ask the Holy Spirit for understanding and a willing heart. Illumination is not a shortcut around study. It is God's help to receive and obey what He has given.
Read in context
Start with the paragraph, then the chapter, the whole book and its place in the Bible's story. A verse detached from context can be made to say almost anything.
Read with the Church
Personal reading is vital, but Christianity is not a private invention. Learn from mature believers and trusted teachers; questions often become clearer in community.
Read to meet and obey God
Scripture is not given merely to make us informed. It exposes the heart, leads us to Christ and equips us for faithful living (Hebrews 4:12-13; James 1:22-25).
Frequently asked questions
Which English Bible translation should I use?
Use a reliable modern translation you can understand. All Nations Community Church normally uses the NIV UK. Comparing another responsible translation can help when a passage is difficult. A study Bible may be useful, but its notes are commentary, not inspired Scripture.
Why do some Bibles have more books?
Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions differ over the status of several Jewish writings often called the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical books. AoG GB receives the Old and New Testaments excluding the Apocrypha as the inspired, all-sufficient rule for faith and practice.
Do textual variants undermine inspiration?
No. Inspiration describes God's work in giving Scripture. Textual criticism studies the history of its copying. Variants require careful work, but they do not mean the text is unrecoverable or that every reading is equally uncertain.
What should I do when I find a passage I cannot explain?
Do not panic or hide it. Read the wider context, compare translations, consult trustworthy scholarship and ask a mature Christian leader. Hold the question honestly while continuing to learn.
A final word
The Bible has not reached us through a clean history without discussion, copying differences or difficult interpretation. It has reached us through a well-attested history that can be examined.
Its unity is not flat uniformity. Its human voices are not an embarrassment. Through them, the Holy Spirit bears one unfolding witness to the God who creates, judges, saves and makes all things new in Jesus Christ.
You can trust the Bible enough to investigate it and enough to obey it.
If you want to explore the Bible with others, join Christianity Explored, which looks at Jesus through Mark's Gospel. You can also send us your question, join Alpha, or plan a visit.
Continue with more Questions People Ask, including Is Jesus Really God?.
Prayer
Father, thank You for speaking through Your Word. Give me humility where I have questions, patience where the text is difficult and courage to obey what is clear. By Your Holy Spirit, lead me to Jesus and shape my life through the truth. In Jesus' name, amen.
Pastor Ras
All Nations Community Church
