This column appeared Aug. 30, 2012, in The Pathway, the official news service of the Missouri Baptist Convention.

In the last column we began exploring good reasons to trust the scriptures, including the reliability of the ancient documents and the faithful testimony of the human authors. Now, we examine five more reasons to be confident that the Bible we hold in our hands is true written revelation from God.

Reason 3: Fulfilled prophecy

The Old Testament features nearly 300 prophecies of the Messiah. Many are highly detailed, making it impossible – apart from divine intervention – for one man to fulfill them all. Yet Jesus did, confirming His identity as the Christ and providing exceptional evidence for the reliability of scripture. Among the Messianic prophecies fulfilled in Jesus are:

• His virgin birth (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:21)
• His birthplace in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:1; Luke 2:4-7)
• His miracle-working authority (Isa. 35:5-6; Matt. 9:35)
• His rejection by the Jews (Ps. 118:22; 1 Peter 2:7)
• His suffering and death (Ps. 22; Isa. 53; Matt. 27:27ff)
• His resurrection (Ps. 16:10; Mark 16:6; Acts 2:31; 1 Cor. 15:3-8)
• His ascension into heaven (Ps. 68:18; Acts 1:9)
• His place today at the Father’s right hand (Ps. 110:1; Heb. 1:3)

Continue reading →