Is Believing the Bible Important?

I often get asked this question: Is believing the Bible important? Given the general skepticism about religion today, it’s a fair question. There is controversy about different translations, interpretations, and even the historical accuracy of the Bible. So, how do we even begin to answer the question?

The Basics

Let’s start with a few basics. The Bible is comprised of two parts for most of protestant Christianity. Catholic believers also include a third section known as the Apocrypha. The Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible, is the primary text for those who follow the Jewish faith. The Old Testament, in addition to the New Testament (the early Christian writings), is known as the Holy Bible and is the basis for Christian belief. The Apocrypha is a group of primarily historical books which lend an added dimension to the Catholic faith.

Most of Christendom considers the Bible a guide for spiritual and practical living. The question of whether believing the Bible is important usually involves three things. First, one’s personal belief about its origins (was it literally inspired or God-breathed). Second, its preservation (how accurate are the current translations we have). And third, whether it is a book which should be taken literally or figuratively.

Is Believing the Bible Important?

Most evangelical Christians, of which I am one, believe in the inspiration of the Bible to some extent. Some believe in a literal inspiration, almost like God dictated the text word for word to the authors. Others believe in a looser interpretation, perhaps more like God gave the authors “general impressions” of what to write. Many believe that in their original form (the actual writings of the biblical writers), the manuscripts were perfect and inerrant, but that time has allowed imperfections and even inaccuracies to creep into the sacred texts. There are so many variations of what Christians believe about the Bible that it’s impossible to put everyone in the same basket.

The answer to the question of how important believing the Bible is depends almost entirely on what you believe the Bible to be. If you think it accurately reflects God’s instructions and intentions, then believing it is essential. Allow me to illustrate the point. Let’s say you are notified that your Facebook account has been flagged for violating the rules. The notice is a warning that your account will be shut down. Your response will be determined by whether you think the notification is genuine or fake. I get these notifications several times a day! The first one scared me, but when I realized it was just another scam, I started ignoring and reporting them.

Our Response to the Bible

Our response to the Bible is based on the same criteria. If we believe its source is God, we will pay attention and do our best to understand and abide by its teachings. However, if we doubt that God is the author and that the whole thing is a scam, we’ll ignore it or maybe even criticize and belittle it. If you look around you, I think you’ll agree that this pretty much sums up, with varying intensities, how most people respond to the Bible.

So, is it important to believe the Bible? Well, not if you’re willing to wager that it’s all a scam. That could be quite a risk, but everyone has the right to make it. If you believe that the Facebook warning was a scam and ignore it, there’s always the possibility that it wasn’t, and your account will disappear. That’s inconvenient but probably temporary. In time, you can remedy the situation and get a new account. However, if you ignore the Bible and it turns out to be true, the consequences are eternal and cannot be reversed.

Pascal’s Wager

This argument, known as Pascal’s Wager, was posited by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician in the seventeenth century. Pascal said you should follow a life based on the assumption that God is real. If you’re wrong, he continued, you have nothing to lose. If you wager on the other side and ignore God’s existence, you have everything to lose if it turns out you’re wrong.

While I applaud Pascal’s logical argument for what it was, I think it’s a poor way to face the proposition of believing the Bible and, therefore, acknowledging what it has to say about God, faith, life, and death. This must be primarily a spiritual endeavor, not simply an intellectual one. Is there evidence and reason to believe God’s Word? There are historical, archeological, and logical reasons to believe. But the bottom line is that it also requires a step of faith at some point. It involves walking toward something that you cannot see. God’s Word is a light for our path, but trusting its truth to guide and direct us take a step of faith.

My Bottom Line

I cannot answer for anyone else, but I can share my beliefs. I believe the Bible to be God’s inspired word. Therefore, accepting it as our spiritual guide for successfully navigating this life and the next is essential. Could I be wrong? I don’t think I am, but even if I’m wrong, my life has been made more exciting, pleasurable, fulfilling, and joyful because of the difference God’s Word has made in my life. I wouldn’t trade it for a life of skepticism and disbelief. My life is built on the promises of the Bible. I hope you’ll come to the same conclusion.