My Father Told Me So
Years ago, a friend of mine, Anna, asked a question that I’m sure many of us have been asked. I knew the answer, but my words were feeble for they did not completely express all that was in my heart. I was asked how I can know for sure that Jesus is the Messiah. I answered in a few short sentences about what the Bible says about Jesus, and that I believe the Bible is truth. Then she asked how I know the Bible is truth. Though I felt the words inside of me, when they came out, they were lacking and left her still with questions.
How do I know that the Bible accurately tells the truth of Jesus? It’s a very important question, because if you can’t trust the source, how can you trust the man? As a child, we trust our parents. As a parent, I tell my children everything about Jesus, His love, and His plans for us. As a child, I boldly told all my friends about Jesus, and I told them that the reason I knew about Him was because my mommy told me so. As a parent, I tell my children that as they get older, they will have to ask God for themselves to show them the truth because we can’t continue our whole lives telling people that we know because our mommy’s told us so. Or, I suppose an adult way of saying it is, “That’s the way I was brought up.”
Anyway, back to Anna, since I was not able to give her a complete answer in the few moments I was given, I decided to put it in a letter. I’d like to share it with you:
I guess it was in high school that I learned that the Bible has over 40 authors, who lived in different centuries and even different countries, yet the Bible does not contradict itself. Not all of these authors were educated men. Oh, I suppose many books of the Old Testament were written by educated men, but many of the small prophets were just country boys. With the exception of some like Matthew, Luke and Paul, the New Testament writers were simple men of little education. In spite of all this, how is it that the message remains consistent?
Questioning the validity of the Bible is not something new, Anna. Many intellectuals before you have done the same, and then confessed that after careful study, they came to the conclusion that the Bible is infallible and too perfect to have been written by men without the direction of God.
I myself have at times wondered and questioned (as we all do), and have searched other religious works because I wanted to see proof that these others were false. It didn’t take long to discover where they fall short. With each one of these discoveries, I felt stronger in my own faith in the Bible. I’ve also found in my research that scientific facts do not conflict with the Bible as opposed to what many believe, and that history coincides with the Bible, unlike with other religious writings. In fact, the writings of credible historians support the history found in the Bible.
Another aspect to consider, Anna, is prophecy. I know the argument, as you’ve told me before, is that the fulfillment of prophecy could have been made up as a false way of proving scripture, but there are just too many things that cannot be made up. Consider the name of a pagan king who would set God’s people free. The historical evidence backs up the authenticity of the documentation. Also, a name just cannot be purposefully given by parents who want to fulfill God’s prophetic Word when we’re talking about a pagan king; and how would the parent’s know what this king would do as an adult? There’s also the prophecy of certain world empires and the order of their reign from the book of Daniel. That’s not something that can be made to happen in order to purposely fulfill prophecy. You’ve also argued that the writings could have been falsified, that they could have been written after the fact, and given an earlier date. Again, I point to the overwhelming evidence of the authenticity of scripture itself, including the time and place it was written.
Then you ask, “How was it compiled together?” Well, my friend, history documents how this task was not taken lightly. Yes, the Bible is a compilation of works that at some point had to be put together by man. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, more than once, scholars and experts of different ages and backgrounds came together in unity with a mission to determine God’s will for His Holy scriptures. Serious criteria had to met and agreed upon. Each piece of writing had to pass the test in order to make the cut, and if even one thing was in doubt, it was left out.
I know that translation has been a question on your mind as well, Anna. You find it difficult to believe that what we read in English is exactly what was written thousands of years ago after going through so many different translations. You no doubt have seen the difficulty in accurately translating anything being that English is your second language. You have found that certain words in your own native Slovak language just have no true English translation. Then, if you go from Slovak to Russian to German to English, who knows what you have in the end? I agree that certain words do get lost in translation, and that what you read in scripture is of an Eastern culture making it difficult for other cultures to fully grasp, but God is bigger than our language and culture barriers. Besides, when you’re considering whether the Bible is factual, this argument is insignificant. It isn’t the facts that get lost in translation; it’s the humor, the poetry, the significance of an action, and at times the deep emotion. Those are all very important things, but not an argument for the reliability of scripture. Also, your assumption for how it is translated is wrong. For there it be an official translation of scripture, the oldest available documents are consulted. In fact, every time there has been a new official version of the Bible, the writer’s consulted the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic writings.
Over the years, I have found quite a bit to confirm my faith in the Bible, confirming my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, but it was the Holy Spirit who opened my eyes to all of this, and I pray He opens your eyes as well. It was revealed to me after I made a conscious decision to believe in spite of the lack of proof. Jesus says that those who believe without seeing are blessed. Even in high school I refused to believe that man evolved from animals. Now that I have researched this issue, and I understand better how science works, I know that evolution makes no sense and is impossible. On the other hand, creation does make sense because we are so intricately and perfectly designed, so we must have a designer.
Maybe my belief began because my mommy told me so, and she deserves the credit for instilling a foundation in me, but that’s not the only reason why I believe today. The reason I believe today is because my Father told me so. It wasn’t because I needed proof for myself; it was so I could confidently answer anyone who asks me, “Do you really believe that?” So, my answer is that I believe that Jesus is who He says He is because the Bible is truth. I believe He took the punishment of sin by dying first a physical death, then a spiritual death by descending into Hell and experiencing separation from God. I believe then He left Hell victoriously and came back to life again physically and spiritually. I believe the reason He did this was so we don’t have to. He offers to us the chance to avoid our punishment. It’s a gift and all we have to do is receive it. And I believe it not only because the Bible says it, but because I know Him personally and He has told me. He speaks to me and I know His voice.
I believe it all to be truth, Anna, first as a child who believed without question simply because her mommy told her so and now as an adult because my Father told me so.
Amie Spruiell
written 4/24/2003
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