Is the Bible a Trustworthy Authority for Life?

Q: Why and how have you come to trust the Bible as having authority for your life? Why do you believe the Bible to be infallible and inerrant? And if you could, I'd appreciate leaving the arguments from Scripture such as II Tim 3:16 out of the second question (hope that's not too pompous).  It's important for me to come to a place of peace about what I believe about the Bible itself before I look at how and if I'm to interpret the Bible, believe that theology, and then apply those Biblical beliefs.  I've a very unsettled view of the Bible right now, so arguing that it's true and inspired because it says it's true and inspired just doesn't hold any weight with me.

A: I would like to start this answer by making clear that the Bible is not a text book to be interpreted, accepted and applied. It is a holy place to allow your spirit to abide in Christ. And by the way, even Karl Barth, a church theologian of the 20th century, who was having a difficult time responding to the historical critics of his day (evangelicals have done their homework since then), nonetheless proclaimed that in the Bible he came face to face with God.

I came to trust the Bible first by reading it. In the middle of my reading I began to hear the voice of God and it changed everything in my life. I came to know Him and to trust Him as the Word began to bring revelation into my world. It was (and still is) an incredible journey of discovery, especially given that I was coming from a pretty pagan perspective at the time. Infallibility and inerrancy are based on a number of things - starting, again, with God's revelation to me. Then Jesus' own commitment to the veracity of the Old Testament. He affirmed it over and over again. If the New Testament is reliable, then by Jesus' own proclamation, so it the Old Testament.  Then there is the remarkable evidence of the Church. There are people all over the world - and have been since the 1st century - who know this same God: same Christ; same Father; same Spirit. And it is also important to me that the Church has traditionally held that Scriptures is the infallible, inerrant word of God.

I was insatiably curious early on in my reading - and a bit skeptical - so I began to do my homework. I spent a lot of time reading about the authorship and time of the New Testament composition. I can refer some of the most helpful books to you, since they were tremendously helpful in undoing the bias that had already been in me from years of hearing why the Bible could not be what is claimed. I have read many of the early church fathers - those who wrote from the 1st to the 4th century - who affirmed the Scriptures over and again. Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Ireneus, Tertullian and so many more. I discovered that there is an unbroken chain of Christian scholarship from the earliest days of the church - and those authors wrestled with the same questions we do, only they had the benefit of being able to speak with witnesses and those who knew the witnesses (early on, anyway). They also witnessed to the veracity of God's Word.

If there are obstacles to believing the historicity of the Bible, I'd recommend you tackle a book called "Jesus and the Eyewitnesses" by Richard Bauckham. Just released, it is probably the best overall view of the historical record of the Bible and its writers. There is also an older book - a classic in forensic study of the Bible - called "The Testimony of the Evangelists" by Simon Greenleaf. These are scholarly and well-researched.

If you would like to do a read-through it will become self-evident to you. Let me know.  I pray that your search leaves you with a greater confidence in the Word of God.