The Bible makes statements about itself, claiming to be inspired, that is, the Word of God. This, of course, does not prove that the Bible is inspired, that would be circular reasoning.  However, on one hand, this presents assurance to believers, but on the other hand, it creates a serious problem for unbelievers or pseudo-believers. If the Bible is wrong about such a fundamental assertion about itself, how can it be trusted when it addresses anything else? It would be nothing more than a self-help book. Innumerable people through the ages have held it to be true, and untold numbers have been willing to lay down their lives because of what it teaches about life, death, the death and resurrection of Christ and the eternal destinies of all humans. If the Bible is not inspired, then faithful believers would be fools for building their lives upon its teachings; the Bible would be inconsistent at the very core of its teachings. But if it is true in what it says about itself, then unbelievers are fools to treat it as a mere self-help book to live a better life.

So, what does the Bible say about itself? The Bible records that Jesus considered His words absolutely important, every one of them! Further, He put them on the same level as the law of God, which He considered inviolable:

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away. (Matt. 24:35)

For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. (Matt. 5:18)

Jesus said that everything written and predicted about Him in the Old Testament would be fulfilled exactly:

Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44)

Our Lord promised the apostles would have perfect recall of all His teachings:

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. (John 14:26)

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (John 16:13)

He commissioned the apostles to be His official witnesses:

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

The early church treated the apostles’ teaching (which reflected the teachings of Christ) with the utmost priority in their gatherings:

And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42

The apostles taught that all Scripture was inspired:

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2 Peter 1:20-21

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness … 2 Tim. 3:16

The apostles testified about the inspiration and importance of their writings (i.e., that their writings were on the same level as other Scriptures):

[The apostle John referring to his writing] “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book [written by the apostle John]: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book …” Rev. 22:18

[The apostle Peter writing about the writings of the apostle Paul] “…in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16 emphasis added)

To repeat, quoting these verses does not prove the Scripture is inspired, for that would be circular reasoning. However, and this is the point, the Bible is consistent in its view of itself. No one has the luxury of ignoring the above verses and accepting only the teachings that are suitable to their liking. If it is not inspired as it claims to be, then the greatest book of all time, which teaches much about truth, honesty, morality and integrity, is entirely wrong about its view of itself. How can we trust it for anything else it teaches? If, on the other hand, the Bible is inspired, then we must consider the authority of it all. Each person must decide which is the most reasonable choice. Both require faith, one kind that denies the most reasonable choice and the other that embraces the truth of the most reasonable choice and bases life on it.

For a review of how the early believers identified which writings were inspired and taken as the authority of God, see my book “The Formation of the New Testament” in the Bible-Equip online store.