You’re Not Crazy To Believe That: Credibility Of The Bible | Pastor Nate Keeler
Skeptical voices are everywhere today. From YouTube debates to late-night comedy shows, there’s no shortage of people questioning the Bible’s reliability. One of the most common arguments goes like this: “The Bible was written long after Jesus lived,” or “The Roman Catholic Church edited the Bible to serve its own agenda,” or “Nobody has the originals—just copies of copies. How can we trust that?”
These questions might sound smart, and at first glance, they even seem logical. But when you start looking at the actual facts—what historians and manuscript experts say—you find a very different story. One that shows the Bible isn’t just spiritually powerful. It’s also historically reliable.
Wesley Huff, a Christian apologist, said it best: “If you’re getting your Bible history from stand-up comedians, don’t be surprised if it turns out to be a joke.”
Let’s unpack what makes the Bible, especially the New Testament, the most trustworthy document from the ancient world.
The New Testament Was Written Shockingly Early
If someone writes about a major historical event just a few years after it happens, we tend to take that seriously. But if they write 400 years later, we assume it’s more legend than fact. That’s exactly the point when we compare ancient texts.
Take Alexander the Great, one of history’s most famous conquerors. The earliest biography we have about him was written 400 years after his death. And yet, no one goes around questioning whether he existed or conquered vast regions of the world.
Now compare that to the New Testament. The Gospels and letters were written within 15 to 50 years of Jesus’ life. That’s within the lifetime of the people who saw and heard Jesus firsthand.
This is why 1 John 1:1 is so compelling: “That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched…” John is saying, “I was there. I saw it. I lived it.” These aren’t legends passed down centuries later—they’re eyewitness testimonies written down in real time.
And that matters. Because if someone tried to fabricate stories about Jesus—His miracles, crucifixion, or resurrection—while the actual witnesses were still alive, those witnesses would have spoken up.
Eyewitnesses Were Still Alive to Challenge Errors
Imagine someone trying to rewrite history about a major company in your hometown—DuPont, for example. If they claimed a massive layoff in the 1990s never happened, people who lived through it would immediately refute that. Why? Because they were there. They experienced it. That’s the power of an eyewitness.
The early Church had this same dynamic. Many of the people who followed Jesus, who saw His miracles, and who witnessed the early spread of Christianity were still alive when the Gospels and letters were written. If the authors were making things up, it would’ve been easy to call them out. But no widespread corrections ever came. The letters circulated, were copied, and were read in churches across the region because they aligned with what people already knew to be true.
The Bible Has More Manuscripts Than Any Ancient Book
Now let’s look at how many manuscript copies we have. Because more copies means more ability to check for consistency—and more confidence in accuracy.
- Alexander the Great: 8 known manuscript copies
- Homer’s Iliad: Roughly 1,800 copies
- New Testament: Over 25,000 manuscript copies (and growing as new discoveries are made)
This is what scholars refer to as an “embarrassment of riches.” No other ancient book comes close. And these copies aren’t just from one place—they’re spread across the ancient world: Greece, Egypt, Turkey, and beyond. That means the text was preserved in diverse regions, making large-scale tampering virtually impossible.
Accuracy of Manuscripts: 99% Consistent
But here’s the next question: Are those 25,000 manuscripts consistent?
Yes—astonishingly so.
Biblical scholars estimate that the New Testament is 99% textually accurate compared to its original form. The less than 1% that does vary consists of spelling differences, word order changes, or phrases added for clarity. None of them affect any core Christian beliefs or doctrines.
Contrast that with other ancient writings. Homer’s Iliad is considered well-preserved, yet it has about 5% textual uncertainty. The New Testament? Less than 1%.
This means that what you read today in the Bible is essentially what was written down 2,000 years ago. No power-hungry group sat in a dark room and edited it to push an agenda. The sheer volume and geographical spread of manuscripts makes that impossible.
As Dr. James White put it, “There has never been a time when a man, or group of men, had control over the text of the New Testament.” The Church was decentralized, often underground, and heavily persecuted. The idea of a grand conspiracy simply doesn’t match historical reality.
Debunking the Most Common Myths
Let’s tackle those three original objections head-on.
Myth #1: The Bible was written too late to be reliable.
False. The New Testament was written within a generation of the events it describes—many within 15 to 50 years. That’s not legend. That’s first-hand reporting.
Myth #2: The Church changed the Bible to gain power.
False. There was no central authority to even attempt this in the early years. And because manuscripts were already spread across regions, widespread changes would have been quickly exposed.
Myth #3: We only have copies of copies, so errors are inevitable.
Misleading. Yes, we have copies. But we also have so many that scholars can easily spot and correct any inconsistencies. And again, those inconsistencies are less than 1%, with no effect on doctrine.
Why This Matters for You
So why should you care about manuscript counts or textual criticism?
Because trusting the Bible changes how you live.
If the Bible is reliable, then Jesus’ words carry real weight. When He says, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), that’s not a poetic myth. That’s a trustworthy invitation.
If the Bible is historically sound, then its promises—about forgiveness, purpose, and eternity—are rooted in something solid. You don’t have to blindly believe. You can build your faith on evidence. You may still have doubts or questions. That’s okay. But let them lead you to investigate, not dismiss. The truth holds up.