4. I BELIEVE the Bible is true because of the life of Christ.

Jesus Christ was a good man. He was kind and loving—a man of peace and good works. He cared about each person—regardless of age, social status, skin color, race, or gender.

He laid down principles that became the cornerstone of some of the best and freest societies in history.
He hated no one and envied no one. He never sought revenge or used spiritual dogma to put others down. He loved, healed, helped, and encouraged others.

He identified with the friendless.
He loved those who were hardest to love and blessed the most unworthy.
His way of life was more inspiring than that of any other leader who has ever lived.

He advised: Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31, PEV)
He said: Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat and persecute you, so that you may be sons [and daughters] of your Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 5:41–45)

Jesus believed the Scriptures. He quoted them as the absolute Word of God. He lived them, taught them, demonstrated them—without pretense. He was good and honest, without hypocrisy or deceit. I can trust Him more than any other teacher.

When He healed lepers and other sick people, when He raised the dead, there were always unbelievers—often driven by jealousy—who tried to kill Him. When paralyzed people walked, He was accused of healing them by the power of the devil. When He helped the unfortunate, they plotted His downfall.

Even today, in some countries, those who do not believe the Bible are often vehement, violent, and hostile toward the Christian faith. It seems they hate simple faith and want to destroy it, as if peace, love, and the influence of Jesus Christ threaten their own power.

Eventually, Jesus’ opponents and critics lied so much about Him and conspired so effectively that they were allowed to have Him crucified. Throughout His trial and the avalanche of false accusations, He never sought revenge, never grew bitter or hardened. As He died, He prayed for their forgiveness. (Luke 23:34)
Pilate said: I find no fault in this man. (Luke 23:4)
He was right. Jesus was perfect. I can trust Him and what He said.

Jesus said that some people are in error because they do not know the Scriptures. (Matt. 22:29, PEV)
The Scriptures must be fulfilled. (Mark 14:49)
He explained to them… the Scriptures. (Luke 24:27, PEV)
He opened their understanding of the Scriptures… so that they would understand them.

He said: Search the Scriptures, and He asked the religious leaders: Have you never read the Scripture? (Mark 12:10)
When He performed miracles and taught, He said it was so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 13:18; 7:12)

The New Testament urges us ninety times to believe what is written, because it is the Word of God and will come to pass.
Jesus’ life and ministry continually confirmed the truth of Scripture. His birth, life, death, resurrection, teachings, and miracles had all been foretold in detail, hundreds of years earlier, by the Holy Scriptures.

Everything He did proved that the Scriptures were God’s Word—His promises—and that God would fulfill them for anyone who trusts in them. That alone is a powerful reason to believe the Bible—especially when compared to the confusion, shaky conclusions, and eternal dead ends of those who reject it.

Common sense urges me to trust in Jesus and in the good and faithful Christians of every generation since Christ. Logic compels me to believe what the Bible says.

5. I BELIEVE the Bible is true because of what happened after the crucifixion.

The Acts of the Apostles tell us that after His death, Jesus gave many convincing proofs of His resurrection. For forty days, on many occasions, He appeared to them alive. (Acts 1:3, PEV)
They saw Him. They touched Him. They spoke with Him.

In front of them, He ate bread and fish. They examined the scars in His hands, His feet, and His side. They did all this after His resurrection (John 20:14–20, 26–27; 21:4–14; Luke 24:13–15, 30–31, 36–46).
Stephen saw Him. (Acts 7:54–60) Saul of Tarsus, a fierce persecutor of the early believers, saw the Lord (Acts 9:2–8, 26:13–15). He too became His apostle.
Cephas saw Him. Five hundred people saw Him at one time. James saw Him, and so did all the apostles. (1 Cor. 15:5–7)

They were trustworthy. Their honesty and integrity were legendary.

For nearly twenty centuries, countless people have testified that the Lord appeared to them. They saw Him alive. Volumes could be written about occasions when Christ appeared to individuals—even in this century.

And to that multitude of testimonies, I would like to add mine. I, too, have seen the Lord—alive. He came into our room one morning at six o’clock, and I saw Him as clearly as I see anyone. Since that experience, I have shared the Gospel in more than eighty countries. For over five decades, I’ve proclaimed it to crowds of twenty to three hundred thousand people—and more.

In almost every crusade we conducted, at least one person—and often several—saw the Lord during the meetings… and always Jesus was blessing, saving, healing, and helping people.

A Muslim in Indonesia saw Him appear during our Jakarta crusade. He saw Him on the cross, His body streaming with blood. That Muslim began following Christ from that day on.
A Hindu saw Him at our crusade in Lucknow, India. His blind eyes were healed and regained sight.

A blind man at our crusade in Camagüey, Cuba, saw Him in a radiant light. He, too, received his sight.
In Chile, a notorious criminal saw Him during our crusade in Santiago and was transformed into a faithful Christian. In Guatemala, a violent alcoholic who beat his children saw Him and was converted. And a woman…

This text is an excerpt from the book “A FULFILLED LIFE” written by T. L. Osborn.

We invite you to read the next article: “EVERY DAY, talk to someone else about God.”

THE BIBLE IS TRUE. THE BIBLE IS TRUE.