We’re a Bible-driven church, but what does that mean?

While Christians could safely assume that God’s Word was considered a reliable source of truth for most of the last 2,000 years, that’s not the case anymore. Since the dawn of postmodernism in the 19th century, alternative sources of truth now compete with the Bible in hearts and minds across Western culture, including here in America.

Instead of the Truth, trendy pop culture now proclaims, “My truth.” But if everyone has their own “truth,” how do we know which truth is actually true?

Just because the cultural winds have shifted, that doesn’t mean truth has.

What We Believe

At Mission Hills Church, we proudly and boldly proclaim that it’s still anchored in the Word of God and fully revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. We know the Bible was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the natural world reflects this truth. Reality doesn’t change for our whims, preferences, and perceptions; it’s firmly established in him.

God defines the lines of reality, and Jesus is the hero, “the way, the truth, and the life” [John 14:6].

But how do we know that?

And how do we know that we know that?

While “for the Bible tells me so” is sufficient proof for those who know Jesus, it is not proof of the Bible’s infallibility for an increasingly unbelieving world that we’re desperately trying to reach.

Instead, it’s vitally important for Christians to know why we can believe in the truthfulness of the Bible.

Our Groups Ministry is committed to equipping and empowering people from all across the spectrum of faith to know and understand that we have good, logical, and historical reasons for trusting the Bible as the true, infallible, and inerrant Word of God.

So, in the past, our Groups Ministry team has offered Discovering Answers—one-time, mini-master class-style workshops that tackle the tough questions about the Christian faith.

We addressed the most common questions people ask about Christianity:

• “How do we know we can trust the authority of the Bible?”
• “Do we have evidence the Bible is true?”
• “Hasn’t science disproved the Bible?”
• “Why does a supposedly good God allow such evil?”

We discussed the Bible first because, as Christians, we affirm it as our firm foundation. But how do we know it’s firm? Here are three quick answers (we go more deeply into each answer during Week 1):

1. It’s the most historically verified ancient document in history.

We have more manuscripts of the Bible than any other ancient text, and it’s not even close. You can look at 2,000-year-old copies of Old Testament passages found near the Dead Sea in 1947 (the famed Dead Sea Scrolls) and your ESV Bible from Mardels, and they say the exact same thing.

2. The Bible was written and verified within the lifetime of eyewitnesses to its events.

For example, certain sections of the New Testament were circulated within 10-15 years of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

That means many of the people there to witness what happened were still alive as those letters were passed around the area from church to church. There is no record of anyone denying or arguing with a single sentence. Even Roman historians of that time agreed with what the New Testament writers say happened!

3. Despite common misperceptions, science doesn’t contradict the Bible. On the contrary—it overwhelmingly confirms it!

There is overwhelming evidence across all scientific fields that repeatedly confirms what the Bible says about creation and God’s good order. This includes Hubble’s discovery of an ever-expanding universe – “The Big Bang”. And the discovery of sea shell fossils on top of Mt. Everest. And our inability to explain and replicate abiogenesis.

And here’s a bonus: There has never been a single archaeological discovery that has disproved the Bible! It would seem that even Indiana Jones can attest to the reliability of scripture.

And that’s just a sample!

Whether you’ve walked with the Lord for decades, are new to the faith, or aren’t sure if you believe in our claim that the Bible is true, we promise there is something for everyone to feel more confident that when we say we’re a Bible-driven church, we have good, sound reasons to be so proudly!

✏️  AUTHOR CREDITS

This blog was written by the Mission Hills Church Groups Team.