Proving the Inspiration of the Bible

Proving, though not believing, the inspiration and perfection of the Word of God has always been rather difficult and confusing for me. Mostly because the only way anyone ever did it was to say, “It is, because it says it is”, which is something that a lot of other books claim as well. And, though I do think that this can be as effective as anything with the working of the Holy Spirit, it has never seemed very conclusive.
I recently watched a lecture by John Gerstner that helped me very much. Here are some of the main points of that presentation.

1. Don’t believe in the Bible simply because it says it is the Word of God.
If you did, you would have to believe in the Book of Mormon and any other book that made that claim, not to mention people who have claimed to be God Himself.

2. Biblical accounts, especially the New Testament’s, are historically accurate.
There are some who will totally deny the authenticity of the New Testament accounts, but the majority of scholars do say they are accurate.

3. Among other things, Christ reportedly did things that only God (or someone with the power of God) could do—miracles.
If the New Testament narratives are correct than Christ did perform miracles. And, by definition, miracles can only be performed by God or someone with His power.

4. If God or someone with the power of God proposes that the Bible is the Word of God, what sane person can question it?
It logically follows that if God says it is the Word of God, it is.
Dr. Gerstner quoted a man who said that anyone who believed in the Bible risked a trip to the insane asylum, and then Gerstner said, “If you agree that Christ was God or someone with His power and don’t believe in the Bible, you don’t risk a trip to the insane asylum, your there! That’s insane!

5. If the Bible is the Word of God, then it cannot err.
The Word of God cannot err because God cannot err. God is the definition of perfection. He is the standard. If God said that eating notebooks was virtuous, it would be. There is no word higher than His.

I think it is important to remember that, while we should be able to prove the inspiration of Scripture, none of us can open the eyes of anyone to the truth. God alone has the power to reveal Himself.