This question is too vague. By reliable, what do we mean?
A better approach to understanding the Bible is to answer the following two questions:
What is the value of the Bible?
The value of the Bible lies in its accumulated wisdom... truth that never changes.. words that inspire personal strength, values that encourage love, compassion, patience, tolerance, harmony, and an ethically positive sense of personal responsibility. To this wisdom we add transcendent spiritual inspiration which bring us closer to the force which created the Cosmos, and established the rules by which it works – both the physical and not-physical.
The Christian Bible conveys a caring message of inspiration and comfort to the millions who turn to it for counsel. Although the Bible presents us with a text drawn from another age, its lessons are timeless, the characters we meet are dramatic, and the drama is ageless. There are prophecies and the lessons of history. There is moral right and wrong, the best and worst of human behavior, and the experience of both pain and joy. The Bible portrays tribes, families and individuals. The Bible’s authors tell us about marriage, divorce, adultery, obedience, authority, honesty, parenting, nature, revelation, moral behavior, God, and much more. It presents us with stories of spiritual vision, high ideals, and great moral depth. There are doctrines of theology, concepts of moral philosophy, and the beauty of poetry. It describes our triumphs and failures, our strengths and weaknesses, our wisdom and our folly. We are capable of gentle compassion and fierce passion. We are good and we are evil. We embrace both love and hate.
Although the content of the Bible was brought together over a span of more than 2,000 years, it has an amazing continuity. Despite some differences in translation and construction, the message content of the present day Bible is remarkably consistent with the original text. There is a unity of belief and teaching. There are prophecies and the lessons of history. We see a struggle to create a cohesive culture, a workable social structure, the functions of government, a moral and just view of life, and an enduring relationship with God. It is a book about tribes, families and individuals. We can relate to the Bible because in its essence, this book is about us.
And that is why it has endured.
Is the Bible Obsolete?
The short answer to this deceptively simple question is: No.
The world’s most popular book (more than 5 billion copies) will never be obsolete. No college graduate can claim to understand western cultural history unless they have studied the Bible: not as a religious text, but as a historical record of human development. The Bible conveys to us the moral basis of western political, social, and cultural progress. It is a testament of western philosophy and theology.
For those who chose to believe in God, the Bible will forever be a boundless source of inspiration, courage, support and comfort. It will never be obsolete because for most Christians, the Bible is a way for God to convey his word to us. We connect with his compassion and wisdom.
People who are determined to scoff at the credibility of the Bible will be tempted to reject its wisdom because the text is not concurrent with 21st century human knowledge.
That is a mistake. The ageless value of the Bible rests on what it is, ...
not what it is not.
Ron
Author’s Notes
When Was the Bible Written?
Although the term “Bible” means “book”, the Bible is actually a collection of books written in three languages. The existing Western Christian Bible consists of 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books that were written, translated, arranged, edited and selected as canon over a period of 947 years (dated from the beginning of work on the written Jewish Old Testament in ~ 537 BC to the completion of the Catholic Vulgate in ~ 410 AD).
The assertion that the Bible will never be obsolete needs a thoughtful qualification.
Biblical authors were influenced by contemporary human knowledge and the local cultural traditions of the region within which they lived. Biblical thoughts on heaven were influenced by contemporary mythology and a deficient understanding of our universe. Thoughts about hell were shaped by an inadequate knowledge of geology and geography. Fictionalized concepts of God frequently included popular mythological figures. Matthew, Luke and early Christian church fathers developed their ideas about the birth of Jesus based on what is now obsolete medical science.
But... so what...
Biblical authors focus on people, events and ideas. We are seeing life through their eyes. They do not always get the science right, but we can identify with their thoughts. The Bible is a trustworthy and dependable source of inspiration. For those who wish to experience the joy of a spiritual awakening, the Bible connects us with the compassion and wisdom of God.
The message has not changed.
.