The great philosopher Dizzy Dean once said, “It ain’t braggin’ if you can do it!”

With that thought in the back of my mind, I concluded that a person could learn a lot about the Bible if they knew what the Bible says about itself. The Bible makes several claims about itself.

There are at least eight passages where the Bible claims to be entirely trustworthy – the words in it are sure, will come to pass, and last for eternity (1 Kings 8:56; Psalm 93:5; Psalm 111:7; Ezekiel 12:35; Daniel 9:12; Matthew 5:18; Luke 21:33; Romans 4:16).

The reliability of the Bible comes from its claim of being divinely inspired.

2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

These are only two verses of at least nine passages where the Bible claims to be inspired by God (Jeremiah 36:2; Ezekiel 1:3; Zechariah 7:12; Acts 1:16; Acts 28:25; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; Revelation 1:1; Revelation 14:13).

Putting these facts together that the Book is trustworthy and written by God Almighty a simple conclusion is that the Bible is the absolute truth. The Bible also points this out in no uncertain terms, John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Some other passages where the Scriptures mention itself as truth are: 1 Kings 17:24; Psalm 33:4; Psalm 119:43; Psalm 138:2; 2 Corinthians 6:7; Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1:5; Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:15; James 1:18.

I understand that these lists of Scripture references are long; I honestly do not expect anyone to reach for a Bible and read them all, but I hope you do. However, these lists are coming from an old country preacher with the help of a concordance, and are by no means exhaustive. In other words, if I have listed nine, there many, many, more to be found in Scripture. These claims of trustworthiness, being inspired by God, and being the absolute truth are not coming from a verse tucked away someplace with a ton of creative interpretation implied, but are teachings interwoven throughout the Bible.

Would you buy a car from a salesman who said, “This car is 12 years old and has less than a thousand miles on it. It was owned by a little old lady who only drove it to church on Sundays. She lived three doors from the church, so she only drove it when it rained or snowed.”

I would have to question why the little old lady never went to the store, the doctor, or anywhere else. She deserved a pat on the back for her faithful church attendance, but I would have to encourage her to get out of the house a little more. In other words, I do not believe the salesman. I would car shop someplace else.

Do you believe the claims the Bible makes of itself? The above examples are only a few. It claims to be food for the soul, the light in the darkness, mighty in its influence, a blessing to those that read it, able to purify a person’s life, and its need for teaching in every circumstance of life. Again, this list is not exhaustive.

The Bible is either the greatest used car salesman of all time, or words given to us by our Creator, Judge, and Saviour. How large of a priority should it be if it is Words are from the Creator of the Universe?

The Bible tells us to teach the Scriptures “diligently” to our children. We are commanded to do this teaching of the Word of God when we sit, walk, lie down, or get up (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). It sounds as if God wanted to emphasize what we would call, “All the time.”

If God wants us to teach His Word to our children at all times, in every circumstance, how important is it for us to know the Bible? A person cannot teach algebra if he does not understand simple math.

We live in a time of Biblical ignorance, a time of unbelief. Many see the Bible as they view the used car salesman. Others, although they claim to believe it is the truth, do not follow the realities the Scripture contains.

The Bible is the Word of God and without error. Following Dizzy Dean’s wisdom, the Bible does not brag because it is everything it claims. The question is – will you believe it enough to follow its teachings?