The Most Printed Book in History. But Can It Actually Be Trusted?
The Bible has been around for a long time. It was the first book ever printed. It remains one of the most widely read and most influential books in the history of the world, with whole societies of people professing to live their lives by its pages. And yet, for many people — including many who are new to the Christian faith — a quiet and nagging question remains.
Can it actually be trusted?
Is it just a collection of nice ideas from a pre-scientific age? Is it really full of contradictions, as people often claim? Can a book written thousands of years ago have anything meaningful to say to people living in the twenty-first century — with smartphones, scientific knowledge, and a very different world?
In Bible: Can We Trust It?, Andrew Mathieson addresses these questions head-on with clarity, honesty, and warmth. This is not a book that dismisses the doubts or pretends the questions are not real. It is a book that takes them seriously and answers them — showing that the Bible is not just a venerable cultural relic but a living, trustworthy, and profoundly relevant Word from God to the world he made and loves.
What This Book Covers
Andrew Mathieson works through the key questions and objections people bring to the Bible with clarity and care:
- What the Bible actually is — A clear introduction to what kind of book the Bible is, how it came to be, and why that matters for how we read it
- Is the Bible full of contradictions? — An honest, accessible response to one of the most common objections raised against Scripture
- Can we trust what the Bible says historically? — The reliability of the biblical documents and what the evidence actually shows
- Is the Bible just nice ideas? — Why the Bible claims to be far more than a collection of moral wisdom — and what grounds that claim
- Does the Bible have anything to say today? — How a book written in the ancient world speaks with authority, relevance, and power to twenty-first-century life
- Why the Bible matters for new Christians — How trusting the Bible shapes the way we pray, live, and follow Jesus
- The Bible and Jesus — How Scripture centres on Christ and why he is the key to understanding everything it says
What Readers Will Learn
- Why the Bible is not just a popular ancient book but a trustworthy and authoritative Word from God
- How to respond clearly and confidently to common objections about the Bible's reliability and relevance
- Why the so-called contradictions in the Bible are not what sceptics often claim them to be
- How the Bible has proved itself historically reliable and why that matters for faith
- Why the Bible is as relevant to twenty-first-century life as it was to the world in which it was written
- How to read and trust the Bible as a new Christian — approaching it not as a religious duty but as a living encounter with God
- Why Jesus is the centre of the Bible's story and how that shapes the way Christians read every part of it
How to Use This Book
Bible: Can We Trust It? is short, clear, and accessible:
- Personal reading — Ideal for any new Christian with honest questions about whether the Bible can really be trusted
- Pre-faith conversations — A warm, honest resource to give to a seeker or enquirer who is wrestling with questions about the Bible's reliability
- One-to-one discipleship — A natural starting point for a mentor walking alongside a new believer who needs a solid foundation for trusting Scripture
- New members or apologetics classes — A reliable, accessible guide for churches helping new Christians build confidence in the Bible
- Small group use — Short enough to read together quickly, with questions that naturally arise from every chapter
- Evangelistic gift — A thoughtful, honest resource for a friend or family member who is curious about Christianity but unsure about the Bible
Who Should Read This Book
This book is for you if you are:
- A new Christian who believes but finds yourself quietly wondering whether you can really trust the book your faith is built on
- A seeker who is curious about Christianity but keeps stumbling over questions about the Bible's reliability, contradictions, or relevance
- A growing believer who wants to be better equipped to answer the questions friends, colleagues, or family members raise about the Bible
- A church leader or pastor looking for a clear, trustworthy resource to give to new members or anyone wrestling with doubts about Scripture
- Anyone who has ever been told that the Bible is full of contradictions, out of date, or simply not worth taking seriously — and wants to know what the best response actually is
About the Author
Andrew Mathieson is a pastor and Bible teacher known for his clear, accessible approach to some of the most common and pressing questions people bring to the Christian faith. He writes with the kind of directness and warmth that makes difficult questions feel approachable — taking doubts seriously without being destabilised by them, and pointing readers to the trustworthiness and sufficiency of Scripture with genuine conviction and care. Bible: Can We Trust It? reflects both his confidence in God's Word and his pastoral heart for people who are wrestling honestly with whether that Word can be relied upon.
About the First Steps Series
Bible: Can We Trust It? is part of the First Steps series — published by 9Marks and series edited by Mez McConnell. It is a collection of short, accessible books designed specifically to help new Christians take their first steps in the faith with confidence and clarity. Each volume addresses a foundational question about the Christian life in a way that is warm, practical, and easy to engage with for someone brand new to following Jesus.
Other titles in the series include:
