The Main Reason People Speak Against the Bible

There are multiple reasons that people speak against the Bible. 

Reason #1

• The main reason is because the Bible speaks against their lifestyle. In order to speak FOR the Bible, one must be accountable TO the Bible, the word of God. Most people do not want to be accountable to anyone or anything for their actions; instead they want to justify their sinful behavior. 
• In regard to lifestyle, everyone is a sinner, whether a Christian or not. The difference between a true Christian and an unbeliever as it relates to sin is that a true Christian has been forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ, is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and is being transformed to live in obedience to God, whereas an unbeliever remains under the guilt and power of sin, without forgiveness or the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to overcome sin.
  • It’s not that Christians won’t sin; everybody sins. The real distinction between a Christian sinning and an unbeliever sinning is whether or not the Christian engages in a continued and unrelenting display of the same sinful act(s) as a pattern of life.
  • A Christian possesses the Holy Spirit who helps lead and guide the Christian’s behavior, and it is the Holy Spirit that is the restrainer of sin and evil in one’s life. The Holy Spirit also works to restrain evil until God’s appointed time. “God’s appointed time” in 2 Thessalonians 2 relates directly to events surrounding the Second Coming of Christ. The restrainer will be removed according to God’s timing, allowing lawlessness to be revealed, but Jesus will ultimately triumph at His return. Other views as to the identity of the restrainer are the Roman empire (active at the time of Paul’s writings) and the church. According to 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, there is a present restraining power holding back the full emergence of lawlessness.

    • “And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.”

• Sin can be simply defined as human activity that is contrary to God’s will. The Bible’s call to submit to Christ is difficult for those who want to follow their own path. Most people do not want to be told what to do when it comes to their behavior. The Bible maintains a clear stance against sin throughout the Bible.
• Most people want to “live in the flesh,” doing what feels good at the moment. The Apostle Paul wrote down the Holy-Spirit inspired word of God that we find in Romans 8:5 – 

“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” 

This verse means that living “in the flesh” or “according to the flesh” in a state of human existence, and while it can simply describe physical human life, it often carries a more profound spiritual meaning. In this sense, it represents living according to one’s “lower nature” or “unredeemed humanity,” characterized by self-centered desires and behaviors that conflict with the will of God, until each believer receives a new and glorified body: 

“And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23).

Philippians 3:19 and 2 Peter 2:10 speak more to the nature of destruction when craving the desires of unredeemed flesh.

Sexual Immorality

“And you shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”

“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled, for the sexually immoral and adulterers God will judge.”

“For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions; for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the males abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”

Drunkenness and Substance Abuse

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit…”

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Greed and Materialism

“‘Then He said to them, “Watch out and be on your guard against every form of greed, for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.’”

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evils, and some by aspiring to it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

““No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Hatred, Anger, and Violence

“‘You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.'”

“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

Condemns “enmity, strife, fits of anger.” – “So why should you, my son, be intoxicated with a strange woman And embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?”

Dishonesty and Deception

“Lying lips are an abomination to Yahweh, But doers of faithfulness are His delight.”

“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

“Do not lie to one another, since you put off the old man with its evil practices…”

Sexual Identity Confusion or Cross-Dressing

““A woman shall not wear man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh your God.”

Occult Practices and Witchcraft

““There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices soothsaying or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer, or one who is an enchanter or a medium or a spiritist or one who inquires of the dead. “For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh; and because of these abominations Yahweh your God will dispossess them from before you.”

Idolatry and False Religion

“You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me…”

““But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Gossip, Slander, and Malicious Speech

“If anyone thinks himself to be religious while not bridling his tongue but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”

“A perverse man spreads strife, And a whisperer separates close companions.”

“…having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, violent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents…”

Covetousness and Envy

““You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male slave or his female slave or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil practice.”

“…envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Unforgiveness and Bitterness

“‘For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.'”

“Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

“…seeing to it that no one falls short of the grace of God; that no ROOT OF BITTERNESS SPRINGING UP CAUSES TROUBLE, and by it many be defiled…” [Note: Anytime that you see capitalized text, this means that the scripture is a direct quote from the Old Testament.]

Laziness and Slothfulness

“Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your want like an armed man.”

“For even when we were with you, we used to command this to you: if anyone is not willing to work, neither let him eat.”

Rebellion Against Authority

“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist have been appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists that authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.”

“For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, He has also rejected you from being king.”

Pride and Self-Exaltation

“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”

“But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

Sex Outside of Biblical Marriage (Adultery, Fornication)

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;”

“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled, for the sexually immoral and adulterers God will judge.”

Summary Verse

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)

Grace and Redemption

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified…”

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”

There are other reasons that people speak against the Bible:

Reason #2

• Some misunderstand its message or struggle with certain passages, which can lead them to reject the Bible entirely. D.L. Moody said, 

“Of all the skeptics and infidels I have ever met speaking against the Bible, I have never met one who read it through. There may be such men, but I have never met them. It is simply an excuse. There is no man living who will stand up before God and say that kept him out of the kingdom.” 

• In many cases, questioning the Bible or saying that the Bible is made-up fairy tales implies that someone has identified what he or she believes to be a contradiction or mistake, and thus justifies their view in their own mind that the Bible is not the inerrant word of God. When someone questions the Bible to place himself or herself above Scripture—acting as the final judge over it—that approach becomes sinful, placing one’s self above the authority of God. Jesus said in Matthew 5:18 – 

“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” 

• The Law being referenced by Jesus is the law that God gave Moses, the Mosaic Law which includes the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) as well as civil laws and ceremonial laws that were given to the Israelites as God’s chosen people. We find the Law written down by Moses as the Holy-Spirit inspired word of God in the first five books of the Bible known as the Pentateuch collection: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
• In Matthew 5:18 above, Jesus is speaking to the authority and inerrancy of the Old Testament, down to the smallest stroke or letter. Some may think this verse in the New Testament voids or supplants what is written in the Old Testament, but instead should be looked at as Christ fulfilling the Law and explaining the Law, not abolishing the Law, even though the ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic law were fulfilled in Christ. Ceremonial law means sacrifices and other ceremonies regarding uncleanness. Christians are not bound to ceremonial laws as the church is not the nation of Israel.

“But before faith came, we were held in custody under the Law, being shut up for the coming faith to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor unto Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Galatians 3:23–25). 

• Truth never contradicts Scripture. Jesus, in praying to the Father for His disciples, says in John 17:17 – 

“Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.”

Reason #3

Some also question its relevance in today’s world or doubt its historical credibility. For centuries, beginning with the time that God formed Adam and Eve, Satan has worked to discredit the Bible’s accuracy its reliability, and its authority. Genesis 3:1-5 records Satan planting doubt in the mind of Eve about what God said to Eve: 

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which Yahweh God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die.’” And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The fact that the Bible has endured intense opposition for thousands of years is viewed by some as a sign of its divine origin. It’s worth noting that asking honest questions to seek understanding is healthy, but challenging Scripture out of defiance is seen as a rejection of God. 

Ultimately, resistance to the Bible is often rooted in discomfort with its moral standards and the conviction it brings regarding sin. 

For more reasons on how and why you can trust the Bible, click here.