One of my favorite sounds in the world is a chorus of young people singing cheerfully, “Jesus loves me. This I know for the Bible tells me so.” It’s a song simple enough that any child can learn it and start singing along in minutes. It has a simple melody and a simple message. Why do I know that Jesus loves me? Because it says so in the Bible.
It’s such a simple explanation. But is it too simple? Thousands upon thousands of books, essays, sermons, and the like have been written by Christian apologists to explain the basic claims of the Bible. And these claims have been debated countless times by atheists and others. Surely it isn’t enough to say that I can truly know that Jesus loves me simply because the Bible says so. Are we deceiving our children with an overly simple answer to all the criticisms the world will hurl toward them? Or is it really that simple?
Jesus certainly thinks so. In John 17:17, He prayed to God, saying, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” Here, Jesus expresses that the word of God is true. That means that the Bible is trustworthy. If it wasn’t trustworthy, then Jesus would have been lying when He said in John 8:32, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The truth of the Bible is the very foundation of our faith. If it wasn’t trustworthy, then we would have no reason to hope for the promises found in Jesus Christ.
Some may argue, these are only the words of a man who lived 2,000 years ago. What makes Him trustworthy? Because the trustworthy nature of Jesus was seen and attested to by trustworthy witnesses. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). John speaks on behalf of the apostles and all those who saw Jesus risen from the dead (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3-8), declaring that His resurrection proved that Jesus was not just a man but is the embodiment of truth. This fact was so undeniable to the apostles that each of them refused to recant their faith, even in the face of execution and exile. It was to these men that the Lord Jesus gave the responsibility of writing the New Testament (cf. Acts 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:21; Heb. 1:1).
The message of the Bible is the most amazing thing in the world. The God of the Universe, Jesus the Christ, loves me. Whatever trial or tribulation, loss, disease, or heartache that may come into my life cannot destroy the comfort of this truth. I know that it is true because the Bible tells me so. And the Bible is true because Jesus is trustworthy. And so are the men who died to bring this most wonderful news. And that is all I need to know.