Why should I trust the Bible?

You shouldn't trust the Bible merely because someone tells you, "The Bible says it's inspired."

The Bible is a library of ancient texts, and several different questions need separating.

Do we know reasonably well what its authors wrote? In the New Testament's case, the large manuscript tradition includes many textual variants, but it also gives scholars a great deal of material for reconstructing the text.

Are its historical claims reliable? That has to be investigated claim by claim using dating, genre, archaeology, external sources and the normal tools of ancient history.

Then there is a further Christian question: is Scripture inspired by God? Historical research alone cannot prove inspiration.

For Christianity, confidence in the Bible is ultimately connected to confidence in Jesus. So the case is cumulative: textual transmission, historical credibility, what Jesus was like, and whether the central Christian claims are actually true.