As of date, over 3,400 to 1,900 years have passed since the OT and NT books were written, respectively. 

During this period, the books were copied repeatedly to preserve them.

Unfortunately, some of the original manuscripts were lost in this process, which has led some skeptics to question whether the Bible we have today is authentic and if we can still trust in it. 

So has the Bible been divinely preserved? Let us look at some facts to determine this.

When God initially inspired men to write His word, it was God-breathed and inerrant.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)

16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

17. that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Bible nowhere applies this verse to the copies of the original manuscripts. As meticulous as the scribes were in the replication of the scriptures, no one is perfect. Comparative studies that follow word-for-word testing have identified minor variants that consist primarily of spellings or pen slips. 

But, these differences would have been likely since the scribes were making copies only by hand since the printing press was not invented until the AD 1500s. 

Note these are minor errors, and it does not give any ground to classify the Bible as infallible as some have claimed it is.

Any unbiased document scholar would agree that the Bible has been remarkably well-preserved over the centuries despite these minor differences. Even after 1,000 years of copying, there were no changes in meaning and almost no changes in wording. 

Even many hardened skeptics and critics admit that the Bible has been transmitted over the centuries far more accurately than any other ancient document.

In addition, there is no evidence that the Bible has been revised, edited, or tampered with in any systematic manner. The sheer volume of biblical manuscripts available makes it simple to recognize any attempts to distort God’s Word. 

It should also be noted that there is no fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith that is put in doubt due to these minor differences between the manuscripts.

Furthermore, various copies of the Bibles were found dating to the 14th century AD, which was nearly identical in content to transcripts from the 3rd century AD.

In addition, with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (copies of the Old Testament Manuscripts dating to at least 150 BC), scholars were shocked to see how similar they were to other ancient texts of the Old Testament. 

So, can we trust the Bible? Yes! God has preserved His Word despite the accidental faults and deliberate attacks of human beings.

Therefore, we can have the utmost assurance that the Bible we have today is a highly trustworthy copy of the original that came from the hands of the prophets and apostles. The Bible is God’s Word, and we can trust it.