How Do We Know the Bible Was Not Changed?

This question often comes up in conversations about Scripture. People ask, sometimes with good intentions and sometimes with suspicion, whether the Bible has been changed over time. The short answer is no—but let us look at it from a common-sense angle.

First, if someone claims that the Bible has been changed, then the burden of proof is on that person. It is easy to make accusations. It is much harder to provide evidence. And to this day, no one has produced solid, verifiable proof showing who changed the Bible, when it was changed, or how it was changed in a way that altered its core message.

Second, we must consider something very important that is often overlooked. If someone had actually changed the Bible, especially over centuries of copying and translation, would they not have fixed the parts that appear difficult, confusing, or inconsistent? If someone had the power to edit or rewrite Scripture, would they not clean up every detail to make it perfect in the eyes of modern readers?

Take for example the so-called contradictions in numbers, genealogies, or accounts in the Gospels. These have been discussed in the post “Are There Any Contradictions in the Bible?” If the Bible had truly been edited or corrupted over time, surely those doing the changing would have smoothed out the variations. But that did not happen. Why? Because no one changed it.

This point builds on what was also covered in “Is the Bible Corrupted Over Time?” The evidence consistently shows preservation, not distortion.

What we see instead is a consistent message preserved through generations, even with minor textual variations that actually prove nothing was hidden. These are signs of honesty, not corruption.

The same argument applies to the supposed hard teachings or uncomfortable moments in Scripture. They remain untouched because the goal was not to manipulate but to preserve.

So how do we know the Bible was not changed? Because no one has shown otherwise, and because the things critics point to as flaws are the very things that would have been removed—if it really had been altered.