Summary4 min read

The Daily Blade: Episode #344 – "Why You Can Trust The Bible As Real History"

Air Date: April 27, 2026
Hosts: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson

Episode Overview

In this episode, Pastor Joby Martin explores the historical reliability of the Bible, focusing on Galatians 6:11. Addressing common objections and misconceptions, Joby provides compelling reasons why Christians can trust the Scriptures as verified, real history—not myth or legend. The discussion is aimed at equipping listeners to confidently hold and defend their faith in the truth of God's Word, especially amid skepticism encountered online and elsewhere.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context: Galatians 6:11 — Real People, Real Letters

(00:20) Pastor Joby reads Galatians 6:11, highlighting Paul's personal touch in writing with “large letters.”
He explains: “Paul is a real man with real problems, and he's writing a real letter to a real church.”
Relevance: Details like Paul’s handwriting and possible bad eyesight make the Scriptures historically grounded, anchoring them in real-life circumstances and people.

2. Debunking Skepticism About the Bible’s Origins

Joby addresses common internet claims—such as the idea that the Bible was “made up by a group of people” or manipulated at the Council of Nicaea for power.
He asserts: “That could not be further from the truth.” (01:32)

3. Manuscript Evidence – The Bible’s Unparalleled Reliability

The Bible has overwhelming manuscript support:
- “We have thousands of copies of the Scriptures that were written within the lifetime of the eyewitnesses. There was not enough time for this to be a fable or a fairy tale that grew over time.” (02:10)
- Over 5,800 Greek manuscripts and 20,000+ ancient copies, many within 100 years of the original events.
- In contrast: Most trusted ancient texts (e.g., Julius Caesar’s histories) have maybe a few dozen copies, often written centuries after the events.
Notable quote:
- “Everything we know about Julius Caesar...the best thing that we have, we have 10 copies of the history of Rome that are at least 100 years old.” (02:54)

4. Eyewitness Testimony and the Resurrection

Paul’s letters are closely linked to firsthand experiences:
- “Paul is writing about his own personal experience with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus.”
- Paul cites 500+ eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection, many alive at the time:
  - “Go check them for yourself.” (03:20)

5. The Criterion of Embarrassment

The Scriptures contain “embarrassing facts” unlikely to appear in a fabricated story:
- E.g., Paul confronts Peter’s sin publicly.
- “If you were making up a new religion...there’s no way you would include these kinds of embarrassing facts.” (03:52)

6. External Corroboration & Archaeology

Archaeological discoveries and non-Christian historians affirm biblical details:
- “Every archeological find has only supported the truth of the Scripture. It happens over and over and over.” (04:04)
- Dead Sea Scrolls: Discovery of ancient Isaiah manuscripts matched modern copies “word for word.” (04:24)
- Tacitus references Jesus’ crucifixion; Josephus documents Jesus and the rise of Christianity.

7. Recommended Resource

For deeper study, Joby recommends Wesley Huff (guest on Kyle’s "Undaunted Life" podcast):
- “He talks about these kinds of realities.” (04:49)

8. Final Encouragement

Joby’s closing affirmation:
- “What I want you to know when you read the Scripture is it’s not only living and active...it is true. And it is trustworthy because it actually happened. You can believe the Bible because it is real.” (05:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Joby Martin (02:10):
“We have thousands of copies of the Scriptures that were written within the lifetime of the eyewitnesses. There was not enough time for this to be a fable or a fairy tale that grew over time.”
Joby Martin (03:20): “Paul’s going to say this, like when he writes to the Corinthians, that Jesus appeared to over 500 people for over six weeks, and many of them are still alive today. Go check them for yourself.”
Joby Martin (03:52): “If you were making up a new religion so as to endow power amongst the power brokers, there's no way you would include these kind of embarrassing facts.”
Joby Martin (04:24): “...there are copies of the book of Isaiah...over a thousand years earlier than any other copy that we had at that point. It is word for word. It is exactly what you have in your Bible...”

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:20 — Galatians 6:11 and the reality of biblical authors
01:32 — Refuting myths about the Bible’s origins
02:10 — Manuscript evidence: trustworthiness of Scripture
02:54 — Comparison to other ancient historical texts
03:20 — Eyewitness accounts and “Go check them for yourself”
03:52 — The criterion of embarrassment
04:04 — Archaeology and historical corroboration (Dead Sea Scrolls)
04:49 — Mention of Wesley Huff for further evidence
05:00 — Final word: “The Bible is real history”

Conclusion

This short yet robust devotional episode equips listeners with historical, textual, and archaeological reasons to trust the Bible. Through clear evidence and passionate encouragement, Joby arms Christians to both deepen their own faith and confidently address skepticism.

— For further questions or resources, listeners are encouraged to revisit relevant podcast segments or check out Wesley Huff’s work on biblical reliability.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:01]
A
Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.
[00:21]
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Welcome back to the Daily Blade. We have finally made it to the end of Galatians. We're in Galatians, chapter 6. Beginning in verse 11, Paul says this, see, with what large letters, I am writing to you with my own hand. So we're going to spend our time today just on this one verse. This is the reason, by the way, a lot of people think that the thorn in the flesh that Paul talks about in Corinthians when he asks God to remove it is his bad eyesight. You see, oftentimes when a person like Paul would send a letter, they would dictate it to someone. But Paul wants the Church of Galatia to know that he is writing this. And a part of the reason he's writing with such large letters, a lot of folks think that it's because he's got bad eyesight. Well, a part of the reason I want to point this out is because Paul is a real man with real problems and he's writing a real letter to a real church. Now, why does this detail matter? Because what I want you to see here is that the Scripture, the Bible is not a fairy tale. It's not a fiction book. It actually happened. And so I want to give you a few reasons why you can trust the word of God. I mean, like, hardcore reasons that you can trust the word of God. Because you'll hear if you scroll the Internet now, you'll see people say all this kind of stuff, like, well, you know, it was just made up by a group of people. And the Church conspired in the council in isa in the 300 AD to put this thing together to be a power source of the Church that could not be further from the truth. Or others will say, well, how can you trust that Bible that you have right there in your hand? Because it is just an interpretation of a translation of a translation, and it's all been lost. That is so untrue. First and foremost, the early manuscript evidence of the Bible is overwhelming. We have thousands of copies of the Scriptures that were written within the lifetime of the eyewitnesses. There was not enough time for this to be a fable or a fairy tale that grew, grew over time. Also, like just the Greek manuscripts that we currently have access to. We have 5,800 Greek manuscripts, if you include the other manuscripts that we have, that were translated into other languages as the Gospel began to spread all over the place. We have over 20,000 that are traced back to within 100 years of when these actual events happen. You see most of the ancient histories that we trust as fact maybe have a few dozen copies a hundred years later. Everything we know about Julius Caesar. The best thing that we have, we have 10 copies of the history of Rome that are at least 100 years old. Also, Paul is writing about his own personal experience with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus. It's closely linked to many of the eyewitnesses of Jesus. Paul's going to say this, like when he writes to the Corinthians that Jesus appeared to over 500 people for over six weeks, and many of them are still alive today. Go check them for yourself. Also, something that is contained in the scriptures that you don't find in religious writing is what is called the criterion of embarrassment. Like when Paul in the book of Galatians confronts Peter to his face about his sin. If you were making up a new religion so as to endow power amongst the power brokers, there's no way you would include these kind of embarrassing facts. And then just another one is the external corroboration about the historicity of the Bible. Every archeological find has only supported the truth of the Scripture. It happens over and over and over. Maybe you've heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls. That shepherd boy was out in Qumran. He throws a rock into a cave. He. He hears something shatter. They get down in there, and there are copies of the book of Isaiah for existence. And when you look through what was written, it's over a thousand years earlier than any other copy that we had at that point. It is word for word. It is exactly what you have in your Bible on your Bible app right now. That Tacitus, who is an external historian, he references the crucifixion of Jesus. Josephus mentions Jesus and the rise of Christianity. If you want more evidence, go see Wesley Huff. Wesley Huff's been on Kyle's podcast, Undaunted Life before, and this is what he does. He talks about these kinds of realities. What I want you to know when you read the Scripture is it's not only living and active, it is. It's not only historically correct, it is. It's not only inspired or breathed out by God and useful for everything in your life, but it is true. And it is trustworthy because it actually happened. You can believe the Bible because it is real.
[05:25]
A
Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help, equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.