Some questions come from people who are skeptical about the Christian faith. Some come from believers who have skeptical friends. And some come from believers who are struggling with the issue themselves. Our first question is found in the hearts of all three.

Why do we believe the Bible is right and other religious books are wrong?  Other religions are just as sincere in their commitment to their sacred writings as Christians are to ours. 

Here is one of the most common ways skeptics justify their skepticism about the Bible. The question is based on the commonplace supposition that contradictions are bad. If you can find a statement I make which disagrees with something I've already said, you'll feel justified in rejecting both. Even though one may be right. Even though they both may be. Why?

So who decided what books should be in the Bible? Ultimately, their Author. The same Holy Spirit who inspired the biblical revelation (2 Pt 1:20-21) led the Christian movement to those books he inspired.

A related question occurs to those familiar with Catholic Bibles and translations: why do they have more books than Protestant Bibles? What is the Apocrypha? And why does it matter?

God gave us his word to guide us in his will. But as with any guide, we must follow its directions correctly. If our guide points south but we turn north, we will soon be lost, no matter how accurate our guide's suggestions. How do we follow his direction?