Why does it matter whether you believe the Bible is the Word of God?

Answer 1

There are at least three positions you can hold regarding the Bible as the Word of God. You can be a Christian or Jew who faithfully believes that The Bible is the true and revealed word of God. You can be a Christian or Jew who believes that the Bible is scripture, but not really the Word of God. Or you can be a nonbeliever, a follower of another religion or an agnostic or atheist, who does not believe that the Bible is more than the writing of good men.

Which of these three positions you hold is really up to you, as long as you hold that position sincerely. It is certainly possible to be a Christian and yet not believe that the Bible is the revealed Word of God. After all, it would be hard otherwise to explain the errors and inconsistencies in the Bible.