Can I believe in the Bible?

I had a conversation yesterday with a friend who created a small paradigm shift in my thinking. The concept that the Bible contradicts itself, and not just in small, ironic ways, like instructing you to be a servant and in the same passage instructing you to be a leader. See, to be a leader is to serve. But that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about historical "facts" being told differently by different people. Not personal accounts on stories, but things like the amount of time between Adam and Abraham.

He was saying how the Bible is imperfect, and its not the bible in which we place our faith. This is odd, I was always, and still am told to "stand on the Word of God" and the "Word of God" being the Bible. So I ask the question, if event "A" is untrue, how can I believe anything else to be true? Because it makes sense? That's not a very solid point to stand on. His response is, faith. I feel like that's the answer to any unanswerable question and while I go with it, I'm not always okay with it. Feels like a religious cop-out.

When it comes down to it though, it's not and never has been the Bible that roots my faith. It's my relationship. It's the experiences that I've had and personal life-change that fuel my faith. Scripture, I believe, is God breathed. But it's God breathed THROUGH MAN, who is imperfect. Making it the perfectly imperfect account. It's interesting how God works and mind boggling. Who am I to try to figure it out?

I will always rely on scripture and stand on God's Word, but when people point out discrepancies, it won't be a point of discouragement or confusion. It's an honor that God is using His creation to communicate His heart towards us. He believes in us that much, and trusts that if we follow Him we will be LIKE him and a living example of the Word that is God.