How do we know the words accredited to Jesus were the words Jesus actually spoke?

Rex Weyler, in The Jesus Sayings, page 14, cites Robert J. Miller, editor of The Complete Gospels: "Some of the words attributed to Jesus were not actually spoken by him. While this is not news to scholars, it is news to the ... public."

The Jesus Seminar, a theological research group, used voting of members as criteria for establishing what Jesus said, with weighted member votes: 3 - Jesus did say the passage quoted, or something very much like it; 2 - Jesus probably said something like the passage; 1 - Jesus did not say the passage, but it contains Jesus' ideas; 0 - Jesus did not say the passage. The seminar placed the burden of proof on those who advocate any passage's historicity, yet some of the criteria the members were asked to use were based on assumptions or presuppositions about Jesus as a person, so that votes were not entirely objective even within the limited scope of the Seminar. The criteria for acceptance were based on orality, irony and whether Jesus was telling his listeners to trust in God. The criteria for non-acceptance were based on self-reference, whether the words framed or introduced other material, dealt with Christian issues, or represented a theological agenda specific to one gospel. The Seminar concluded that in the four canonical gospels and the Gospel of Thomas, only about 18 per cent of sayings attributed to Jesus were likely to have been said by Jesus himself, with nearly all the sayings that appear in John's Gospel seen as inauthentic.

My answer will be from my southern Baptist background.

There is no way to verify the accuracy of the words attributed to Jesus, most certainly any words in English cannot possibly be his exact words; since Jesus spoke Aramaic and not English. This the English language of course came in with the Anglo-Saxon takeover of the British Isles, therefore, any translation into English will of necessity be the word in English most closely related to the Aramaic word attributed to Jesus.

Even so the old testament was written in Hebrew, and the New Testament was written in Greek. That was further translated into other languages so the words that we read today cannot possibly be the words Jesus spoke. We are therefore presented with the word most closely associated to the original words of Christ.

It is our belief among Baptist, that the Bible is the inspired word of God. This we also believe; that translations are also the inspired word of God. We base that assumption on the following Scripture:

John 14:25 and 26 NKJV "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

We also believe that the Holy Spirit enters into a person at Salvation, and therefore; though the words may be a different vocalization, the Holy Spirit will give us the understanding that God intended to convey.

To our way of believing, The main thing to remember regardless of how it is conveyed is:

John 14:17 and 18 NKJV the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

The true Key to Christianity is not just believing that Christ sacrifice on the cross, was somehow a way to get to Heaven. It is the belief that through the sacrifice of his human life repented for our infidelity and that God through his magnificent Grace has allowed him to pay for the sins of all who will accept his grace through the sacrifice of his only begotten son; and is the only way to enter into the Kingdom of God.

How do we know the words accredited to Jesus were the words Jesus actually spoke?

It can seem a circular argument in that the Bible is our source and our proof.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

According to the Bible what is recorded does not rely on the memory of men, but on the hand of God making sure his word was written as he intended.

We do not have the verbatim words of Jesus because Jesus mostly spoke Aramaic and the New Testament was written in Greek.

It is not important whether what we have is verbatim or not. What is more important is what the message tries to convey. A single idea can be conveyed in many languages without losing its original message.

We can also be rest assured that we have the right message passed down to us through the ages because the scripture was written with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and God is faithful in protecting his Message from coruption.

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21, NIV)