Over 2000 times in the Old Testament alone there are clauses such as, “And God spoke to Moses,” and the bible claims to be a record of the words and deeds of God, thus the bible views itself as God’s Word. Other books make similar claims and the difference is that Scripture contains indisputable evidence as being the Word of God.
One reason that the Bible is different from other books is its unity. The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years by more than 40 different human authors. These authors came from different backgrounds including Joshua (a military general), Daniel (a Prime Minister), Peter (a fisherman), and Nehemiah (a cupbearer). The authors wrote from different places such as the wilderness (Moses), prison (Paul), Patmos exile (John). The bible was written from three different continents, Africa, Asia and Europe and in three different languages, Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
From beginning to end there’s one unfolding story of God’s plan of salvation for mankind. This salvation is through the person of Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Jesus Himself testified that that He was the theme of the entire bible, “Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Me….for had you believed in Moses, you would have believed in Me; for he wrote of Me…” (John 5:39,46,47).
The Old Testament is the preparation (Isaiah 40:3). The Gospels are the manifestation (John 1:29). The book of Acts is the propagation (Acts 1:8). The Epistles give the explanation (Colossians 1:27). The Book of Revelation is the consummation (Revelation 1:7). The Bible is all about Jesus.
The unity of the Scriptures is only one reason among many which supports the bible’s claim to be the divine Word of God. Others which could be explained in detail are the testimony of the early church, the witness of history and archaeology, and the evidence of changed lives throughout the centuries, to name but a few.
The Bible is special. It is unique. No other book has any such credentials. No other book comes even close.
Post published in: Faith