The Bible
The Bible is a library of 66 divinely, inspired books written over a period of 1500 years by approximately 40 different penmen. There is only one Author, God, who inspired these men in what to write and in how to write. Having chosen different people from varied walks of life and culture does not mean that the Bible is subject to imperfections and inconsistencies. The fact that there is a continuum from Genesis to Revelations, that the Bible is free from contradictions, though diverse in style, outlook and the cultural conditioning it’s writers, adds to the proof of divine authorship. Peter writes that these penmen wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (II Peter 1.21) Paul wrote to Timothy saying: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (II Tim. 3.16)
The inspiration of Scripture should not be confused with the inspiredness of great literature. The biblical idea of inspiration is that as being “God breathed”. It does not relate to the literary quality of what is written, but to its character as divine revelation in writing. The idea is not of mechanical dictation, or automatic writing, or any other process which suspends the action of the human mind or volition. Such concepts can be found in Islam, the Talmud and the teachings of Philo, but they are not found in the Bible. The anointing and direction under which the writers of the Bible wrote did not annihilate, but rather heightened the spontaneity, freedom and creativeness of their writings.
Jesus attested to the divine nature of Scripture when He quotes passages of the book of Deuteronomy in rebuking Satan. He said: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Mat. 4.4; Deut. 8.3) The Bible is not just a book like other books. It is the Word of God. Other books cannot be preferred or compared to it. If the whole world believes something different than what is revealed in the Scriptures, then the whole world is wrong and the Bible is still right. Man’s wisdom reflects the mood of the times, but the Word of God is eternal. Morality, justice, ethics, family, marriage and behavior are not variables defined or determined by man, but addressed in Scripture.
God cannot lie. He is Truth. What He says is true for all of time and cannot be changed. The other day I was watching an interview with a homosexual pastor, who was justifying his sexual orientation by claiming that divine revelation is progressive. He was claiming that the clear prohibition of homosexuality found in the Scriptures was subject to human enlightenment and personal interpretation. He went on to compare the modern acceptance of gay marriages and practice to slavery and racism. In the past it was accepted and now not. An African American pastor, who was also on the panel, spoke up saying: “Don’t equate the color of my skin to sin. Sexual orientation is a choice, the color of my skin is not.” God gave us a free will, but to choose to sin does not make it right. You can choose to obey the Word of God or not, but you cannot change it.
In the 31,102 verses in the Bible the middle verse is found in Psalms 118.8. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” This is pivotal. God knows best. His ways are higher than man’s. Let the Bible guide you in all your decisions. Meditate on it daily and take it seriously as the Word of God for you.
Scriptures to meditate on:
II Tim. 3.16-17; Heb. 4.12; II Peter 1.19-21; I Cor. 2.13; Mat. 4.4; 5.18; Ps. 119.105