Is the Bible the Word of God?
God and the Bible go together and you can not separate the two. God through men wrote the Bible. The Bible was written over a period of 1500 years in 3 different languages and by 40 different authors in about 20 different countries. The only way that the Bible could make sense and have one central theme is if it was written by God. The individual authors did have some input as far as style and rhythm goes, but they did not write the Bible. Look at this way. If there are two books written on a subject such as psychology there is vast differences in opinion. Now consider the wonder of the Bible and also the facts that support that not only did the people of the Bible exist but the prophecy that was made about Christ as far a 500 to 600 years before He was born came true to the last detail then you have to believe that the rest of the Bible is true and must be from God. The most important belief that you need to have is that Jesus died for your sins and that if you believe in Him then you can be saved. I hope this helps you and if you have any further questions then please ask.
Our English word for Bible comes from a Greek word "biblia," the plural of "biblion," meaning book, writing, or scroll. Therefore the word, Bible, means books. It is a collection of 66 books of various sizes, making one book.
- The Bible is different from any other book because it is God's Holy Book, written by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1: 19-21).
- The first five books are said to have been written by Moses, who lived about 3,500 years ago. Parts of those books record history from about 2,500 years before Moses, such as the creation, history from Adam, the first man to Noah at the time of the great flood, histories of 9 or 10 generations to Abraham, and then from Abraham to Moses, a period of 500 to 600 years.
- The last part of the New Testament was written about 1900 years ago, within the first century after Christ.
- Therefore, the Bible was written over a period of about 1,600 years, by about 40 different writers. It was written in a number of different countries, like, Israel, Babylon (now Iraq), Persia (now Iran), Italy, and Greece.
- The writers were of many different occupations: shepherd, military leader, king priest, farmer, tax collector, fishermen, tent maker, physician, prophets and apostles.
- Can you imagine what a miracle of God it was for that many people, in that many countries, from that many occupations, over that long period of time, writing a book without previous planning or without being able to consult with each other, that is not contradictory, that is scientifically accurate before many of those facts of science were known. Only God could be the real author behind the writers.
- The Bible contains history, law, poetry, prophecy, prayers, praises, wisdom, important instructions for success and living. IT IS GOD'S MESSAGE TO MANKIND.
- It is divided into two parts -- the Old Testament contains 39 books and was written before the birth of Jesus Christ. The New Testament contains 27 books and was written after the birth of Christ.
What evidence is there that the Bible is in fact God's Word?Adrian Rogers
I want to give you five reasons to affirm the Bible is the Word of God.
First, I believe the Bible is the Word of God because of its scientific accuracy. The Truth of the Word of God tells us that God "hangeth the earth upon nothing" (Job 26:7). How did Job know that the earth hung in space before the age of modern astronomy and space travel? The Holy Spirit told him. The scientists of Isaiah's day didn't know the topography of the earth, but Isaiah said, "It is [God] that sitteth upon the circle of the earth" (Isaiah 40:22). The word for "circle" here means a globe or sphere. How did Isaiah know that God say upon the circle of the earth? By divine inspiration.
Secondly, the Bible is affirmed through historical accuracy. Do you remember the story about the handwriting on the wall that is found in the fifth chapter of Daniel? Belshazzar hosted a feast with a thousand of his lords and ladies. Suddenly, a gruesome hand appeared out of nowhere and began to write on a wall. The king was disturbed and asked for someone to interpret the writing. Daniel was found and gave the interpretation. After the interpretation, "Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom." (Daniel 5:29). Basing their opinion on Babylonian records, the historians claim this never happened. According to the records, the last king of Babylon was not Belshazzar, but a man named Nabonidas. And so, they said, the Bible is in error. There wasn't a record of a king named Belshazzar. Well, the spades of archeologists continued to do their work. In 1853, an inscription was found on a cornerstone of a temple built by Nabonidas, to the god Ur, which read: "May I, Nabonidas, king of Babylon, not sin against thee. And may reverence for thee dwell in the heart of Belshazzar, my first-born favorite son." From other inscriptions, it was learned that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents. Nabonidas traveled while Belshazzar stayed home to run the kingdom. Now that we know that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents, it makes sense that Belshazzar would say that Daniel would be the third ruler. What a marvelous nugget of truth tucked away in the Word of God!
Third, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reads as one book. And there is incredible unity to the Bible. The Bible is one book, and yet it is made up of 66 books, was written by at least 40 different authors over a period of about 1600 years, in 13 different countries and on three different continents. It was written in at least three different languages by people in all professions. The Bible forms one beautiful temple of truth that does not contradict itself theologically, morally, ethically, doctrinally, scientifically, historically, or in any other way.
Fourth, did you know the Bible is the only book in the world that has accurate prophecy? When you read the prophecies of the Bible, you simply have to stand back in awe. There are over 300 precise prophecies that deal with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament. To say that these are fulfilled by chance is an astronomical impossibility.
Finally, the Bible is not a book of the month, but the Book of the ages.First Peter 1:25 says: "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you." No book has ever had as much opposition as the Bible. Men have laughed at it, scorned it, burned it, ridiculed it, and made laws against it. But the Word of God has survived. And it is applicable today as much as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow.
It's so majestically deep that scholars could swim and never touch the bottom. Yet so wonderfully shallow that a little child could come and get a drink of water without fear of drowning. That is God's precious, holy Word. The Word of God. Know it. Believe it. It is True.
Authentic And DependableThe Bible is the best selling book of all time by a very wide margin with approximately 6 Billion copies in print. What is it that brings people to depend on this book? If the Bible is merely a book of helpful moral guidance and philosophy written by humans, then we can pick and choose what we want to believe. If it is actually God's word to us, then we should let it transform our lives. The evidence is overwhelming that the Bible is totally authentic in what it claims to be--the actual Word of God.
One Unified BookThe Bible is an incredibly unified piece of literature. It was written over a 1,500 year time period by over 40 different authors from various backgrounds and cultures, in 13 different countries, in 3 different languages, and in many different literary styles. Despite all of that, it contains one consistent theme from cover to cover, which is God's plan for the salvation of mankind.
Inspired By GodIt is appropriate to call the Bible the Word of God because that is what the Bible itself claims. "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right." (2 Timothy 3:16) The Bible was physically written by men by the inspiration of God (Hebrews 1:1). In other words, God used men to write exactly what He wanted to say. The writers are clearly claiming to be speaking from God as hundreds of times they use expressions like "says the Lord", "declares the Lord", "God said", and "The word of the Lord came to me". The ways in which God spoke to the writers included dreams (Genesis 37:1-11), visions (Daniel 7), audible voice (1 Samuel 3), inner voice (Hosea 1), and through angels (Genesis 19:1-29).
Writers Were EyewitnessesMost of the writers in the Old Testament and all of the writers in the New Testament were eyewitnesses to the events written about and their written accounts have been supported by hundreds of archeological finds. The writers were compelled to write only what came from God-- "Do not add to His words, or He will rebuke you and prove you a liar." (Proverbs 30:6). In fact, most of the writers felt so strongly that what they were writing about was from God that they died for what they believed.
Historical Events ConfirmedThe Bible is also historically accurate. The events that took place, the places that are involved, and the people who are written about are confirmed by the majority of historians from thousands of years ago until today. Skeptics even agree that the New Testament is an outstanding account of history. The reason being is that the eyewitnesses were careful to record all the details accurately. For example, in Luke 1:1-3, it is noted that they "carefully investigated everything".
Importantly, the writers of the New Testament affirmed the unique history presented In the Old Testament. For example, Jesus confirms historical events such as the creation of man and women (Matthew 19:4), Jonah being swallowed by a giant fish (Matthew 12:40), and the flood in Noah's day (Matthew 24:37-39).
Archaeology Supports ClaimsArchaeology consistently supports even the smallest details to confirm the reliability of the Bible. Trained archeologists have previously set out to try and prove biblical facts to be wrong only to uncover more proof that supports the Bible's claims. Through many hundreds of years of discoveries, evidence consistently supports the authenticity of the Bible.
Scientific Facts AccurateThe Bible is completely accurate in all scientific facts. The amazing part is that all these facts were written many hundred years before human discovery. Only an all-knowing God could inspire these things to be written. Here are some examples:
- The first verse of the Bible -- "In the beginning," (Genesis 1:1) -- Is a claim that the universe had a beginning, and that there was a time before which the universe didn't exist. Today, the vast majority of scientists also believe that the available evidence points to a universe that had a beginning
- In Job 26:7, the Bible says that "God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing." Today we know from indirect evidence and direct observation from space that the earth is indeed "suspended" in space "by nothing"
- "The stars cannot be counted" (Jeremiah 33:22) -- written before scientists proved this fact after the telescope was invented
- "Earth is a circle" (Isaiah 40:22) -- It was widely accepted that the Earth was flat rather than round until Magellan sailed around the world in the early 1,500's
- "Blood sustains life" (Leviticus 17:14) -- written before man realized this fact in the 1800's
- The fall of Babylon to the Persian Empire
- The fall of the Persian Empire to the Greek Empire
- Details of the political intrigue and wars that plagued the Greek empire as it crumbled
- The fall of the Greek Empire to the Roman Empire
- The date when the Messiah would arrive in Jerusalem and be put to death
Contains Transforming PowerMost critics of the Bible are people who haven't taken the time to read it or study it. In fact, many critics who tried to disprove the Bible are now some if it's biggest supporters. If this book is truly the Word of God and we read it with an open mind, then we will experience the life changing power it promises. "For the Word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are." (Hebrews 4:12) This same book has the power to help people who are suffering, save people from their sin, give us direction in life, and satisfy our intellect. The Word of God has healed marriages, rescued people from addictions, given people reason to live, mended hearts and changed countless of other seemingly hopeless situations. See for yourself some examples of radicallychanged lives.
Worth Believing Due To Overwhelming EvidenceUpon close examination, it is clear that the Bible claims and proves to be the Word of God. Every scientific, historical, and prophetic word written reveals the accuracy and uniqueness of the Bible. That is reason enough to believe and follow God's Word at all times and with all of our heart. Jesus said "People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God." (Matthew 4:4)
Your Eternal DestinyIf you agree that the Bible is reliable and true, please know what it says about your eternal destiny. The Bible says that your sin has separated you from God (Isaiah 59:2) and that you will die in your sins (John 8:21) and be sent to Hell (Luke 5:12) unless you repent (turn from your sins) (Luke 13:3) and place your trust in Jesus (John 1:12) as the One who died on the cross to pay for your sins (1 Peter 2:24) and allow you to enter Heaven when you die. Life is short and you never know how many days you have left to live. Please consider receiving the greatest gift you can ever hope for in Jesus Christ.