Inspiration of the Bible

Last year a reader wrote to suggest the theme "Evidences of Divine Inspiration of the Bible" for a future issue of THE HERALD. She said the question of the Bible’s inspiration occasionally comes up when she discusses religious topics with others.

The issue you are holding in your hands is a direct result of her letter. With our many Christian friends we share a love for, and a belief in the divine inspiration of the Scriptures. It is a joy to discuss the Bible with others who share our enthusiasm for it and believe it is God’s word. But what can we say to those who think the Bible is "an old fiddle upon which any tune can be played" or to the one who thinks the Bible is no more interesting than the Koran, say, or the sacred text of any other ancient religion?

In fact much can be said. To begin with, no other book is as old as the oldest sections of the Bible. If a previously unknown book written some thousand years before Christ were to be discovered carefully preserved, it would be heralded as a great find, as a wonderful way to learn more about the people, customs, and beliefs of those who were alive at that time. Perhaps because we have had the Bible as a part of our culture for as long as we can remember, we tend to take it for granted. In fact it is more than interesting—it is inspired. We hope to prove that assertion in the articles that follow.

The first one entitled The Inspiration of the Bible points out that a common theme from Genesis to Revelation is one proof that a divine mind must have guided the work of multiple authors over a 1,600-year period. Another proof is that prophecies written more than 2,000 years ago gave details about a coming Messiah. Jesus fulfilled every one of those prophecies. Still another proof is to see the effect the Bible has had on those who follow its teachings.

How can we be sure the Bible we have is what was written originally? Preservation of the Law of God, a verse-by-verse study of Nehemiah 8, shows how the Jews prized their writings, how they preserved them, and taught them to one generation after another. That’s why what we have today is so close to what was originally written.

Perhaps there is no greater argument for divine inspiration than the writing of detailed history long in advance. Such history was recorded in Daniel 11 and it is described in Divine Foreknowledge in the Book of Daniel. Most authorities agree about the realities of what Daniel described, and the evidence is that Daniel wrote it long before the events occurred.

Although the Bible was not given to us to be a science textbook, its statements of how our world was created do agree with what science has learned. Genesis and Geophysics explores what happened during the creative processes described in the first chapter of the Bible. Genesis accurately describes what occurred during long eons of time to prepare this earth for man.

One may be tempted to say that archaeology proves the Bible, but in fact that is something it cannot do. Buried Treasures correctly observes that archaeological discoveries can only confirm that biblical persons and places actually existed and that events took place where and when the Bible says they did. Archaeology has been confirming the Bible for a long time.

Finally The Bible and the Spade, an article which first appeared in the Bible Study Monthly, puts all this information into perspective. We are reminded that the Bible has survived even though its enemies have tried by every possible means to suppress and destroy it. And why has it survived? God intends for us to know about his grand plan of salvation to bless all the world in the coming kingdom. The Bible’s history, poetry, visions, prophecies, and ethics all converge irresistibly upon Jesus Christ, the one who will soon reign as the acknowledged Prince of Peace in the kingdom.

May our faith in the Bible and its message of salvation through Jesus Christ be strengthened as we read the evidences of divine inspiration of the Bible.