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The Bible

The Bible occasionally receives some bad press, mostly from those who have only read snippets here and there, or who feel it is outdated, or who have given up on understanding its message - and from people that don't want to face its message. That's too bad because it's a marvelous book that is absolutely up to date - so much so, in fact, it accurately predicts the future.

The Bible is made up of sixty-six separate works, and yet it is one integrated document. It is comprised of Old and New Testaments (or Covenants). It was written over a period of 1500 years by some 40 different authors in three different languages, Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. It is neatly woven together like a fine tapestry yet without conflict, flaws or error. Only an all-wise God could author such a work!

The Old Testament consists of 39 books totaling 929 chapters by some 31 authors and covers a history of approximately 4,000 years. The New Testament consists of 27 books totaling 260 chapters by about 9 authors and covers approximately 100 years.

God is the author of the Bible, but it was written by human beings who were superintended by God. Today we hear people say they believe in the "verbal, plenary inspiration of the Scriptures." The word verbal refers to the actual words that God inspired the writers to pen. The term plenary means full or complete and is used to convey the truth that each word was actually what God wanted to use. These two words put together in a phrase indicate that God breathed the precise and full expression of His thoughts in what the writers of Scripture recorded. This means that every word that was written was of God without error. In other words, although the Bible was penned by men, God is the author and the Bible is word-for-word exactly what God wanted said.

Well, you may say, that was great for the original autographs (the name we give to that first writing by the original human authors), but that was thousands of years ago. No autographs exist today, so can we still trust this book after all the time that has passed - and especially when we consider that man is a Fallen creature and prone to error. It is a good question - in fact, it is a vital question that deserves a clear answer.

The short answer is a clear and resounding YES; the long answer is beyond the scope of this simple website, but we will give you an outline of why the Bible is an authoritative book that can be trusted. If you still have questions, there is a plethora of scholarly information available in good Christian bookstores.

It is important to define what we mean by inspiration. Charles Ryrie in his Basic Theology - a book every Christian ought to read - offers this: "God superintended the human authors of the Bible so that they composed and recorded without error His message to mankind in the words of their original writings." Ryrie notes the following: the word 'superintend' allows for the spectrum of relationships God had with the writers and the variety of material. The word 'composed' indicates the writers were not passive stenographers to whom God dictated material, and 'without error' expresses the Bible's own claim to be truth (John 17:17). Ryrie also makes this noteworthy observation: inspiration can only be predicated on the original writings, not to copies or translations, however accurate they may be.

I am convinced beyond any doubt whatsoever that the Bible is the Word of God. It is an "Operations Manual" for life, written by the Designer Himself. Its truth has been established. It is both Divine and authoritative and worthy of our obedience. But don't take my word for it - check the Bible out for yourself! If you approach it in an open, honest, and scholarly way, God will reveal to you the truth of His Word.

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