Did God literally write the Bible? The only
part of the Bible that God literally wrote were the two tables of testimony. It
is recorded in Exodus 32:16, "And the tables were the work of God, and the
writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables." These tables were
destroyed by Moses in his anger when he found the children of Israel worshiping
the golden calf (Exodus 32:19).
The Bible consists of 66 books written over
a span of 1500-1600 years by 40 writers from many backgrounds, occupations,
cultures and languages. Yet, the different books form one harmonious whole.
Space does not permit me to go through the external evidences documenting the
Bible as the Word of God revealed and protected by God. However, there is a
website I would refer you to that is sponsored by the Apologetics Press, which
does an outstanding job documenting and defending the Bible as the Word of God.
The URL is www.apologeticspres.org.
There is nothing sadder than to have one who proclaims to be a Christian but does not believe the Bible is the Word of God. If a Christian says that they only believe the New Testament is the Word of God, then they will find themselves in conflict with Jesus and the New Testament writers. Jesus in the gospels declared the books of the Old Testament as accurate and revealed by God. I refer you to John 5:46-47: Jesus told the Jews, "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" Jesus believed it all to include Jonah and the great fish (Matthew 12:40), The Creation of Adam and Eve (Mark 10:6), Noah's ark (Matthew 24:38), even the story of Lot's wife (Luke 17:32). It must be concluded that if one does not believe the Old Testament is the revealed Word of God then one cannot believe that Jesus is the Son of God. For how can the Son of God believe that which is not true and be the Son of God?
There is no doubt that the writers of the New Testament claim to speak and write the Word of God. Paul told the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 14:37, "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." Peter equates the apostles words with the prophets of the Old Testament when he writes in 2 Peter 3:2, "That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:". Peter acknowledges Paul's inspiration in 2 Peter 3:15-16, " And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."
It is urged that you open your heart and mind to God's Word. If you truly open your heart and mind you will see that through the demonstration of the miracles, the confirmation of prophecy and the consistency throughout history the revelation of the one true God, you too will see the Bible is the Word of God.
Charles Royal, Decatur AL
