A.      In the previous lesson, it was demonstrated that believers in God need to establish, build, and fortify their belief in the Bible as God’s word.

B.      Each of the remaining lessons will attempt to answer a vital question about the Bible, and the question for the present lesson is this: What evidence is there that proves that the Bible is God’s word?

                                                             1.      For this evidence to be convincing, it will have to prove that the Bible cannot be the product of man.  This will lead believers in God (and others) to the only other viable explanation, which is that the Bible is truly the word of God.

                                                             2.      Volumes of material have been written to deal with this issue, but the purpose of this lesson is to answer the question as simply, briefly, and convincingly as possible without creating confusion.

II.      UNITY OF THE BIBLE

A.      The Bible presents a unified story and theme despite the tremendously diverse backgrounds of its writers.

                                                             1.      The unified story of the Bible is the story of the Christ, and the unified theme is the theme of man’s redemption from sin.  These threads are continuous throughout all books of the Bible.

                                                             2.      The diversity of the Bible writers is what makes the Bible’s unity so remarkable.  Consider the following facts about the Bible:

a.       The Bible contains a total of sixty-six books (thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament) written over a period of 1,500 to 1,600 years.

b.       The Bible was written by at least forty different writers in three different languages on three different continents.  They were very different people in very different places at very different times.  Notice a few examples (all dates are approximations):

i.         Moses was a Hebrew who was raised as the son of the Egyptian Pharaoh’s daughter and later became a shepherd in Midian (1500 B.C.).

ii.        Joshua was a military leader of Israel during Israel’s wilderness wanderings and their conquest of Canaan (1400 B.C.).

iii.      David was a shepherd, musician, warrior, and king in Israel (1000 B.C.).

iv.      Amos was a herdsman and a fig farmer from Judah who prophesied to Israel (760 B.C.).

v.       Jeremiah was the son of a priest during the decline of Judah (600 B.C.).

vi.      Daniel was a Jewish exile of noble birth and a seer who rose to a position of prominence first in Babylon and then in Persia (550 B.C.).

vii.    Ezra was a Jewish priest and scribe in Persia (450 B.C.).

viii.   Nehemiah was the Persian king’s cupbearer who became a leader of the Jewish return from captivity (440 B.C.).

ix.      Matthew was a tax-gatherer in Galilee during the first century.

x.       Luke was a physician (possibly a Gentile) in the first century.

xi.      Peter and John were uneducated fishermen from Galilee in the first century.

xii.    Paul was a Pharisee and a persecutor of the church in the first century.

B.      This is convincing evidence in favor of God’s authorship of the Bible because men are incapable of such unity as is found in the Bible on their own.

                                                             1.      It is difficult or impossible for even two men in the same place at the same time with similar backgrounds to agree upon everything, so it is unreasonable to believe that forty or more men in different places from different times with different backgrounds could ever possibly write one seamless, uniform book.

                                                             2.      This proves that the Bible is not of human authorship, and it supports the Bible’s claims about itself that its uniform story and uniform theme were authored by the uniform mind of God.

                                                             3.      Note: To fully appreciate the point of the Bible’s unity, one must study the Bible thoroughly and honestly.  Some reject the idea of the Bible’s unity and claim that it is full of conflicts and contradictions, but they often do so with ignorance and/or malice.

III.   ACCURACY OF THE BIBLE

A.      The Bible’s accuracy can be verified by external evidence in three areas: history, geography, and science.

                                                             1.      Regarding history, the Bible’s records have been proven many times by archaeology and other historical documents.  In fact, opponents of the Bible have often been silenced by undeniable archeological discoveries that confirmed the Bible accounts.  (Consider the story of Sir William Ramsay, an atheist who became a believer after studying Bible history and archaeology.)

                                                             2.      Regarding geography, many men have compared the Bible’s records to the lands they describe.  Time after time, the Bible’s records have been verified as accurate.

*Note: There are copious amounts of material available for study in the areas of Bible history and geography (far too much for the scope of this lesson).  You may consider a resource such as the Archaeological Study Bible (published by Zondervan) for your own personal study.

                                                             3.      Regarding science, the Bible revealed certain scientific facts hundreds of years before they were discovered and proven by men.  Consider a few examples:

a.       The earth is a sphere (Job 26:10; Isa. 40:22) suspended in space (Job 26:7).

b.       Earth was once covered in water (Gen. 1:2-9; Ps. 104:5-9).

c.        Light is in motion (Job 38:19-20).

d.       The universe is winding down (second law of thermodynamics, Ps. 102:25-27).

e.        Water cycles from bodies of water on earth to vapor, clouds, rain, etc. (Job 36:27-28; Eccl. 1:7; Isa. 55:10).

f.        The oceans have currents (Ps. 8:8).

B.      This evidence is convincing in favor of God’s authorship of the Bible because of the tendency of men to make errors and the impossibility of the writers knowing the science they recorded without divine help.

                                                             1.      Men can scarcely write out a grocery list without making a mistake, so it unreasonable to believe that the many writers of the Bible could have written such a collection of books as the Bible without error.  The only viable explanation is that they were guided by the infallible God.

                                                             2.      The scientific foreknowledge expressed in the Bible is especially convincing because the writers knew the unknown.  This was not by their own scientific study, but it was by revelation of God.

IV.    FULFILLED PROPHECY IN THE BIBLE

A.      The Bible records specific predictions of persons and events that have been fulfilled.

                                                             1.      These are not vague predictions that are left open to broad interpretations.  Instead, they are specific prophecies that commit themselves to certain details.

                                                             2.      Consider just a few examples of such fulfilled prophecies in the Bible:

a.       The unlikely fall and utter destruction of Nineveh was foretold in 630 B.C. and occurred in 612 B.C. (Zeph. 2:13-15).

b.       The fall of Babylon at the hands of the Medes was foretold 200 years before it finally happened in 539 B.C. (Isa. 13:17-22).

c.        Isaiah foretold of Cyrus the Great decreeing the rebuilding of the temple and the restoration of Jerusalem 200 years before it happened in 539 B.C. (Isa. 44:28-45:13).  Isaiah wrote this prophecy before Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed.

d.       Around 600 B.C., Daniel foretold of the succession of world empires – Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome – and the coming of the kingdom of God (Dan. 2:36-45).

e.        Over 300 prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

B.      This evidence convincingly favors God’s authorship of the Bible because man cannot know the future.

                                                             1.      It was humanly impossible for Zephaniah, Isaiah, Daniel, and the other prophets to know of the things they accurately predicted.  It was also humanly impossible for Jesus to fulfill all of the Bible’s prophecies of the Christ.  The only viable explanation is that these things were accomplished through the Almighty God (Acts 2:23; 1Cor. 2:9; Gal. 2:8; Eph. 3:11).

                                                             2.      Fulfilled prophecies are of particular difficulty for those who reject God’s authorship of the Bible.  These opponents have made many attempts to discredit the prophecies, but their attempts have failed, and the undeniable evidence remains.

V.      CONCLUSION

A.      Everything presented in this lesson can be expanded in much greater detail, but the evidence given here is sufficient to demonstrate that there is ample proof in favor of God’s authorship of the Bible.

                                                             1.      It is evident by these undeniable proofs that the writings of the Bible are greater than the men who wrote them, which indicates that a higher power was behind their writings.

                                                             2.      The Bible tells us who that higher power is: the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God.

B.      In the next lesson, we will consider how the Bible writers received the word of God.

VI.    POST-SCRIPT APPLICATION: SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES DAILY

A.      The evidence in favor of God’s authorship of the Bible is abundant and convincing.  If you are indeed convinced that the Bible is God’s word, then that conviction should have a profound effect on you.

                                                             1.      Does your belief in the Bible as God’s word lead you read it often?

                                                             2.      Do you look in the Bible for answers to your questions and solutions to your problems?

                                                             3.      Do you read the Bible in search of wisdom and a greater understanding about God?

                                                             4.      Do you use the Bible to test the truthfulness of things you hear and read from the world?

                                                             5.      If you are convinced that the Bible is God’s word, then the answer to all of these questions should be a resounding "YES!”

B.      Consider the good example of the Jews of Berea, who were convinced of God’s authorship of the Scriptures and therefore consulted God’s word every day.

                                                             1.      The apostle Paul and his companion Silas found eager listeners in Berea after their preaching nearly caused a riot in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-14).

a.       These events occurred during Paul’s second missionary journey around 50 A.D. in the region of Macedonia.

b.       In Thessalonica, Paul’s preaching led to violent opposition from the Jews.

i.         For three Sabbaths, Paul went to the synagogue in Thessalonica and reasoned with the Jews from the Old Testament Scriptures about Jesus (vv. 1-3).

ii.        Some of the Jews and many of the Greeks believed Paul’s message, but other Jews stirred up the city against the Christians and caused Paul, Silas, and Timothy to flee to Berea (vv. 4-10a).

c.        However, the Jews in Berea compared Paul’s preaching to the Scriptures and found his words to be true.

i.         Just as they did in Thessalonica, Paul and Silas went to the synagogue to preach the gospel of Jesus to the Jews (v. 10b).

ii.        Notice how the Bereans received Paul: "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (v. 11).

iii.      The willingness of the Berean Jews to examine the Scriptures was the difference between them and the Thessalonian Jews, who paid no heed to the Scriptures.

iv.      Paul and his companions had great success in Berea until the Thessalonian Jews came and stirred up the crowds against them (vv. 12-14).

                                                             2.      From the example of the Bereans, we can learn a more "noble-minded” way of life.

a.       Like the Bereans, a noble-minded believer in God will determine whether to accept a belief by examining the Bible to see whether the belief is true.  For a noble-minded believer, the Bible is the standard of truth because he believes that it is the word of God.

b.       On the other hand, an ignoble-minded person makes his decisions without regard for the Bible.  He does not consult the word of God as a means of finding truth, and therefore he makes poor choices like those foolish Jews in Thessalonica.

C.      Will we be like those noble-minded Bereans or those unreasonable Thessalonians?

                                                             1.      It is not enough to merely acknowledge that the Bible was authored by God.

a.       If faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17), and faith without works is dead (Jas. 2:17, 20, 26), then faith in the Bible as the word of Christ that produces no works is dead also.

b.       The Thessalonian Jews likely believed that the Old Testament Scriptures were God’s word, but they refused to listen to Paul’s reasoning from the Scriptures regarding Christ.  Their faith in the Bible was useless.

                                                             2.      For belief in the Bible to be effective for us, we must follow the noble-minded path of the Bereans and examine the Scriptures daily in order to find the truth.

a.       Let us often turn to the Bible for answers, solutions, wisdom, understanding, and truth.

b.       If we imitate the example of the Bereans, we may be blessed indeed: "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.  He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” (Ps. 1:1-3)