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The Bible is one of the most read books of all time, and at the same time one of the most disputed. Questions are always being asked whether the Bible is true, historical, and from God. Although there is a lot that goes into making a case for the truthfulness of the Bible, we will focus on a quick overview of some things to consider when discussing its validity.
Rubel Shelly says this about inspiration, “If God has revealed himself in propositional form (in words and statements), that revelation could reasonably be expected to reflect certain properties. For one thing, the infinite knowledge and moral perfection of the deity would mean that any revelation from him would be entirely true in all its particulars; his omniscience would prevent errors from lack of knowledge, and his truthfulness would keep him from lies and deception. Also, one would expect any revelation from God to be coherent and thus a unity in all its various parts—not self-contradictory. It could reasonably be expected to contain his will for his creatures so as to instruct them in how to be fit for his fellowship. Finally, it would also be expected to provide motivation for faith in and obedience to its contents.”[1]
So, what evidence do we have that the Bible is inspired by God? Here are just a few things to consider.
The Unity of the Bible
Although many claim that the Bible is just another book written in a similar way novels are today, this is not what history tells us. The Bible is a collection of multiple books written by forty different authors over the course of sixteen-hundred years. There is an amazing coherence between these different authors over the span of these hundreds of years. There have not been any difficulties within the Bible itself that do not have a reasonable explanation. And although there have been many who have sought to dismantle the Bible from the inside out, it has stood the test of time.
Factual Accuracy of the Bible
If the Bible claims inspiration and then goes on to give specific information (people, places, etc.), then we would expect to be able to check these things out. Sir William Ramsey was an archaeologist who set out to disprove the Bible. He chose to use Acts of the Apostles as his guide. Instead of disproving the author, Luke, he found exactly what Luke had described and where he described it. There has not been any archaeological find that has disproved the Bible. In fact, the discoveries of archaeology have only shown the Bible to be accurate in its reports.
Scientific Accuracy of the Bible
It must be confessed that the Bible is not a science textbook. However, this does not mean that the Bible is without scientific insight. Before many of the scientific discoveries we take advantage of were made official, the Bible was already making these things known, albeit in a minimal way. Some of these scientific insights include medicine, physics, oceanography, astronomy, and biology. Some things that were written could not have been known at the time it was written. Only a Mind that transcends the human viewpoint could have given that information.
Conclusion
As I said before, this is a brief consideration that the Bible is inspired by God. The lack of contradictions given the length of time and location of the different authors, the current archaeological support, and the scientific pre-knowledge (with many other considerations) all work together to give us a picture of the uniqueness of the Bible. Perhaps the Bible has lasted so long because it truly is a book unlike any other: written by and given to mankind by the God who created them.
[1] Rubel Shelly. Prepare To Answer. (Nashville, TN: 20th Century Christian, 1990), 92-93.