The Bible has been translated into more languages, tongues and dialects than any other book. The Bible is its own expositor. It is verily the word of God. All human teachings are subordinate to it. It needs no man’s philosophy, theology, nor ideology to comprehend its teachings. It’s teachings are equally applicable to all classes and cultures. It’s timeless nature is beyond human comprehension. One writer declared, “the Bible is an anvil that has worn out many hammers”. It is true to assurance of its Author: “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8).
The Bible tells the greatest story ever told, the story of Jesus Christ. The story of His pre-existence and virgin birth, His sinless life, His sacrificial death on Calvary’s cross, His bodily resurrection, His intercessory ministry in the heavenly sanctuary and His soon coming is indelibly written on its pages. It is the Drama of the Ages. His story has served not only to build a great nation (Christianity); but it has impacted societies around the world like none other has. His story has transformed more characters than any legal concept or political device ever conceived. It is a story that ennobles the character, refines the taste, purify the thoughts and enriches the soul.
In this day of peril, evil and uncertainty, the Bible remains the Only solid foundation upon which you can stand. It gives the truest, most accurate account of the human experience-past present, and unlike any other book, the future.As we examine the Bible, we discover that there are at least seven elements that prove it to be what it claims to be, i.e. the unerring word of God.
1) Internal Consistency: The Bible was written over a time span of about 1500 years. It was written by approximately 40 men and women who did not know each other. They hailed from varied socio-economic backgrounds spanning three continents. Its writers embraced varying cultural heritages representing diverse life experiences. Despite these variables, all Bible writers relate one inescapable, enduring story. That is the story of God’s love for mankind. They all pointed their readers to the only, omnipotent, merciful God who seeks to restore man back to His (God’s) image from which we have fallen. Jesus sums up the story: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16,17) No other book remotely matches that record.
2) Universal Relevancy: The teachings of the Bible are equally applicable to men today as it were to men six thousand years ago. The foundation of not only civil society, but also of so-called uncivilized societies, is built upon the precepts of the Bible. The concepts of love, respect, obedience, forgiveness, mercy and justice are all ultimately rooted in the Bible. You may go to the most depraved and uncivilized societies on the planet and you will find a moral code based upon the foundational teachings of the Bible. The Bible’s doctrines of morality and decency are as relevant today as they were in Eden. Failure to follow those precepts, always lead to moral decay, social degradation and ultimately death. Look at contemporary society and you will discover what it means to live outside God’s moral standards as established in the Bible. The prophet Isaiah teaches, “ the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
3) The Testimony of Science : All true science is in perfect harmony with the Bible . Despite modern man’s attempt to separate science from true religion, which is found only in the Bible, the evidence points unequivocally to the contrary. All the scientists of renown have been Bible believing Christians or Sabbath keeping Jews. Sir Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, Louis Pasteur, to name a few, were all God fearing men. Their contributions to science, which benefit us all, are undeniable. Long before science confirmed that the earth was round, Isaiah declared, “ It is He (God) who sitteth upon the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). Job had long established what the scientists later confirmed. He declared, “He (God) stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing ” (Job 26:7). Modern scientific research into the origins of the universe are moving closer and closer to the Biblical account. The ‘big bang’ theory is pointing ever so much to the fact that the universe and its order of operation are the works of an intelligent designer who skillfully puts and holds everything together.
4) The Testimony of History: The events, places and personalities of the Bible, confirmed by historical facts, are today taken for granted. Take for example, world history as foretold by the prophet Daniel in the 2nd, 7th, 8th & 11th chapters of his book. This is now proven historical fact. The world reign of Babylon followed by that of Media Persia which was succeeded by Greece under Alexander the Great, then the rise of the Imperial Roman Empire, and its transformation to Papal Rome are all now a matter of proven history. Other great empires such as Egypt and Assyria testify to the accurate historicity of the Bible.
5) The Testimony of Archaeology: There has never been an archaeological find in the Bible lands that contradicted the historical record of the Bible. Quite the contrary, those finds confirm exactly what the Bible records. Critics have repeatedly been proven wrong as new discoveries confirm Biblical people, places, and events. Classical case in point is the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947. Excavations conducted, after the original find of ancient writings by a Bedouin goat herder, proved to be in remarkable conformity with facts and events mentioned in the Bible. Part of the find was a precise, original rendering of the book of Isaiah as we know it today.
6) The Testimony of Prophecy: Prophecy is history foretold. Therefore the only test of true prophecy is that it must come to pass. Of all the prophecies in the Bible, none are more astounding than the prophecies concerning our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The prophet Micah prophesied the exact place of His birth. (Micah 5:2) Isaiah foretold of His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14). Zechariah told, hundreds of years before the event happened that the Savior will be sold for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12,13). The prophet Daniel spoke before time of the exact length of Jesus’ public ministry (Daniel 9:27). The Psalmist David assured us that His bones will not be broken; but that men would gamble for His garments (Psalm 22:16-18). Those are but a few of the more than 2,500 prophesies about the Messiah. Every one, with the exception of His second coming, have come to pass just as the Bible predicted. They were all fulfilled with uncanny accuracy and Divine precision. Isaiah writes on behalf of God, “I am the Lord…new things I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them” (Isaiah 42:8,9) He continues,“I am God …declaring the end from the beginning, and from the ancient times the things that are not yet come” (Isaiah 46:9,10). No so-called holy man or philosophical writer can truthfully utter those words. No other religious book can claim such credits. In fact, an examination of major religious writings outside the Bible would prove that the element of prophecy is woefully non-existent. Only a God who knows the future can predict the future and make it come to pass.
7) The Testimony of a Changed Life: The greatest testimony to the authenticity and divine nature of the Bible is its power to transform the life of both the believer and the non- believer alike. Many are familiar with that enduring hymn, Amazing Grace. Few, however, know of the life changing experience of its author that led him to pen those amazing words. John Newton was engaged in the most ignominious of human endeavors, the African slave trade. On one of his trips from Africa to England, he heard a preacher spoke the message of salvation. John Newton was so moved that he obtained a Bible, which he took with him on his voyage back to Africa. On one moonlit night, he came above deck. Intrigued by the awesomeness of God, revealed in the starry heavens as it blanketed the endless expanse of the majestic ocean, he retired to his cabin and penned the words of that now redeeming hymn, Amazing Grace. The Psalmist David’s experience with God’s word motivated him to write, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalms 19:7, 8).
Ellen G. White, the renowned 19th century Bible Commentator, who the Smithsonian Magazine cites as one of the ten most influential religious leaders of all time, offers this insightful commentary: ‘The Word of God, like the character of its divine Author, presents mysteries that can never be fully comprehended by finite beings. If it were possible for created beings to attain to a full understanding of God and His works, then, having reached this point, there would be for them no further discovery of truth, no growth in knowledge, no further development of mind or heart. God would no longer be supreme; and men, having reached the limit of knowledge and attainment, would cease to advance. Let us thank God that it is not so. God is infinite; in Him are “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
In the natural world we are constantly surrounded with mysteries that we cannot fathom…. Should we then be surprised to find that in the spiritual world also there are mysteries that we cannot fathom? The mysteries of the Bible are among the strongest evidences of its divine inspiration. If it contained no account of God but that which we could comprehend; if His greatness and majesty could be grasped by finite minds, then the Bible would not, as now, bear the unmistakable evidences of divinity.
The more we search the Bible, the deeper is our conviction that it is the word of the living God, and human reason bows before the majesty of divine revelation. Christ will lead the redeemed ones beside the river of life, and will open to them that which while on this earth they could not understand. In the light that shines from the throne, mysteries will disappear, and the soul will be filled with astonishment at the simplicity of the things that were never before comprehended’. (E.G. White, The Faith We Live By, pg 14)
Just don’t know what to express. Our minds are so limited and God is Limitless. God created us. It’s all in his word and we’re part of it. Something’s going on.