Is the Bible the truly God's Word? Christians say yes. The question we must ask ourselves is how can we know that the Bible is the Word of God and not just a good book? What is unique about the Bible that sets it apart from all other religious books ever written? Is there any evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word? These types of questions must be seriously examined if we are to determine the validity of the Bible’s claim to be the very Word of God, divinely inspired, and totally sufficient for all matters of faith and practice. The Church of Divine Guidance Adult Bible Study Group is doing a study to address and answer these questions.
Pick up your bible
Do you know what you are holding?
Do you have any sense of that?
Why should you believe the Bible?
George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
John Quincy Adams said, “So great is my veneration of the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society.”
While it’s exciting to hear what people have to say about the Bible, the best way to understand it is to look at what God’s Word, the Bible, has to say about itself.
A good summary of that is in Psalm 19:7,
Psalm 19:7-10 (NKJV)7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Law is the word Torah "Torah" refers to the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Torah: law for life, rule for living. It is the standard by which every other truth is measured or assessed.
The word tôrâ (law) embodies more than a written list of precepts; it includes all of God's teaching. Using adjectives and participial phrases, the psalmist describes the excellence of God's revelation, which surpasses even gold or honey. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
Notice it is, “The law of the LORD. The word perfect means
1. having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.
2. absolute; complete (used for emphasis).
“The law of the LORD” is so perfect it “revives the soul.” In one translation it says, “converts the soul.” The soul is the inner part of you. It’s the immaterial part of you. You’re not just a physical person. There’s also a part of you that is spiritual. There’s a part of you that will live forever. That’s the part that needs to be converted.
The Bible is so powerful it is able to take an unsaved, unregenerated, uninterested, hard-hearted person and absolutely turn that person’s life around!
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Testimony is defined as;
: something that someone says especially in a court of law while formally promising to tell the truth
: proof or evidence that something exists or is true
So the idea is of God witnessing to Himself. It’s like God taking the witness stand in court and saying, "This is what I am like. This is who I am. This is what I will do for you." The testimony of the LORD is God bearing witness to Himself.
And “the testimony of the LORD is sure,”. God’s Word is so sure, it is key in “making wise the simple.” The problem is we are all simple; we are foolish. The idea of simple is actually taken from a word that is the idea of openness, of being open or to be spread out, or seducible. A simple person has no discernment.
But the testimonies of the LORD, the Word, is so sure that even a person without discernment undiscerning can be made wise.
God’s Word also brings joy to our hearts. Let’s look at verse 8.
Psalm 19:8 (NKJV)8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
Are right - Are equal, just, proper. They are such as are founded in wisdom and equity; not such as are the mere result of arbitrary appointment. The idea is that they are not merely appointed, or made binding by authority, but that they are in themselves equitable and just.
Rejoicing the heart - Making the heart glad by the fact that they are equitable and just - and glad as the result of obedience. It is always a source of true happiness when we can feel that we are under just and equal laws; laws in themselves right, and laws administered in righteousness and truth.
Is pure - Free from all stain; from all imperfection; from any corrupt tendency. "Enlightening the eyes." That is, giving us light and knowledge. The eyes are mentioned, as it is by them that we see where to go. The reference here is undoubtedly to the mind or soul as being enlightened by the truth of God. We are made by these commandments to see what is right and proper; to understand what we should do.
The Bible transforms us.
The Bible gives us wisdom.
The Bible brings us joy.
The Bible makes claims about the creation of the universe, the nature of the God who created the universe, and the fate of mankind. If these claims are true, then the Bible is the most unique and important book in the history of mankind. If the Bible is true, then it holds the answers to life’s biggest questions: “From where did I come?” “Why am I here?” and “What happens to me when I die?” The importance of the Bible’s message demands it receive fair consideration, and the truthfulness of its message is observable, testable, and able to withstand scrutiny.
We can’t really say believe the Bible just because the Bible says it should be believed. We should be able to test its truthfulness by historical and scientific means and there’s plenty of evidence to do just that. We’ll look at some of this in our study. It’s not my intention to prove everything in the Bible but to give you some ammunition against those who say that the Bible isn’t God’s Word because a of it can’t be proven. If after this study you want more evidence I recommend that you get a two books by a man named Josh McDowell. The books are Evidence that Demands a Verdict, and The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict. He has written a series If we can prove the claims of the Bible by historical and scientific means then the however, the truth claims of the Bible are found true whenever it is possible to test their veracity or are proved true during historical and scientific discovery, then the internal claims of the Bible’s own trustworthiness are more compelling. The internal evidence works in tandem with the external.
What makes the Bible so unique when you consider other books including the writings for other religions or cults, like Islam, Hindu, Buddha, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses? The writings of these other religions have some similarities to the Bible but not all. Remember we and the writers of the Bible themselves claim that the Bible is God’s Word. Paul said it is God-breathed.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
In other words Paul is saying that the things recorded in the original writing of Scripture, which at that time was the Torah, the law, and the Prophets, the writings of the Prophets, both of which make up what we call the Old Testament, originated from the mouth of God before ever reaching the minds and pens of the biblical writers.
Peter said that “prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God.
2 Peter 1:19-21 (NKJV)19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
That is, the writing of Scripture was directed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible does not originate with man and is, then, a product of God and carries the authority of God.
The unity of the biblical message is further reason for why one should believe the Bible. The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1,550 years, with at least 40 human writers, most of whom did not know each other and were from varying backgrounds (king, fisherman, tax collector, shepherd, etc.). The Bible was written in various environments (desert, prison, royal court, etc.).
Peter, a fisherman
Amos, a herdsman
Joshua, a military general
Nehemiah, a royal cupbearer
Daniel, a prime minister
Luke, a doctor
Solomon, a king
Matthew, a tax collector
Paul, a rabbi
Jeremiah in a dungeon
Daniel on a hillside and in a palace
Paul inside prison walls
Luke while traveling
John on the isle of Patmos
David in a palace and on the run
Solomon in times of peace
Writing any volume of such length and being in complete harmony would indeed be a wonder, much less dealing with a topic so controversial as religion and, despite covering controversial subjects, it carries one harmonious message.No book in the history of the world has been as widely circulated as the scripture. Every year it outsells all of the top best-sellers and it has now been translated into over 1,200 different languages.
The circumstances surrounding the writing of the Bible would seem to guarantee its fallibility, and, yet, the message from Genesis to Revelation is uncannily consistent.
Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the Bible is the world's best-selling and most widely distributed book. A survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 5 billion.
The Bible has survived through time. Before the printing press it had to be copied and recopied for hundreds of years, but that didn’t diminish its style correctness or existence. The Bible has more manuscript evidence than any 10 pieces of classical literature combined. Here’s an example of how the manuscripts were preserved. The Jews had something called the massora (a collection of critical and explanatory notes on the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, compiled from the 7th? to 10th centuries a.d. and traditionally accepted as an authoritative exegetic guide, chiefly in matters of pronunciation and grammar), where they kept tabs on every letter, syllable, word and paragraph. There were specialists whose sole duty was to preserve and transmit these documents with practically perfect fidelity. What other piece of literature do we know of where the letters and syllables and words were counted to make sure there were no errors.
This is a statement from Josh McDowell in his "Evidence that Demands a Verdict".
“A representative of the “Great Books of the Western World” came to my house recruiting salesmen for their series. He spread out the chart of the “Great Books of the Western World’ series. He spent five minutes talking to us about the “Great Books of the Western World” series, and we spent an hour and a half talking to him about the Greatest Bool. I challenged him to take just 10 of the authors, all from one walk of life, one generation, one place, one time, one mood, one continent, one language, and just one controversial subject (the Bible speaks on hundreds with harmony and agreement).
Then I asked him” Would they (the authors) agree?” He paused and then replied, “No” “What would you have?” I retorted, Immediately he said, “A conglomeration (which means a number of different things, parts or items that are grouped together; collection.) Two days later he committed his life to Christ.”
Here’s another comment “If every Bible in an considerable city were destroyed, the Book could be restored in all its essential parts from the quotations on the shelves of the city public library. There are works, covering almost all the great literary writers, devoted especially to showing how much the Bible has influenced them”
John Quincy Adams said, “So great is my veneration of the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society.”
While it’s exciting to hear what people have to say about the Bible, the best way to understand it is to look at what God’s Word, the Bible, has to say about itself.
A good summary of that is in Psalm 19:7,
Psalm 19:7-10 (NKJV)7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
The Law of the Lord Transforms You (converts the soul)
Law is the word Torah "Torah" refers to the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Torah: law for life, rule for living. It is the standard by which every other truth is measured or assessed.
The word tôrâ (law) embodies more than a written list of precepts; it includes all of God's teaching. Using adjectives and participial phrases, the psalmist describes the excellence of God's revelation, which surpasses even gold or honey. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
Notice it is, “The law of the LORD. The word perfect means
1. having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.
2. absolute; complete (used for emphasis).
“The law of the LORD” is so perfect it “revives the soul.” In one translation it says, “converts the soul.” The soul is the inner part of you. It’s the immaterial part of you. You’re not just a physical person. There’s also a part of you that is spiritual. There’s a part of you that will live forever. That’s the part that needs to be converted.
The Bible is so powerful it is able to take an unsaved, unregenerated, uninterested, hard-hearted person and absolutely turn that person’s life around!
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
It Gives Wisdom and Joy
The end of verse 7 says “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”Testimony is defined as;
: something that someone says especially in a court of law while formally promising to tell the truth
: proof or evidence that something exists or is true
So the idea is of God witnessing to Himself. It’s like God taking the witness stand in court and saying, "This is what I am like. This is who I am. This is what I will do for you." The testimony of the LORD is God bearing witness to Himself.
And “the testimony of the LORD is sure,”. God’s Word is so sure, it is key in “making wise the simple.” The problem is we are all simple; we are foolish. The idea of simple is actually taken from a word that is the idea of openness, of being open or to be spread out, or seducible. A simple person has no discernment.
But the testimonies of the LORD, the Word, is so sure that even a person without discernment undiscerning can be made wise.
God’s Word also brings joy to our hearts. Let’s look at verse 8.
Psalm 19:8 (NKJV)8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
Are right - Are equal, just, proper. They are such as are founded in wisdom and equity; not such as are the mere result of arbitrary appointment. The idea is that they are not merely appointed, or made binding by authority, but that they are in themselves equitable and just.
Rejoicing the heart - Making the heart glad by the fact that they are equitable and just - and glad as the result of obedience. It is always a source of true happiness when we can feel that we are under just and equal laws; laws in themselves right, and laws administered in righteousness and truth.
Is pure - Free from all stain; from all imperfection; from any corrupt tendency. "Enlightening the eyes." That is, giving us light and knowledge. The eyes are mentioned, as it is by them that we see where to go. The reference here is undoubtedly to the mind or soul as being enlightened by the truth of God. We are made by these commandments to see what is right and proper; to understand what we should do.
The Bible transforms us.
The Bible gives us wisdom.
The Bible brings us joy.
The Bible makes claims about the creation of the universe, the nature of the God who created the universe, and the fate of mankind. If these claims are true, then the Bible is the most unique and important book in the history of mankind. If the Bible is true, then it holds the answers to life’s biggest questions: “From where did I come?” “Why am I here?” and “What happens to me when I die?” The importance of the Bible’s message demands it receive fair consideration, and the truthfulness of its message is observable, testable, and able to withstand scrutiny.
We can’t really say believe the Bible just because the Bible says it should be believed. We should be able to test its truthfulness by historical and scientific means and there’s plenty of evidence to do just that. We’ll look at some of this in our study. It’s not my intention to prove everything in the Bible but to give you some ammunition against those who say that the Bible isn’t God’s Word because a of it can’t be proven. If after this study you want more evidence I recommend that you get a two books by a man named Josh McDowell. The books are Evidence that Demands a Verdict, and The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict. He has written a series If we can prove the claims of the Bible by historical and scientific means then the however, the truth claims of the Bible are found true whenever it is possible to test their veracity or are proved true during historical and scientific discovery, then the internal claims of the Bible’s own trustworthiness are more compelling. The internal evidence works in tandem with the external.
Uniqueness
What makes the Bible so unique when you consider other books including the writings for other religions or cults, like Islam, Hindu, Buddha, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses? The writings of these other religions have some similarities to the Bible but not all. Remember we and the writers of the Bible themselves claim that the Bible is God’s Word. Paul said it is God-breathed.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
In other words Paul is saying that the things recorded in the original writing of Scripture, which at that time was the Torah, the law, and the Prophets, the writings of the Prophets, both of which make up what we call the Old Testament, originated from the mouth of God before ever reaching the minds and pens of the biblical writers.
Peter said that “prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God.
2 Peter 1:19-21 (NKJV)19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
That is, the writing of Scripture was directed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible does not originate with man and is, then, a product of God and carries the authority of God.
Unity
The unity of the biblical message is further reason for why one should believe the Bible. The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1,550 years, with at least 40 human writers, most of whom did not know each other and were from varying backgrounds (king, fisherman, tax collector, shepherd, etc.). The Bible was written in various environments (desert, prison, royal court, etc.). 
Authors include;
Moses, a political leader, trained in the universities of EgyptPeter, a fisherman
Amos, a herdsman
Joshua, a military general
Nehemiah, a royal cupbearer
Daniel, a prime minister
Luke, a doctor
Solomon, a king
Matthew, a tax collector
Paul, a rabbi
Written by;
Moses in the wildernessJeremiah in a dungeon
Daniel on a hillside and in a palace
Paul inside prison walls
Luke while traveling
John on the isle of Patmos
David in a palace and on the run
Written at different times;
David in times of warSolomon in times of peace
Written during different moods;
Some writing from the heights of joy and others writing in sorrow and despairWritten on three continents;
Asia, Africa, and EuropeThree different languages
Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Writing any volume of such length and being in complete harmony would indeed be a wonder, much less dealing with a topic so controversial as religion and, despite covering controversial subjects, it carries one harmonious message.No book in the history of the world has been as widely circulated as the scripture. Every year it outsells all of the top best-sellers and it has now been translated into over 1,200 different languages.
The circumstances surrounding the writing of the Bible would seem to guarantee its fallibility, and, yet, the message from Genesis to Revelation is uncannily consistent.
Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the Bible is the world's best-selling and most widely distributed book. A survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 5 billion.
The Bible has survived through time. Before the printing press it had to be copied and recopied for hundreds of years, but that didn’t diminish its style correctness or existence. The Bible has more manuscript evidence than any 10 pieces of classical literature combined. Here’s an example of how the manuscripts were preserved. The Jews had something called the massora (a collection of critical and explanatory notes on the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, compiled from the 7th? to 10th centuries a.d. and traditionally accepted as an authoritative exegetic guide, chiefly in matters of pronunciation and grammar), where they kept tabs on every letter, syllable, word and paragraph. There were specialists whose sole duty was to preserve and transmit these documents with practically perfect fidelity. What other piece of literature do we know of where the letters and syllables and words were counted to make sure there were no errors.
This is a statement from Josh McDowell in his "Evidence that Demands a Verdict".
“A representative of the “Great Books of the Western World” came to my house recruiting salesmen for their series. He spread out the chart of the “Great Books of the Western World’ series. He spent five minutes talking to us about the “Great Books of the Western World” series, and we spent an hour and a half talking to him about the Greatest Bool. I challenged him to take just 10 of the authors, all from one walk of life, one generation, one place, one time, one mood, one continent, one language, and just one controversial subject (the Bible speaks on hundreds with harmony and agreement).
Then I asked him” Would they (the authors) agree?” He paused and then replied, “No” “What would you have?” I retorted, Immediately he said, “A conglomeration (which means a number of different things, parts or items that are grouped together; collection.) Two days later he committed his life to Christ.”
Here’s another comment “If every Bible in an considerable city were destroyed, the Book could be restored in all its essential parts from the quotations on the shelves of the city public library. There are works, covering almost all the great literary writers, devoted especially to showing how much the Bible has influenced them”
Bible Study Audio
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