Is the Bible the Inspired Word of God?

Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Church Member, Lahoma:

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

I have been asked many times in my life why I believe the Bible is the Word of God by skeptics and those who seek to discredit and discourage people from believing the Bible is our only source of truth for today. There are a lot of “sacred books” out there, but none of them come close to being the literal Words of our Holy God, our Creator, Master, Defender, Lord and Righteous Heavenly Father. I ponder why people have such a hard time accepting the Bible, then I remember that in today’s society, people don’t like relying on something other than themselves to give directions for living-that goes against the world’s philosophy of “Do whatever YOU want to do, after all, no one has the right to tell you what to do!”. The Bible is continually under attack and mocked, changed, parts are dismissed as outdated or culturally inappropriate. I heard once that a school district didn’t want to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms because “Kids may read them and actually do what they say.” REALLY? Not kill???? Not steal???? Honor their mothers and fathers?????? Wow…. And we wonder why our kids are scared to go to school and we have shootings, metal detectors and bomb threats on our campuses. Our passage today is so true, we need light in this dark world to direct our steps- but when we don’t have that lamp, we are destined to stumble in the ever growing darkness until we fall and lose our way. The Bible is CLEAR when it tells us what is good for us, and what is NOT good for us in our lives. It makes me sick to watch the world redefine sins that they want to participate in, and then when the Bible is brought up to direct us away from those sins, it is dismissed as a “mere book outdated and only written by men”. This kind of thinking has slowly eroded our society, our schools, our government, our families, and sadly our faith. Brothers and sisters, we need to know WHAT GOD SAYS, and the only way to do that is to honor the Bible, believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and…. READ the Bible! There is NO OTHER BOOK in the WORLD that comes close to the amazing Bible, the true Word of God. We can put our confidence in the Bible as truth that does not change by the whims of society, or the opinions of man. It is forever established in the heavens, it does not return void, and there is power in scripture to speak LIFE into us, into our challenges, into our trials.

Here is an excellent defense of God’s Word that I recently found, written a couple years ago by Jason and Ron Carlson. I pray that it revives those out there who are doubting the validity of the Bible, and challenges those who dismiss the Bible as the literal MIRACLE communication to us from a mighty God Who is not silent and does speak to His people even today through the anointed scriptures. Be Blessed, sister Lahoma

During a question and answer session at a recent speaking engagement, a university student asked me, "Why do you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God?" Now this is a very interesting question, and probably one of the most important questions any Christian could ask themselves. What is so special, so unique about the Bible that Christians believe it is literally the inspired word of God?

In answering this student's question, I encouraged him to consider the following facts about the Bible. First, the Bible is not just one single book. This is a more common misconception than many people realize, especially with people who do not come from a Judeo-Christian background. Rather than being a single book, the Bible is actually a collection of 66 books, which is called the canon of scriptures. These 66 books contain a variety of genres: history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, letters, and apocalyptic, just to name a few.

Second, these 66 books were written by 40 different authors. These authors came from a variety of backgrounds: shepherds, fishermen, doctors, kings, prophets, and others. And most of these authors never knew one another personally.

Third, these 66 books were written over a period of 1,500 years. Yet again, this is another reminder that many of these authors never knew or collaborated with one another in writing these books.

Fourth, the 66 books of the Bible were written in 3 different languages. In the Bible we have books that were written in the ancient languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic; a reflection of the historical and cultural circumstances in which each of these books were written.

And finally, these 66 books were written on 3 different continents: Africa , Asia , and Europe . Once again, this is a testament to the varied historical and cultural circumstances of God's people.

Think about the above realities: 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1,500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents. What's more, this collection of books shares a common storyline - the creation, fall, and redemption of God's people; a common theme - God's universal love for all of humanity; and a common message - salvation is available to all who repent of their sins and commit to following God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength.

In addition to sharing these commonalities, these 66 books contain no historical errors or contradictions. God's word truly is an amazing collection of writings!

After I had shared the above facts with this student, I offered him the following challenge. "If you do not believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, if you do not believe that the Bible is of a supernatural origin, then I challenge you to a test, I challenge you to go to any library in the world, you can choose any library you like, and find 66 books which match the characteristics of the 66 books in the Bible. You must choose 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1,500 years, in 3 different languages, written on 3 different continents. However, they must share a common storyline, a common theme, and a common message, with no historical errors or contradictions." I went on to say, "If you can produce such a collection of books, I will admit that the Bible is not the inspired word of God."

The student's reply was almost instantaneous, he emphatically stated, "But that's impossible!"

It truly is impossible, for any collection of human writings. However, the Bible passes this test. The Bible contains 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1,500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents, with no historical errors or contradictions. The entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, bears the mark of Divine inspiration.

The next time you encounter someone who asks you why you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, try sharing this challenge with them. Better yet, don't wait until you're asked, just go ahead and share this challenge with a friend today. You don't even have to mention the Bible up front, just ask them if they think it would be realistic to assemble such a collection of books. After they say, "But that's impossible!" you've got a ready-made opportunity for sharing the truth of God's word with somebody!

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