Don Stewart :: How Does the Unique Makeup of the Bible Give Evidence for the Existence of the God of Scripture?

How Does the Unique Makeup of the Bible Give Evidence for the Existence of the God of Scripture?

Does the God of the Bible Exist? – Question 15

One of the reasons we can have confidence that God exists is the Bible. Indeed, the Bible is like no other book that has ever been written. It claims to be the divinely inspired Word of God. Paul made the following claim.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16 ESV)

But the mere claim of divine inspiration does not make it true. There has to be evidence to back up the claim. An examination of the evidence for the divine inspiration of the Bible will be more than sufficient to the reasonable questioner. This can be seen by looking at the unique makeup of the Scriptures.

The Bible, though made up of sixty-six separate books, is in reality one book. One of the strongest arguments for the divine inspiration of the Bible is its unity, or continuity. We can briefly illustrate this truth in the following manner.

1. It Was Fifteen Hundred Years in the Making

The first book of the Bible written was either Genesis or the Book of Job (about 1400 B.C.). The last book composed was probably either the third letter of John, or the Book of Revelation. They each were written toward the end of the first century A.D. This makes a total of about fifteen hundred years from the composition of the first book of the Bible until the last.

2. There Are Many Authors with Many Occupations

In addition, there were over forty different human authors who composed the books of the Bible. They came from a variety of backgrounds and held different occupations. For example, Amos was a herdsman, Peter and John were fishermen, Luke was a doctor, Joshua, a military leader, and Daniel a prime minister.

3. It Was Written in Three Languages on Three Different Continents

The Bible was written in three different language, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, as well upon three different continents; Africa, Asia, and Europe. In other words, there was not one special place or one special language in which the Scriptures were composed.

4. It Covers Many Different Subjects

The subject matter contained in the Bible includes many controversial matters. A controversial subject can be defined as one which would cause people to have a number of different opinions. These subjects include the existence and nature of God, the formation of the universe, the creation and purpose of humankind. These are subjects which people constantly debate.

5. Amazingly the Bible Is a Unity

Thus, the Bible is sixty-six books, composed by forty different human authors, over a fifteen-hundred-year span, written on three different continents, covering many controversial subjects.

One would expect the result to be a confused and disjointed text, anything but harmonious. Yet the Bible is a unity. It is one unfolding story from beginning to end written with complete harmony and continuity. The message is consistent, the authors in unity with one another. In other words, it is one Book rather than many books.

Conclusion: There Is One Author behind the Various Biblical Books

This feature is remarkable when one considers the different factors involved. The only reasonable way that this Book came together so precisely is that the ultimate author behind it was God Himself. This is the claim which the Scripture makes for itself and the evidence reveals that this claim is true. No other book has these types of credentials. The Bible stands alone.

This is one line of evidence for the existence of the God of the Bible; the Holy Book which He divinely inspired.

Summary – Question 15
How Does the Unique Makeup of the Bible Give Evidence for the Existence of the God of Scripture?

One of the reasons to believe that the God of the Bible actually exists is the makeup of the Bible itself. The design of the Bible is unique; it is one of a kind.

The Bible was written by over forty different human authors, from various backgrounds, in three different languages, on three different continents, over a thousand five hundred year span. It covers many controversial subjects. Instead of the contradictory result one would expect when putting these books together we find that the Bible tells the same story with complete unity and harmony.

This fact separates the Bible from all other books both ancient and modern. No other book, sacred or secular, has the credentials of the Bible. There has to be some explanation for this. The best explanation is the one which the Bible gives for itself; it is the Word of the living God.

Thus, we find that the Bible gives us a strong reason to believe that there is an all-powerful God which exists. Otherwise, there is no other way to explain its one of a kind composition.