Don Stewart :: What Are the Parallels Between the Writing of Scripture and the First Coming of Jesus Christ?

What Are the Parallels Between the Writing of Scripture and the First Coming of Jesus Christ?

Is the Bible the Authoritative Word of God – Question 8

The Bible is a book that is both human and divine. The difficulty of understanding the human and divine side of Scripture is similar to the problem of understanding how Jesus Christ, God the Son, came into our world. Scripture teaches that Jesus was both fully human and fully God. It is difficult to accurately express how the two natures, human and divine, could be united in one Person. In the same manner, it is difficult to explain how Scripture could have both a human and divine aspect at the same time.

There are, however, certain parallels between Jesus’ coming and the writing of the Scriptures. They include the following:

1. Jesus Was Divinely Conceived, the Bible Was Divinely Conceived

Jesus was divinely conceived when the Holy Spirit miraculously overshadowed Mary. The Bible says the following:

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35 NET)

Likewise, the Bible, the written Word of God, is the result of the Holy Spirit’s divine inspiration with each author. Paul wrote to Timothy:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

The Bible, in its entirety, has been divinely conceived.

2. Jesus Was God in Human Form, the Bible Is God’s Word in Human Words

Jesus, God the Son, took on a human form through a human mother; the Scripture came to us through human authors using human language. The result of Jesus’ conception, as the living word of God, was the God-man, while Scripture is the written word of God, the divine-human Bible.

3. The Human Jesus Was Perfect, the Bible Is Perfect

Although Jesus became a human being, He did not have a sin nature. He lived a perfect life while here upon the earth. In a similar way, human hands composed the Scripture, but the result was God’s perfect, error-free Word.

4. Jesus Was Both Human and Divine, the Bible Is Human and Divine

As Jesus Christ was both human and divine, so is the Holy Scripture. The Bible is both a human work, and it is a divine work. Human beings, who were divinely inspired by God, wrote the words of Scripture. Yet the finished result was the words of God.

5. The Coming of Christ and the Writing of Scripture Are Both Divine Mysteries

Ultimately, it will have to be admitted that the composition of Scripture, like the coming of Jesus Christ to the earth, is a divine mystery. Paul wrote of Jesus’ coming:

And we all agree, our religion contains amazing revelation: He was revealed in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16 NET)

There are things about the process, which brought about the Scriptures, which we cannot understand. In the same manner, how God could become a sinless human being is something we cannot completely understand. Each is true, but neither is totally explainable.

While There Are Parallels, We Should Not Press Them Too Far

It is important that we have the right balance between the human aspect of Scripture and the divine aspect. If we overemphasize the human part of Scripture, then we will make the Bible look like any other book. However, if we overemphasize the divine aspect, then we will make the Bible a non-human work. God used humans and their language to communicate to other humans. In doing so, He had them write exactly what He wanted to say. While the process is a mystery, the end result is God’s Word to humanity.

As Christ cannot be divided into human parts and divine parts, neither can Holy Scripture. It is fully human and fully divine. What is necessary is this balanced view of the nature of Scripture.

Finally, we should not press the parallels too much between the coming of Christ and the composition of Scripture. There are similarities between the two, but there are also differences.

Summary – Question 8
What Are the Parallels Between the Writing of Scripture and the Coming of Jesus Christ?

We find certain parallels between the divine composition of the Scriptures and the coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was both human and divine—the Bible is both human and divine. Jesus was conceived with a human mother, but without a human father. Human hands wrote the Scriptures, but it is not merely a human production.

In addition, Jesus, though human, never sinned. The Bible, though produced by humans, does not have any errors. Like the coming of Christ, the human-divine composition of the Bible is a divine mystery.