THE BEGINNING OF THE BIBLE

By Kevin Rutherford

If we admit that the Bible comes from God, then we must admit that we are subject to the authority of the Bible. We must do as the Bible says. There are many who are not yet ready to submit to such a high moral and authoritative standard. Some of those individuals will lash out and attack the integrity of the Scriptures with nearly every breath they have. There have been emperors, kings, philosophers, and even religious people who have done everything in their power to either eliminate the Bible from this planet or to prevent most people from being able to hold a copy of it in their hands. The Bible is the world’s best seller, and is used as the standard to guide the life, worship, and service of millions of people. However, it is also one of the most hated and frequently attacked books ever compiled.

Many unbelievers will charge that the Bible is the product of men without the guidance of God. Some will suggest the Bible came to us through a sort of evolutionary process that requires only the passing of time and not Divine guidance. But let us consider the facts of the matter. The Bible was written by over forty men, who wrote 66 books over a period 1500 to 1600 years. Those authors did not see all of the works of all of the other writers, they wrote in different languages, and they lived in different time periods. How is it that we can take those 66 books, collate them into one and have a unified whole if there was not someone guiding that process? Of course, the only Being capable of living long enough to guide the process is God. Therefore, God gave us the Bible.

The Bible claims to be from God. Nearly 3,000 verses in the Old Testament suggest, or specifically claim to be from God. One clear example is 2 Samuel 23:2. David said, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.” David was claiming to have been guided in his words by God’s Holy Spirit. The New Testament refers to the Old Testament Scriptures as that which did not come “...by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20, 21). In fact, the New Testament tells us that all the Scriptures are inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).

How did inspiration work? God gave His message to man through the Holy Spirit who, in turn, gave the message to man (John 14:26; 16:13-15). The Holy Spirit used the experience, education, and background of the individual authors to choose the very words that convey the exact meaning and message from God (1 Corinthians 2:6-13).

When the inspired word was being revealed God confirmed the truth of His word through miracles. He proved that the Word being spoken by inspired men came from Him by enabling those men to perform miraculous works (Mark 16:19, 20; Hebrews 2:1-4). The miracles were the proof that the message came from God. Now that we have the completed revelation from God, preachers of God’s Word no longer need to perform miracles to confirm the Word (1 Corinthians 13:8-13). Instead, we now prove we are speaking God’s message by referring specifically to God’s Word (1 Peter 4:11).

The Bible is from God and not men.