The Bible claims, from beginning to end, to be the Word of God. There are many internal and external proofs that it is, in fact, what it claims to be. When reading the Bible, one will eventually come across the inspired writing of the apostle Peter (II Peter 1:20–21), where God explains inspiration. Notice what is said: “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” We see what should be understood when we consider inspiration: those who wrote the Bible were writing the words of God and not their own. The words of the Bible were given verbally and plenarily—God-given words originally.
The Bible was written over a period of about 1,600 years, with around 40 different writers, covering three dispensations: patriarchal, Mosaic, and Christian (Heb. 1:1–2). The book of Genesis alone covers approximately 2,000 years. Some books do not reveal the earthly writer, while others do. The two grand divisions of the Bible are the Old and the New Testament. The Bible closes with a glimpse of the end of time and the promise of Heaven.
How inspiration works is revealed in the words recorded by the apostle Paul (II Tim. 3:16–17): “All Scripture is inspired by God,” revealing His doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness—thoroughly furnishing and equipping us for every good work. All anyone needs to reach Heaven is found in the Book of books, the Bible (II Pet. 1:3). So, when you hold the Bible in your hand, you have all you need to know about God, Jesus Christ, His plan to save, and how to live in this life.
One confirmation of inspiration can be seen from Jesus Himself (Matt. 26:52–54) in the garden of betrayal. God foretold, in well over 300 prophecies, the coming Christ and His kingdom, the church—fulfilled in the first century and recorded in the New Testament. Many, if not most, of those prophecies the writers of old did not even understand at the time of their writing, but they were proven true in the coming of the Lord and Savior—His life, death, resurrection, and kingdom, the Church.
Yes, there are those who reject the inspiration of the Bible (Rev. 22:18–19). They will pay a very serious price for it, and the Bible reveals it. God’s divine power produced the Bible, and His providence sustains its existence. No other book contains such revelation. Why did God produce such a book? So that we may know the Truth (John 17:17) and be free (John 8:32); to teach us how to live [guidebook] (Psa. 119:105); to direct our behavior in His church (I Tim. 3:15); to give reason and direction to salvation (II Tim. 3:15); and to inform us completely unto every good work (II Tim. 3:16–17).
God’s Word was here long before we arrived and will exist long after we are gone (Matt. 24:35). He simply calls on us, His creation, to take it, study it, obey it, and live it. It is the only guide to the church, Heaven, and salvation.
David Hill
President
Tennessee Bible College