THE BIBLE

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 singlebook. 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 neverknew 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!

In God We
        Trust.