Is the Bible Inspired?   
 

by Gardner Hall

 

Why do we think God guided the men who wrote the Bible? Could men have written the Bible without God's guidance? 1. The claims of scripture. Though the writers were generally humble men, they confidently claimed to be writing the word of the Lord. 2. The influence of the scriptures. How could humble fishermen and farmers have written by themselves a book that has served as the legal and ethical foundation for Western culture? 3. The omissions of the scripture. If men had been writing without God's guidance, they would have included details to satisfy our curiosity: a physical description of Jesus, details about his childhood, details about Paul's death, etc. God didn't feel such details were important for us. 4. The impartiality of scripture. In contrast with other ancient literature, the Bible reveals all the flaws of all its heroes, Abraham, David, Noah, Peter, James and John, etc. The only exception, of course, is Jesus Christ. 5. The superiority of the Bible in comparison with other books of antiquity. The literature of the Assyrians, Babylonians, ancient Greeks, Romans and other ancient cultures are full of fantasy and irrational tales. For example, think of the Greek myths, the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh, etc. The Bible presents its story in a reasonable and trustworthy manner. 6. Lack of scientific absurdities. Though the Bible was written in a time of many superstitions and myths about life and the universe, it is completely free of such. If in just one text, the Bible affirmed a flat earth with people falling of the end, an earth supported by Atlas or a monster with an eye in the center of its head it would be discredited. No such absurdity exists. 7. The unity and order of the scriptures. Although the 66 books of the Bible were written by over 40 different men over a period of some 1600 years, they present an orderly account with a beginning and an end. Other supposed sacred writings such as the Koran, the Vedas and the Tripitaka (scriptures for Buddhists) are disjointed and ill-defined. If one reads the Bible without a negative agenda he can see that it proclaims deep truths about man and his existence that could only come from a source higher than man. Many honest skeptics have been convinced and changed by such an open minded investigation. You can be too!     For Past Auburn Beacons go to: www.aubeacon.com/Bulletins.htm   Anyone can join the mailing list for the Auburn Beacon! Send your request to: larryrouse@aubeacon.com

 Other Articles by Gardner Hall

Is That Really True
Predisposition
Modernism's Assault on Prophecy
Scarcely A Ripple
Abiding in the Doctrine
The New Testament Christian in a Postmodern World