From the Desk of Paul Chapman

"Is God the Author of the Bible? -- Part 1"

There never has been and never will be a book such as the Bible! it is unique, meaning it is without like or equal. What is it that makes this ancient book so distinctive? God is its author. "All Scripture is God-breathed..." (2 Timothy 3:16). Yes, the Bible makes the claim of inspiration. It is not the only book to make such a declaration. So, who are we to believe? How can we know that the Bible is from God and no other book can honestly make the same claim?

We are told in the Bible to, "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). Let us put the Bible to the test to see if it is from God.

To begin we must have a proper concept of inspiration. Many people believe, even some who are religious, that the Bible was written by men who were inspired only in the same way one is inspired today to write a book, paint a picture, or produce any other creative work. Therefore, it is thought to be merely a book of history based on old myths and simple stories. What a shame to have such a superficial attitude toward the Scriptures.

It is important to realize that every word of the Bible is specially and uniquely inspired. God didn't just give certain thoughts or concepts to the chosen writers and then let them fill in the details as they thought best. God, by way of the Holy Spirit, directed not only the verbal teaching of these chosen men, but also their written words. The apostle Paul affirmed the case of special inspiration of God when he wrote to the Thessalonians, "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God..." (I Thessalonians 2:13).

Some will concede that the Bible was completely inspired by God, but because it has been in the hands of man for so many years we cannot know what is true and what is not. Would God reveal His will to man then allow it to be unattainable? What a cruel prank it would be indeed, for Jesus said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

The first evidence for us to briefly consider is that of the ancient record. The Bible was written by 40 different men over a period of 1600 years. None of the original manuscripts of the Bible exist today, but many copies have been made over the centuries. Thanks to archaeology, thousands of complete or partial copies have been discovered from many parts of the world. Scholars have taken all these copies and compared them with one another. At least 3/4 of the New Testament text contained in the copies are identical. The 1/4 where they don't agree are minor. For instance, they are mostly differences in spelling, words copied twice or left out completely. There are only 5 or 6 major differences, but these do not affect the teaching of the Bible. The proper doctrine, or teaching, can still be determined in other portions of the Bible. So, we can be confident that we have what God has intended for us to have.

A second evidence for the inspiration of the Bible comes from archaeology. Over the years critics of the Bible have challenged much of its historical information. For instance, there have been challenges against the writing of Moses, who was inspired to write the first five books of the Old Testament. Critics said that writing was too primitive in his day to have produced such a code of law (Mosaic law). Of course, with God as the author, it wouldn't really matter how primitive man's writing was. However, the discovery in 1902, of the Code of Hammurabi silenced the critics. Hammurabi was the king of Babylon about 1750 B.C., nearly 300 years before Moses. The code is extensive and contains specific laws and specific punishments when those laws are broken.

There have also been challenges against places. Critics said that Abraham must have been a fictional character because there was apparently no city of Ur, the place which Abraham was from. But the critics were silenced again when in 1922 the ancient city of Ur was discovered by archaeologists. it was determined that the city was highly developed for its time.

Another challenge against places dealt with the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The only documentation of these cities was in the Bible (Genesis 18-19), so critics claimed that the Bible must be wrong. The discovery of the Elba Tablets in 1975 in Syria proved the Bible to be correct. These tablets date back to about 2250 B.C., and they refer to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Critics also challenged the information in the Bible concerning the existence of the Hittite nation. The Hittites are referred to in the Scriptures over forty times. No archaeological evidence of the nation existed so critics said once again that the Bible was a fictional book. Well, in 1906, Hugh Winckler excavated a site in Turkey and discovered the capital of the ancient Hittite nation. Ten thousand clay tablets in the city's library contained the society's system of law and became known as the Hittite Code. They also contained information of expeditions and wars undertaken by the Hittites in the area of Palestine.

There are so many more examples in the area of archaeology, but we simply don't have the room to discuss them all. Isn't it interesting how the Bible continues to be proven right. Does this not suggest an infallible, perfect, inspired source? There are many more evidences which support God as the author of the Bible that we will discuss in the future. At the church of Christ in Dubois we strive to obey the pattern that has been set for us in the New Testament. Please come and visit and study with us. As always, you will be our welcomed guest.

~ PJ Chapman