The Bible ~ Inspired and Infallible
“Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.”
Psalm 119:18
Of the countless books that have ever been produced, and which are being added to daily, only the Bible can justify its claim to be inspired. Other books may set forth such a claim, but an examination of the evidence will reveal that their claims cannot be vindicated.
It would be incredible if God, having made man “in His image and after His likeness” (Gen. 1:26), should have abandoned man to his own resources. Instead, God inspired some forty-four of His servants to reveal His purpose, and to point the way to what is required of man. This, the Bible does.
The Bible does even more. It tells of Jesus Christ who died for man’s offences, rose again for his justification, and ascended into heaven to provide mediation for his glorification (Rom. 4:25). Moreover, he has promised to return to establish his kingdom upon the earth: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
All Scripture is equally inspired, and is united together. Thus the Lord declared: “The scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Thus, also, Paul wrote: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Bible, consisting of 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament, or 66 in all, was written over a period of 1,600 years, in different lands, by men of varied occupations and backgrounds. Each book is complete in itself, proving an amazing harmony. They are so interwoven one with the other, as to provide unbreakable evidence of inspiration. It would be quite beyond the ability of man to produce a book so different in its parts and yet so united in its teaching.
The inspiration of the Bible is further proved by fulfilled prophecy. Man cannot predict ahead; but the Bible presumes to do so, and its prophecies have been vindicated by events. Assyria and Nineveh (Zeph. 2:13) were overthrown completely as predicted; Babylon became heaps (Isa. 13:19-20); Philistia ceased to exist (Amos 1:8); Moab, Ammon and Tyre (Zeph. 2:9; Ezek. 26:3-5) were destroyed as prophecy required.
The Isaiah Scroll ~ dating from between 175-150BC
The life and death of the Lord Jesus were predicted in the Old Testament over six centuries before he was born. Isaiah predicted his atoning work (Isa. 52:13 - 53:12). The Psalmist spoke of the form of his death (Ps. 22:1,8,16,18).
Today prophecy is still being fulfilled. Particularly is this the case in regard to the return of the Jews, the development of modern Israel,
the deliverance of the city of Jerusalem, and so on (see Ezek. 37:21-22, Joel 3:1-2).
Archaeology also underwrites the divine inspiration of the Bible. It confirms the truth of its statements, in every point where it touches. A few years ago it was claimed by agnostics that Moses could not have written the first five books of the Bible, for the art of writing had not then been discovered. But archaeology subsequently revealed that the claim was false. In fact, it is now conceded that Moses was a linguist of considerable ability, having knowledge of several different languages.
The story of Noah and the Flood was discounted. But archaeology has discovered records of the Flood apart from that of the Bible. In fact native people of all lands have their legends of such a disaster, indicating a central source of origin, strongly arguing the historicity of the Flood.
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19) was discounted by many as entirely improbable. This is not the case today. Geologists now state that the area around the Dead Sea, where those two cities were located, is one where sulphur from hot springs exists abundantly in the clay. Bitumen oozes from crevices in the rocks, and earthquakes sometimes dislodge bitumen from the sea bottom. Pent-up gases explode, and red hot sulphur and salt are hurled high into the air, to rain down as burning brimstone. Boiling bitumen creates a smoke as from a furnace.
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls supported the authenticity of the Bible. These scrolls were found by an Arab shepherd boy in the Spring of 1947 whilst searching for a missing animal. They include some of the oldest manuscripts of the Bible, revealing how authentic are the translations in our possession. These scrolls were stored in clay jars hidden in caves in a hillside on the north-western shore of the Dead Sea. The extremely dry condition of the area has preserved the scrolls against damage for two thousand years. They included fragments in ancient Hebrew of every book of the Old Testament (except Esther). One find was a complete scroll of Isaiah, dated between 175-150 B.C. This text differs very little from that of a modern Bible. This silenced critics who had claimed that vast changes had occurred in Old Testament text owing to its antiquity. God guarded His message to mankind so that it has come to him without being distorted by the passage of time.
The Bible has been assailed by scoffers for centuries, just as it is ridiculed today by agnostics and atheists. These doubters and unbelievers come and go, but the Bible continues to show those with hearing ears the way of salvation, and to tell of the Kingdom yet to be established on the earth.
