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1 Peter 3:15-But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
The young woman (we will call her Jane) had been taught all of her life by her family that the Bible is the Word of God, but high school, YouTube, and pagan friends had convinced her that it was actually just a Book of made up fairy-tales. Jane had turned to drugs as a teenager, and begun dating a man who was holding her as a sex slave. If she refused to do what he asked, then he would cut off her drugs, putting her into dangerous withdrawals. Her family (whom I had met while watching a movie at the local theatre and struck up a conversation with about the Lord) had explained the situation to me, saying also that the local police had told them that they were powerless to do anything to help without ironclad proof of wrongdoing. They asked if I would go and try to reason with her and encourage her to get into a drug rehab. I agreed. They also warned me that the “boyfriend” had a huge dog that he may try to sic on me. I was confident, however, that I could charm my way in through the front door..
Boy, was I wrong.
And the dog WAS huge!
That day I was not able to get in and visit with Jane. Her “boyfriend” was not allowing any visitors, especially when he learned that I was a preacher. He brought the dog out on the porch to show me that he meant business.
A couple of days later, Jane’s mother was admitted to the hospital, and I went to visit her and pray with her. While there, Jane’s brother asked me if I could share some evidence with him that the Bible is the Word of God. His hope was that he could speak with his sister and relay that to her, because she was absolutely devoid of any hope. One line of evidence that I shared with him that demonstrates that the Bible is inspired of God comes from the supernatural unity of the Bible.
What do we mean by the supernatural unity of the Bible?
Kyle Butt informs us:
“First, the manner in which the Bible was written is nothing short of remarkable. It was written over a period of about 1,600 years by approximately 40 different writers who came from a variety of different backgrounds and educational levels. Some were lowly fishermen, some were humble farmers, some were well-educated scribes, and some were kings. Yet when we look at this book—written by such a diversity of men over so many years—it exhibits an amazing unity, as if a single, guiding hand was behind it. The Old Testament starts with the beginning of the Universe and ends in Malachi with the promise of a coming Messiah. The New Testament starts with the birth of the Messiah in Matthew and ends in Revelation with the destruction of the Universe and the promise of heaven. The unity of the Bible truly is remarkable, especially when compared to what we might expect from ordinary human authors. What if we took a banker from New York, a farmer from Missouri, and a preacher from Tennessee and asked them to write an essay on the history of the United States. Can you imagine how much they would disagree? And they would be writing at the same time! Yet, when we look at the Bible—written over a period of 1,600 years by about 40 different men—we see astounding agreement. The penman who recorded information about Jesus’ death in Psalm 22: 16-18 (1,000 years before it happened!) agreed perfectly with Matthew’s account (27: 35). Also, the concluding chapter of Malachi (the last book in the Old Testament) foretold the coming of “Elijah the prophet” and the first chapters of Mark, Luke, and John (three of the first four books in the New Testament) document the life of John the Baptist, who was the figurative Elijah discussed in Malachi (Matthew 17: 1-13). From cover to cover, all the writers agree about the fall of mankind, the qualities of the Creator, and the glory of Christ the Messiah. No human author could have written the Bible.” (Apologetics Press, Kyle Butt, Out With Doubt: A Look at the Evidence for Christianity, 40 (Kindle Edition): Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press, Inc.)
The amazing unity of the Bible may only be explained by Divine inspiration. It is all about Jesus Christ!
Kennedy and Newcombe point out:
“The same person, Jesus Christ, is the central theme of the Bible: it is about Him. It builds to His coming, describes it, and interprets what it means. The golden thread is the redemption of sinful man by the grace of God through faith in the shed blood of the Redeemer. Keep in mind that no human publisher commissioned the writing of such a book. No editor set forth a plan; no editorial committee oversaw its development; no one distributed an outline to the different authors. Despite these facts, there is every sort of literature in the Bible, including prose and poetry; history and law; biography and travel; genealogies, theologies, and philosophies. And somehow, all of these elements combine to provide an incredible unity from Genesis to Revelation.1 Suppose that forty different artists were to paint a picture without having any idea what the others might be doing—or that others were doing anything at all. Imagine someone collecting these pieces and arranging them all upon a huge wall, and the result was a perfect picture that displayed all the features of Jesus Christ. Or suppose that forty different sculptors, without any knowledge of what the others were doing, each decided to create a piece of sculpture. And when the pieces were brought together, they formed an exquisite statue of Christ. These outcomes are incomprehensible, yet the Bible is a greater accomplishment by far. No other book in all the world has ever been made in this way. Having written a number of books, I know what publishers and editors and editorial committees do. None of this process was involved in writing the Bible. But we see in this book an incredible unity that testifies that the hand that made this book is divine. Writer James C. Hefley says, “The sixty-six books are a perfect whole, a purposeful revelation, a progressive proof that the Bible is more than the work of fallible men.”2 (D. James Kennedy & Jerry Newcombe, What If The Bible Had Never Been Written? 181-194 (Kindle Edition); Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Jane’s brother was able to share this information with her, and last I heard, she had left her “boyfriend” and (after going to a rehab treatment facility) moved to another area of the state in which they resided. She has become a member of a Bible believing church (and hopefully one day will become a member of the church of Christ), and is working with women who have been trafficked and are trying to rebuild their lives.
Now, what to take away from this?
First, there are many good reasons that Christians have for believing that the Bible is the Word of God. Bible faith is based on evidence (Hebrews 11:1), which is one reason why we need to share with our friends and neighbors that Christianity is a rational religion.
Acts 26:25 (ESV)-But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words.
The phrase translated here as “rational” in the ESV is a very interesting word in the original.
“Paul has not lost his mind but speaks “true and prudent words” (ἀληθείας καὶ σωφροσύνης ῥήματα, alētheias kai sōphrosynēs rhēmata), or “the sober truth.” The combination of “true” and “prudent” is common in Greek, as is a contrast between “prudent” and “mad” (Lucian, Timon 55; Xenophon, Memorabilia 1.1.16; P.Oxy. 1.33; Plato, Phaedrus 244D; Barrett 1998: 1168). In this context, where Paul has been accused of being crazy, his reply is that his words are truth. He has not lost control of his thoughts; they are quite sober and thought through.” (Darrell L. Bock, Acts (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), 1091 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic)
Gareth Reese goes a bit further:
“It is not the man whose world view is based on the clear teachings of God’s Word who is “mad” (i.e., not using good judgment). In fact, it denotes just the opposite. “Sober” (sōphrosunē) was a favorite term used by the Greek ethical writers. It had a higher meaning than “temperance,” and was used to express the perfect harmony of impulses and reason.41 The word was the exact opposite of the “madness” of which Festus had just spoken. In harmony with the predictions of Moses and the prophets, and the facts which have occurred in the death and resurrection of Jesus, Paul could say his words were “words of truth.” Not only that, they were “words of sober truth.” Far from denoting madness, the words he uttered gave true evidence of clear, right, sound thinking.” (Gareth Reese, Acts-New Testament History-A Critical And Exegetical Commentary, 23136 (Kindle Edition): Moberly, Missouri: Scripture Exposition Books, LLC)
When we look at the evidences which support the Bible, then it is only “rational” to accept it as the Word of God.
Second, everything in the Bible revolves around and points us to Jesus.
John 5:39-40 (Message)-“You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.
As we work with people who do not believe in the Lord, we need to establish the Bible as God’s Word with the many evidences of it’s inspiration, and then use that Word of God to lead people to Jesus. Everything is about the Lord of lords and the King of kings!
Father, thank you for the Bible and the many evidences which You have given to help us know that it is from You. Please help us to use it in the right way, always pointing us to Your Son. Amen.