The Uniqueness of the Bible
We must remember that the Bible is inspired by God using approximately 40 different authors covering over 1,500 years of history. It contains 66 volumes covering hundreds of subjects that all tie into one main narrative – the redemptive story of humanity.
When comparing the Bible to the Quran, for example, the Quran was written by one man, Mohammed, who had a “subjective experience” (non-verifiable) in the forms of dreams and visions. The Quran was written over his single lifetime (Mohammed died at 62 years old). The Bible is truly a unique book of truth, verifiable by multiple eye-witness accounts, as well as numerous archaeological discoveries. The Islam faith, based on the Quran, in contrast, is not reliable.
Canonization Process
At the time of the Early Church, there were so-called “Lost Gospels” being circulated. These writings are considered fiction by most Biblical scholars. They were dated long after the original apostles lived, and were mostly based on misunderstandings of Judaism and Christianity. Some of them tell false testimonies about Jesus’ childhood, or the three days between his death and resurrection. This is why the Bible had to be Canonized (or closed) because of the false testimonies circulating. The churches needed to know for sure which books to be teaching and preaching.
The Canonized books needed to represent an eye-witness testimony, in other words, they were either written by an apostle or a scribe (one closely associated with the apostle). The knowledge reported needed to be public (or easily verifiable). The gospels books were already universally recognized, as scholar F.F. Bruce notes that Clement (AD 96) wrote a letter with quotes from nearly all the New Testament currently being used in the 1stC. The New Testament books were considered inspired, bearing the marks of Apostolic authority.
The Relevancy of Scripture
In the United States and other, secularized cultures, Biblical illiteracy is at an all time high despite the easy access to Bible among democratic nations. So, how can Christians help others desire to read the Bible more? Personal testimony is a great place to start. We need to not only tell people about the historical reliability of the Bible, but we need to show them how the Bible is relevant to their lives.
Share how the Bible has changed your life, showing how reading the Bible can be the way God communicates to us today. And always remember, there must be an element of faith – a prayer to trust God will speak through His word. Praying Psalm 119:18 is a great way to start one’s Bible reading: “Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things in your Word.”
In time, the Bible has literally changed the lives of billions of people. Billions. Coincidence? Mindless brain-washing? I think not. This is what the Word of God does – it changes lives.
You’ve done a great job in these two posts defending the veracity of the Bible! You’ve included great verifiable evidence. Well done!
Thanks, Melinda!
This is so true! I just read an article yesterday I think confirming the truths of the Bible. So often people love the bring up what they perceive as gaps in the Bible or conflicting ideas from different parts. Sometimes people see and do what they want to do, but the Bible is truth in its purest form. Thanks for this
Thanks, Brittany!
Yes, we should share our faith with others. Live by example. 🙂
Important information here, Lisa! Great job! God bless!
Lisa, fresh information here. I didn’t realize the reasons for the Bible being closed, due to the false testimonies circulating. The Lord was protecting His Word all along, making sure it came to us as the way, the truth, and the life. (Jesus, John 14:6) I love to think about how God is the best selling author or all time with the Bible. We just need to make sure and do our part against biblical illiteracy. Boldly proclaiming the good news.
Hi Karen! Thanks for your comments. Yes, I thought it was fascinating to learn about the heresies circulating back then – much the same as today – and why the Church Fathers then had to make sure that the churches knew which books to be teaching from to make sure people were learning the total truth about Jesus Christ. Blessings, Lisa Q
Hi Lisa!
Great blog post. I learned from your comparing the Bible and the Quran. I remember when I was a child and saw one of the lost Gospels in a literary and I got confused because I had never heard or thought of this before.
I loved the last part of this blog post where you talked about how we can make the Bible relevant today. That’s the big question. I think you are right. The best way to do this is by demonstrating how the Gospel is relevant to Modern life.
Thank you, Lisa!
I share on Twitter.
God bless, Edna
Hi Edna,
Yeah, those so-called “Lost Gospels” are more along the lines of the fictional stories by Dan Brown, who wrote the Da Vinci Code. I was shocked to learn that many people think the Da Vinci Code is true! It’s F-I-C-T-I-O-N folks, that’s all. Don’t believe that stuff. Blessings! Lisa Q
Good to know someone still knows their stuff amoungst the noise.
There are times to speak off the cuff but we can never leave the bedrock behind.
Good back ground research Lisa.
Thanks, Tony!
I’ve learned a few things here about the Bible. Sometimes when challenged about the validity of the Bible I can stall, but you’ve given great direction by the idea of sharing personal testimony that directly related to God’s words in the bible. Thanks!
Hi Lynn,
Yes, personal testimony is great. Try to tell the challengers, too, about the historical reliability of the Bible. Most folks think the Bible is just a bunch of myths because that’s what they’ve heard and they have not checked out if that is true or not. Tell them that there is archaeology to back up its historical value, and it’s changed the lives of BILLIONS of people throughout the centuries. Blessings, Lisa Q
Had a friend recently ask me: “where do you start reading? It’s such a big book, how do you know where to go?” It was a great questions for folks who have never picked up a Bible before. That was me in Middle School and I am really sensitive to those who have never picked up the Bible before.
Hi Bailey,
Well, whenever I meet someone who has not read the Bible, I always tell them to read John’s Gospel. That is the book that I became a Christian upon reading! Starting in Genesis, and expecting that the Bible will read like a modern-day novel, is not the best way to go about reading the Bible for the first time. The Bible is not a novel, to be read chronologically (although you certainly can read it that way, if you want to). People need to understand the Bible is a compilation of many books by many different authors, over thousands of years, all inspired by God. Blessings, Lisa Q.
Great post! So refreshing to see the word of God being defended. The mind of God is in the pages of the Bible. If we want to know Him and how He thinks, we must read it daily. Thank you for your wise words about the Word!
Thanks, Marcie, for your comment. The coolest thing is that God left us an instruction manual on Christian living though the Bible. Sadly, the majority of people today haven’t read the instructions! Let’s be the “trend setters” and remain steadfast in the Word. Bless you, Lisa Q