The Bible contains sixty-six books. Thirty-nine books are in the Old Testament; twenty-seven books are in the New Testament. These were written over a span of some 1,600 years.
Approximately forty individuals wrote either entire books or portions of Scripture.
Some of these people were highly educated. For example, Moses was raised by the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh and no doubt received the best education available (Exodus 2:10); Paul was trained by the foremost Jewish rabbi of his day (Acts 22:1).
Others, however, received little, if any, formal education. Amos was a farmer (Amos 1:1); Peter and John, fishermen by trade, were uneducated and untrained (Acts 4:13). Nevertheless, the product of these various individuals is both cohesive and coherent.
In other words, despite being produced over many years by individuals from diverse backgrounds who lacked the ability to confer with one another, the Bible stands as a unified work that is not self-contradictory.
The only reasonable explanation for this incredible fact is the involvement of God!
Directed by the Holy Spirit
Rather than working on their own, the authors of Scripture were directed in their efforts by the Holy Spirit of God. This process is commonly referred to as inspiration.
Although the individual authors retained their unique vocabularies (e.g. Luke uses the term for a “needle” utilized by a physician rather than the common term—Luke 18:25), styles of writing, and freedom of expression (e.g. Paul often includes personal requests in his letters—2 Timothy 4:13), the Holy Spirit worked with the writers to ensure that the very words chosen were exactly what was needed.
The inspiration process also ensured that the message conveyed was both complete and accurate.
Received as the Word of God
Authors of Scripture wrote exactly what God intended in the way He intended. When we consider that the Bible contains numerous prophecies that were later fulfilled, and that it accurately portrays scientific, historic, and geographic matters, we are led to conclude that it truly is a book that could only have been produced by God.
Consequently, our reaction to it should mirror that of the Thessalonians. Paul commended them and wrote:
“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, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.
Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.
