Today, I begin a series of meditations on the Word of God. I have no idea where this will lead but I pray that the Word itself will convince us of its incalculable worth in our lives as children of God. We live by His Word and die without it.
Our first obligation is to decide to believe what the Bible says about itself. We will never be convinced of its value for us unless we take at face value the Bible’s own witness. If we haven’t made that decision, the rest of this series is only of acedemic interest.
The Bible makes many claims to be unique, one of a kind, not in so many words but by what it is and does that no other book can do. Let’s examine some of its unique features, and for these features I am indebted to Google research, mostly from https://gotquestions.com
1. Unique in its popularity
The Bible is the bestselling book of all time. It has been translated into more languages and distributed more widely than any other book in history.
“The Guinness Book of World Records estimates that the Bible has been printed over 5 billion times.” (www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/best-selling-book-of-non-fiction, accessed 8/11/21).
2. Unique in its authorship
No other book can claim and demonstrate divine authorship.
2 Peter 1:20-21 NLT
[20] “Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, [21] or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”
2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
[16]”All Scripture is inspired by God…”
Many other religious books claim divine revelation of one kind or another but cannot produce evidence of their truth. The Bible alone makes claims for itself which are backed up evidence, among which are archeological, historical, scientific and experiential proofs of its authenticity.
The Bible is a divine/human book.
“Although the Holy Spirit is ultimately the author of Scripture (2 Peter 1:21), He used many human authors to compile the 66 books of the Bible. Around forty different human writers in the span of about 1,500 years were involved in the collection of Scripture. These writers came from different time periods, backgrounds, occupations, and geographical locations. The writers include kings, prophets, fishermen, shepherds, servants, priests, and a physician.” (Quoted from” gotquestions”)
The Bible is a library of books, some short, some long, but bound together by supernatural inspiration and the common consent of spiritual leaders. Individual writings were gathered according to an agreed standard, into what is known as the canon of Scripture.
No other book has offended, been attacked and destroyed, been lost and found, been banned and outlawed, and yet been divinely protected than the Bible. Men suffered and died to translate, preserve and distribute this book. People either fear or revere the Bible.
3. Unique in its unity
Despite the span of time and the multiplicity of its writers, the Bible presents one theme, one God, and one human race.
“The different authors and writing styles make the Bible unique from other religious books, and it’s stunning to realize that the entire canon of Scripture shares a common theme—God’s salvation of mankind—and points to a central character—Jesus Christ.” (gotquestions)
Not only is the Bible unique in its unity but also in its presentation of God and man. Across the 66 books and multiplicity of writers, writing styles, genres, and languages, there is never a conflict between the writers’ presentation of God and mankind. The God of Genesis is the same God of Revelation and everything in between.
4. Unique in its content
No other book presents material so sublime with such authority and confidence, than can transform the lives of those who believe, than the Bible. From where come the mighty truths of Scripture but from the heart of God?
“Unlike other religious texts advocating good works to please an unreachable god, the Bible uniquely teaches that salvation is a gift from God that does not require human works (Ephesians 2:8–9). Whereas other religious books present a set of rules and regulations to follow, the Bible presents freedom in Christ (John 8:36). The Bible reveals that Jesus is God (John 1:1) and that He saves us through His death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). No other sacred book claims that a religious leader rose from the dead (Matthew 28:5–7; Luke 24:5–6; John 20:20; 1 Corinthians 15:4–8). The God of Scripture is not a far-off, uncaring god but the Creator of all things who is intimately involved in the lives of His creation (Psalm 139:7–12; Acts 17:25–27). No other religious text gives the assurance of eternal life (John 3:16). No other religion’s book is without error or flaw, but the Bible is inerrant and infallible (see 2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). (Quoted from “gotquestions”)
5. Unique in its prophetic content
“The Bible is also unique from other religious books in that it contains prophecy. In fact, by one count, about 27 percent of the Bible is predictive (Payne, J. B., The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, Baker Pub. Group, 1980, p. 675). This means that, when written, over one fourth of the Bible—more than one in four verses—was prophetic.” (quoted from “gotquestions”).
The Bible has detailed prophecies, from cover to cover, that have already been fulfilled or are yet to be fulfilled in the promise of Jesus’s second coming.
Isaiah 41:21-22 NLT
[21] “Present the case for your idols,” says the Lord. “Let them show what they can do,” says the King of Israel. [22] “Let them try to tell us what happened long ago so that we may consider the evidence. Or let them tell us what the future holds, so we can know what’s going to happen.”
Isaiah 42:8-9 NLT
[8] “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. [9] Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.”
6. Unique in its languages
“Most books are written in one language. For instance, the Quran of Islam was written completely in Arabic, Hinduism’s Vedas were composed entirely in Sanskrit, and the Book of Mormon was written entirely in English. In contrast, the Bible’s authors used three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.” (quoted from “gotquestions”).
7. Unique in its sources
The writers show little evidence of borrowing from outside sources. Some quoted from historical records, some quoted from one another, for example, Paul quoted from David’s psalms but, in the main, prophets wrote from prophetic visions and and New Testament writers from eyewitness accounts…
1 John 1:1 NLT
[1] “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.”
… interpretation of Old Testament revelation
Acts of the Apostles 2:14-21 NLT
[14]”Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. [15] These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. [16] No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: [17] ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. [18] In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy. [19] And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke. [20] The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. [21] But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
….and personal experience.
Philippians 4:12-13 NLT
[12] “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. [13] For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
…and, finally,
8. Unique in its manuscript evidence
“The manuscript evidence for the New Testament is overwhelming. There are at least 5,300 Greek, 10,000 Latin, and 9,000 miscellaneous copies of the New Testament extant today.” (quoted from “gotquestions”)
Despite the overwhelming evidence for the uniqueness of the Bible, whether to believe or not to believe the evidence is a personal choice. As with all our interactions with the unseen God in the supernatural realm, faith is the only vehicle by which we can accept and receive the blessings and benefits of the salvation the Bible presents.
We alone can make the choice and experience the consequences of that choice.
To be continued…