Yes, That’s The Book For Me

The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me! There has never been and will never be another book like it. Have you considered the uniqueness of God’s holy word? What sort of things should a Christian focus on when talking about the scriptures with a non-believer? Allow me to suggest some areas of interest.

The Bible contains claims of inspiration. Such would be expected and required from a book used as a religious standard. The prophets always noted their true source with the phrase, “Thus saith the LORD.” The teaching of Jesus and His faithful followers was also emphasized as being from the Father (Jn. 7:16; 1 Cor. 2:12-13). The Greek term for inspiration points to the truth that these words are “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16). God through His Holy Spirit directed men to speak and to write (Jn. 16:13; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). According to one count, there are over 2,700 claims of divine authorship in the Bible. Of course, the claims alone are not sufficient proof.

The Bible contains predictive prophecy. The ability to accurately foretell events in detail would be an important feature for any book claiming a divine origin. About 200 years before the fact, the prophet Isaiah named Cyrus as the coming leader to allow the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Isa. 44:28; 45:1). About 500 years before the fact, Zechariah gave the exact price for which the Savior would be betrayed (Zec. 11:12-13; Mt. 26:15). About 700 years before the fact, Micah revealed Bethlehem as the location of His birth (Mic. 5:2; Lk. 2:4, 15). In total, there are approximately 800 prophecies in the Old Testament, 300 of which have a specific Messianic focus.

The Bible contains scientific foreknowledge. Even in earlier ages, when mankind had limited understanding or flatly wrong notions, God’s word is scientifically and medically accurate. This is seen in God’s instruction regarding circumcision (Gen. 17:12), dietary laws (Lev. 11:2-6; 17:15), and even the treatment of human waste (Deut. 23:12-14). Scientific foreknowledge is further shown in the areas of oceanography (Psa. 8:8), the water cycle (Ecc. 1:7), hygiene (Lev. 14; Num. 19), and astronomy (Job 26:7; 38:33). These are things which men of the time period could not have known about without God.

The Bible contains verifiable history. Every bit of archeological evidence mankind has unearthed supports the truth of the Bible. Before modern man had any tangible proof of them, God’s word already told us about the Hittite nation (Ex. 23:28), King David (1 Sam. 16:13), Belshazzar (Dan. 7:1), and the fall of Tyre (Ezek. 26:2-5). As time marches on and as we discover more, mankind has greater reason to believe the Bible!

When you add to all this the high code of ethics and unity of message found throughout, you can see why the Bible truly is the book for you and me!