By:      Sunday Eyanrin (Evangelist)

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Introduction

Brethren, today, we will be looking at one of the several questions asked by different people all over the globe. We will try to give an answer to this question through the wisdom that came from God.

What Is the Bible

The English word “Bible” is simply a translation of the Greek word “biblos” – meaning “Book,” and may have originated from the ancient Egyptian port of Byblos (in modern-day Lebanon), where papyrus used for making books and scrolls was exported to Greece.

Other terms for the Bible are the Holy Scriptures, or the Scriptures, which means “sacred writings.” The Bible is a collection of sixty-six ancient books and letters written by 40 different people during a period of approximately 1,500 years. Its original text was communicated in just three languages: Hebrew, koine or common Greek, and Aramaic.

The Bible consists of two major parts – the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The Bible has 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament, The Old Testament was written for the most part in Hebrew, with a small percentage in Aramaic.

The New Testament was written in Greek. Beyond its two main sections–the Old and New Testament–the Bible contains several more divisions: the Pentateuch, the Historical Books, the Poetry and Wisdom Books, the books of Prophecy, the Gospels, and the Epistles.

THE STORY OF SALVATION

The central message or theme of the Bible is God’s plan of salvation-his way of providing deliverance from sin and spiritual death through repentance and faith. In the Old Testament, the concept of salvation is rooted in Israel’s deliverance from Egypt in the book of Exodus.

The New Testament reveals the source of salvation: Jesus Christ. By faith in Jesus, the promised Messiah, believers are saved from God’s judgment of sin and its consequence, which is eternal death.

In the Bible, God reveals himself to us. We discover his nature and character, his love, his justice, his forgiveness, and his truth. Many have called the Bible a guidebook for living the Christian faith. Hence the Psalmist declared in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (NIV)

WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE?

Brethren, after a systematic analysis of what the Bible contains, it has become necessary that we, Christians, and the entire human race should Believe the ‘’ BIBLE’’ as the divine word of God, due to some authentic Scriptural reasons as stated below.

THE AUTHORSHIP OF THE BIBLE 

The Bible is a collection of sixty-six ancient books and letters written by about forty (40) different people. These men were inspired by the Author to accomplish this great task as revealed in 2 Peter 1:21.

For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (The Author of the Bible therefore is the Holy spirit)

THE INDESTRUCTIBILITY OF THE BIBLE 

The “BIBLE” the inspired word of God, is also known as, the Book of Books, has all the divine protections. The Messiah taught that because the Word of God was divinely inspired, not even the smallest part of one Hebrew letter could be broken – and it hasn’t been.  In Matthew 5:18, He declared, 

Matthew 5:18

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. And that is exactly what has happened.

The Bible has withstood intense scrutiny by thousands of skeptics and survived continuous attacks by emperors, kings and dictators. They all failed in their attempts to silence or destroy the divine revelation of God, the “Bible.” On this basis truly the Bible is from God and not man, therefore we should believe the Bible as the Word of God. 

THE BIBLE IS THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD 

The inspiration of the Bible is an extremely crucial matter in today’s world. Many talk about the Bible being inspired. But when asked to define what they mean by inspiration, they give a variety of definitions.

The evidence of the inspiration of the Bible are found in many areas, and they serve to support the claims of the internal evidence. One of the important evidences for the inspiration of the Bible is found in the continuity of scriptural revelation from Genesis to Revelation. This, obviously, points to the fact that somebody guided the writers so that what they wrote would harmonize with the grand truth being revealed.  The unity of their presentation is an indisputable evidence for the Bible’s inspiration. No other book of multiple authorship can claim what the Bible claims about its unity of revelation.

Two important verses speak to the heart of the matter: 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21. The former reads, “2 Tim 3:16 – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

The word inspired is a translation of the Greek word theopneustos, meaning God-breathed. Thus, the origin of Scripture is God, not man; it is God-breathed. The second verse, 2 Peter 1:21, says, “For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” This also confirms that the writers were moved by God to record that which God desired. Mechanical dictation was not employed as some claim.

Rather, God used each individual writer and his personality to accomplish a divinely authoritative work. The Bible is the Word of God because of its indestructibility. Therefore, we should believe the Bible as the revelation from God.

THE BIBLE HAS NO CONTRADICTION 

Another obvious reason why we should believe the Bible is because the Bible has no contradictions. A contradiction occurs when two (or more) different statements on a topic cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense. A perfect example of this is found in the Scriptures,  Jesus told Peter in Matthew 26:34 that “before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice” (KJV).  In writing of the same event, Mark wrote in 14:30, “before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice”.  And in John’s account, he wrote in 13:38, “the cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice” (KJV).   All three of these men were present when Jesus made this statement to Peter and they recorded it from their perspective.

All three of these statements are true if Peter denied Jesus before the cock crowed at all. Critics of the Bible love to attack the authenticity of the bible by claiming contradictions where no such real contradiction exists.  May God continue to protect His word in Jesus Name – Amen.

THE BIBLE IS THE ONLY BOOK THAT LEADS MANKIND TO SALVATION

The Bible is the true way revealed by God for the redemption of the entire human race. In Romans 5:8, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Bible reveals to us what we must do to be saved. Sinners seeking salvation through the grace of Christ, ask the question, “What must we do?” (Acts 2:37). The Bible answers that question thoroughly. For example, the words of Paul in Romans, and his agreement with Jesus in the gospels, show what people should do to receive grace.

Below are steps of what to do in other to be saved.

1. Hear the Gospel (God’s word – 10:8-17, Acts 2:37
2. Believe – have faith in Jesus – 16:16, Rom. 10:10, Acts 8:37
3. Repent from your Sins –Acts 2:38, Lk. 13:1-3, Acts 17:30
4. Confess Christ as Lord – Rom. 10:9-10, Phil. 2:11, 1 John 4:15
5. Be Baptized for remission of Sins – 28:18-20, Mk. 16:15-16, Acts 2:41, Acts 22:16, Rom. 6:3-4, John 3:1- 5.
6. And the Lord adds you to His body (the Church – Acts 2:47)

Conclusion

 Brethren, after going through the undeniable facts about the Bible, we believe that the question of why we should believe the Bible has been laid to rest. Let the Bible always be our guide and companion even as we run this race to the end in Jesus Holy Name- Amen.

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