In Hebrews 1:1-2, we read one of the many claims the Bible makes to being the revealed Word of God. The book is full of “Thus saith the Lord” and, “Verily, I say unto you.” There are a great many reasons for believing these claims of divine origin. The following have been sufficient to satisfy many minds:
1. Because it meets the needs of human life:
Under all conditions and circumstances, man can go to the Bible and find help. The Bible fits perfectly into today’s experience, though thousands of years old.
2. Because of its wonderful unity:
This book was written by some forty men widely separated by time, culture, training, and language. In spite of the lapse of time and composite authorship, the book makes a unified impression on the mind of the student. So strong is the sense of unity that we would feel a distinct loss if any one of the books should be removed from the collection.
3. Because it is superior to all other books:
There is no book so widely or repeatedly read. Few books outlive their authors; nor shall this, for its Author is eternal. It is the oldest book in the world, but is still of vital interest to each generation, which shows that it deals with subjects of eternal freshness.
4. Because of its influence upon the world:
“By their fruits ye shall know them,” is the safest foundation for judgment ever laid down. If you draw a line around the countries where the greatest freedom is enjoyed and the highest civilization flourishes, you will find that you have included the countries where the foundation was laid on the Bible. Wherever it has gone, it has sweetened the home, exalted womanhood, sanctified the cradle, and redeemed fallen men.
5. Because of the character of those who live it:
Business propositions are often turned down, merely because of the class of men who are promoting them. Who are the people in your community who take the Bible seriously and prove it by the way they live? Who are the people who are opposed to the Bible? Is it hard to decide which class has the better influence and is doing the more for the things that last?
6. Because it reveals the way of salvation:
It is the answer to the soul’s greatest question, “What must I do to be saved?” It addresses the greatest subjects in a way that brings peace and satisfaction to the most astute as well as the most humble minds. No book can deal with more crucial themes than God, Christ, sin, man, salvation, and righteousness. For only the Christian can afford to soberly think about such things.
7. Because man, unaided, could not have produced the Bible:
Well has Alfred M. Haggard said: “I know that no man made the roses. I know that no man painted the sunset on the evening skies. In the same way, I know that no man, nor set of men, unaided, have produced the Bible. It points to God as certainly as the flowers or the heavens.”
8. Because those who grow in holiness cherish the Bible more and more:
In our growth, we outgrow most things that at one time aided us. We outgrow our schools and many of our books, and sometimes our companions; but nobody has ever outgrown the Bible. Some have grown from it, but none have grown beyond it. The greatest saints have been the most ardent believers and students of the Book. As they have grown in holiness, they have grown in their love for the Book. If it were the product of man, surely someone would have graduated from the book long ago. Yet the more it is studied and enjoyed, the more one appreciates how much more there is to know and enjoy. Its Author is the most wonderful Person in the universe; is it a surprise that we should find His Book to be such a masterpiece?
Related: Incarnation-Eight Reasons Why