Information Related to "How Did the Bible Come About?"
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Is it indeed God's Word or composed of mere traditions of men?
God decided to disclose His will to mankind through the written word. The Bible has been translated into almost every language under the sun.
Many conservative Hebrew and Christian scholars believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. The internal evidence of Scripture has proved very commanding. Scripture simply rings true when one reads the books of the Bible with the right spirit and attitude (see Isaiah 66:2).
Archaeological finds have demonstrated the accuracy of Scripture again and again, much to the consternation of critics. We regularly report on such discoveries in the "God, Science and the Bible" feature in this magazine, and you can find much more proof in our Bible study aid booklet Is the Bible True? as well as our article reprint series The Bible and Archaeology .
So how did we receive this Word? How did God choose to provide it to us? Let's notice a few examples.
In the Hebrew Scriptures (commonly called the Old Testament), Moses climbed Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments directly from God, which God declared to the people of Israel (Exodus 19–20; Exodus 32:15-16). These commandments were spoken and written by God Himself. For example, notice Exodus 31:18: "And when He had made an end of speaking to him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God" (emphasis added throughout).
God spoke directly to Moses face to face (Numbers 12:7-8). God had previously talked directly with the patriarch Abram, later renamed Abraham: "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am Almighty God, walk before Me and be blameless'" (Genesis 17:1; see also Genesis 18:1).
On other occasions God spoke to Abraham and the prophets in visions and dreams. "After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision . . ." (Genesis 15:1; compare Isaiah 1:1; Daniel 7:7). Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures God taught His people and future generations His plan and purpose for mankind.
The Christian Scriptures include both the Old and the New Testaments. The apostle Paul tells us of the Jews: "To them were committed the oracles [words or sayings] of God"(Romans 3:2). This referred to the books of the Old Testament at the time, seeing that many of the New Testament books were not yet written.
Paul told the young evangelist Timothy that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness"(2 Timothy 3:16). The apostle Peter adds, "For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).
While inspiring His prophets and apostles, God used His Holy Spirit to pass on His revelation and will to humankind. Both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures reveal that the Holy Spirit is the Almighty's all-pervasive power and influence, as made plain in the Creation epic in Genesis 1:2 (to learn more, read the Bible study aid Who Is God? ). God is abundantly capable of making sure that His revelation would be perpetuated in a permanent way in a written record.
Both Testaments are of great value. Peter wrote: "Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior" (2 Peter 3:1-2).
Our Creator used a variety of means and individuals to communicate His Word. Hebrews 1:1 states, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son . . ."
Moses was told to record God's will and His laws in a book for posterity. "So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying: Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God"(Deuteronomy 31:24-26).
Over a period of several thousand years God inspired His servants to write in various books what He had revealed to them. These revelations occurred either directly, in vision or by other means-with God using His Holy Spirit to accomplish His will. Jesus Christ said that this "Spirit of truth"would guide His apostles into all truth (John 16:13).
Why did God provide this complete written Word for His human creation? It's to serve as a spiritual textbook for mankind: "I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place on the earth . . . I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right"(Isaiah 45:19).
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