That the Bible bears the stamp of High Divinity, its study will demonstrate. It possesses many characteristics which serve to point to an authority higher than man. Unlike other books, it is written in a style which, while it appeals direct to the heart, stirring to action the emotions of the soul, likewise convinces the judgment of the wisdom and truthfulness of its utterances. Evidences both external and internal go to show that He who spake as never man spake has traced in the Holy Scriptures His own divine will concerning the children of men.
External Evidences.
Of the many that may be called external evidences that the Scriptures are of God only a few can be mentioned in this brief space. For convenience, these may be enumerated as follows:—
1. Its Unity.—There is no discord nor dissonance in its utterances. In its sixty-six great divisions, not one of its writers utters sentiments contrary to the teachings of his fellows. True, these writers did not all write on the same things in detail; each bears a Gospel message of his own. Some are historical in their work, others exegetical, and still others deal with futurity. In the work of all, many great questions of philosophy and morals are considered; but all of these principles, these utterances of many minds, form a beautiful and harmonious whole. This is all the more remarkable when we come to consider that these writers lived in different ages, in widely separated countries, and under greatly varying conditions so far as their civil, social, and religious environments were concerned. The fact that men scattered all along the stream of time from Moses, the writer of the Pentateuch, to John, who penned the Revelation, a period of nearly three thousand years, should write on such a variety of topics, preserving in all of their work such unity of sentiment and teaching, shows that One Master Mind directed the utterances. The unity of the word points to God as its author.
2. Its Simplicity and Sublimity.—The loftiest ideas are expressed in the simplest terms; the4grandest truths are told with a simple directness that appeals to the heart; the lives of its characters are described without false coloring or prejudice. It has truly been said that the two sublimest utterances ever expressed are the words found in the first chapter of Genesis, “And God said, Let there be light; and there was light,” and the prayer of our Saviour on Calvary’s cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” The style employed throughout is worthy of a divine being. In it there is no cheapness. The language is simple and free from affectation. A simple, positive directness permeates the word which directs the thoughts of the reader to the Divine Being instead of to fallible man.
3. Its Adaptability.—Although written in part more than four thousand years ago, it is as applicable to the present inhabitants of the earth as when first bestowed upon man as a heritage. It is adapted to all ages, all conditions of society, all climates, all nationalities, high and low, rich and poor, learned and illiterate,—all of every nation under heaven may find instruction precisely suited to their needs.
4. Its Impartiality.—It has among men no heroes, nor heroines, whose misdeeds are glossed over. The sins of the noblest and the best are pointed out. Unlike profane history, its writers exhibit no national prejudices. The sins of David, the king of Israel, are pointed out and rebuked. The faltering weakness of the wise man is faithfully portrayed. The sin of the one who talked to God face to face, as friend talks with friend, is not passed by in silence. In its impartial but faithful record, it stands without a peer in all the literature of the ages.
5. Its Mysteries.—Its depths are unsearchable; no amount of study can fathom its broadest meaning. David the shepherd, Amos the herdsman, and Peter the fisherman, have written truths so wonderful that the science and wisdom of all the ages have been unable to fathom their full significance. In these mysteries is enshrouded divinity. They reveal not the feeble intellect of man, but the mind of the great Infinite One.
6. Its Predictions.—The prophecies of the Scriptures stand as unimpeachable evidence of its heaven-born origin. No man nor any company of men had ever mind so great, nor had they perceptions so clear, as to correctly forecast the future. None living to-day can predict with certainty the events of to-morrow. Not so with God. To him the past and the future are as the present. He can declare the end from the beginning. Prophecies pertaining to the past have faithfully met their fulfillment; prophecy pertaining to present events is turning to history to-day. God only could look down the stream of time and predict with exactitude the rise and fall of nations, and the important changes in the history of the race, as are brought to view in the sacred writings.
7. Its Endurance.—“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. . . . But the word of the Lord endureth forever.” God, the Author of the word, has put within it his own enduring nature. For ages it has stood the assault of bigoted fanatic and infidel zealot, but still it lives. Rome burned it; France crushed it in the dust; but the word of God’s witness arose, as it were from its own ashes, to wield a more mighty influence than ever before. In it is the power of Infinity, and that power exists as long as eternity.
Internal Evidences.
For the internal evidence that the Bible is the book of God, recourse must be had to the Scriptures themselves. Proof from this source is not lacking, for many references to the subject can be cited. The great apostle to the gentiles declares:—
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim. 3: 16, 17.
Reference is here had to the Old Testament writings, as when Paul penned these words, the New Testament canon was not compiled. None of the prophets are excluded; all that was embraced in the Scriptures up to that time is declared to be inspired—“God-breathed.” The apostle Peter emphasizes this point. In speaking of the salvation that comes to us through our Lord and Saviour, he tells us:—
“Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you; searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” 1 Peter 1: 10, 11.
Here is revealed the manner in which the Scriptures were given. The Spirit of Christ in the prophets testified through them. Then it was not David alone who spoke, not Isaiah, not Daniel, but Christ speaking through them. Nor was it the instrument through which the message came that was inspired; it was the message itself. Indeed, as proven in the above scripture, the prophets ofttimes failed to understand their own prophecies, and with others had to search what God had revealed through them, to find that salvation of which they prophesied. The Spirit carried them out of themselves, and beyond their own finite understanding. The prophets prophesied not at will. The Spirit of Christ was not theirs to use at pleasure. Simon Magus thus sought to use the Spirit’s power, but suffered rebuke for his blasphemous audacity. See Acts 8: 9–24. Again the apostle Peter says:—
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1: 20, 21.
If the prophecy came not by their own will, but they spake only as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, then it was not they that spake, but the Spirit of Christ speaking through them. They might be sinful men, and the circumstances under which they labored might be most forbidding, but that did not invalidate their message. It makes the rarest pearls none the less precious if they are encased in worthless caskets; so with God’s message; it has been given through instruments of clay, but the message is of God, however frail may be the instrument. See 2 Cor. 4: 7.
The same general principles adduced for the Old Testament Scriptures apply with equal force to the New. It is safe to conclude that the same Spirit of Christ which was with his prophets would likewise direct his apostles, and that if God directed in the prophecies pertaining to Christ’s mission, he would likewise guide in the writing of the history of his Son’s earthly work. The truthfulness of the Gospel record is attested by the concurrent and harmonious agreement of the four evangelists, who write at different times and from different points of view, and probably without reference to each other’s work. In many respects the Revelation is so nearly parallel with Daniel that to believe the one must be to accept the other.
Paul wrote the larger part of the epistles, and of him Peter says he wrote “according to the wisdom given unto him,” and classes his epistles with the “other Scriptures.” 2 Peter 3: 15, 16. And of his own epistles the apostle Paul says, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.” 1 Cor. 2: 13. Then, as we turn to the sacred book of God, we do not read the words of Paul, or Peter, or Samuel, or any of the prophets, we read the word of the Lord through them. Each in the giving of his message could truly say, as did David, “The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.” 2 Sam. 23: 2. No, it is not David that has spoken, but, as Peter declares in Acts 1: 16, they are “the words which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake.”
In view of this great truth, shall we not turn to the Scriptures with greater reverence than before, seeking the Spirit to enlighten our understanding, and laboring earnestly for the hidden treasure, even life eternal, through the name and grace of our blessed Master? Truly with such an infallible guidebook, we should not walk in darkness. By the Spirit’s aid, we may make the Scriptures of truth a lamp unto our feet, and a light to our pathway in our journey to the Celestial City of our King.
