During a question and answer session at a recent speaking engagement,

a university student asked me, “Why do you believe that the Bible is the

inspired word of God?” Now this is a very interesting question; and

probably one of the most important questions any Christian could ask

themselves. What is so special, so unique about the Bible that Christians

believe it is literally the inspired word of God?

In answering this student’s question, I encouraged him to consider the

following facts about the Bible:

First, the Bible is not just one single book. This is a more common

misconception than many people realize, especially with people who do

not come from a Judeo-Christian background. Rather than being a single

book, the Bible is actually a collection of 66 books, which is called

the canon of scriptures. These 66 books contain a variety of genres:

history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, letters, and apocalyptic

just to name a few.

Second, these 66 books were written by 40 different authors. These

authors came from a variety of backgrounds: shepherds, fishermen,

doctors, kings, prophets, and others. And most of these authors never

knew one another personally.

Third, these 66 books were written over a period of 1500 years. Yet

again, this is another reminder that many of these authors never knew

or collaborated with one another in writing these books.

Fourth, the 66 books of the Bible were written in 3 different

languages. In the Bible we have books that were written in the ancient

languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic; a reflection of the historical

and cultural circumstances in which each of these books were written.

And finally, these 66 books were written on 3 different continents:

Africa, Asia, and Europe. Once again, this is a testament to the

varied historical and cultural circumstances of God’s people.

Think about the above realities:

66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years,

in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents.

What’s more, this collection of books shares a common

storyline – the creation, fall, and redemption of God’s people;

a common theme – God’s universal love for all of humanity;

and a common message – salvation is available to all who

repent of their sins and commit to following God with all of their

heart, soul, mind and strength. In addition to sharing these

commonalities, these 66 books contain no historical errors or

contradictions.

God’s word truly is an amazing collection of writings!

After I had shared the above facts with this student, I offered him the

following challenge: I said to him, “If you do not believe that the

Bible is the inspired word of God, if you do not believe that the Bible

is of a supernatural origin, than I challenge you to a test.” I said

to the student, “I challenge you to go to any library in the world, you

can choose any library you like, and find 66 books which match the

characteristics of the 66 books in the Bible. You must choose 66

books, written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years, in 3 different

languages, written on 3 different continents. However, they must share

a common storyline, a common theme, and a common message, with no

historical errors or contradictions.” I went on to say, “If you can

produce such a collection of books, I will admit that the Bible is not

the inspired word of God.” The student’s reply was almost

instantaneous, he emphatically stated, “But that’s impossible!”

“But that’s impossible!” It truly is impossible, for any collection of

human writings. However, the Bible passes this test. The Bible

contains 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years, in

3 different languages, on 3 different continents, with no historical

errors or contradictions. The entire Bible, from Genesis to

Revelation, bears the mark of Divine inspiration.

The next time you encounter someone who asks you why you believe the

Bible is the inspired word of God, try sharing this challenge with

them. Better yet, don’t wait until you’re asked, just go ahead and

share this challenge with a friend today.. You don’t even have to

mention the Bible up front, just ask them if they think it would be

realistic to assemble such a collection of books. After they say,

“But that’s impossible!” you’ve got a ready-made opportunity for sharing

the truth of God’s word with somebody!