by Gus Nichols

The Bible claims to be given by inspiration of God. God would not give us a book containing error and falsehood. A great and good God would not give us a book for our guide throughout all our earthly lives which would deceive, mislead and ruin us in this world and damn our souls eternally in the next world.

The Book of Nature

In the book of nature we see God’s goodness evidenced in a thousand ways every day. He adapted the fishes’ fins to the water in which they are to be used in swimming. He adapted our eyes and the light to each other, water to our thirst, food to our hunger, air to our lungs, and our bodies to the gravity of the earth. He created the earth the right size and weight so that we would be way up in space (Job 26:7; Heb. 1:1-2), orbiting the sun once each year, not too close, so as to roast; nor too far away so as to have to live on an iceberg, or rather perish at once upon it; but there is design and purpose in it all which shows his love and interest in us (Isa. 40:12). Deism is unreasonable and false, when separated from the Bible as a revelation from God.

The Greatest Miracle in the Whole Universe

The Bible is the greatest miracle in the whole universe of God. For the Bible includes all the other marvelous works of God in its revelation, and all of it in our behalf. The Bible is an ever-present and abiding miracle, a living, working wonder, always ready to show us all the other wonders and miracles of God from the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:1 to Rev. 22:21).

Can the Bible Be a Witness in its Own Defense?

When we offer the Bible as a witness in its own defense, unbelievers scoff at the idea, and argue that it is like putting a liar on the stand to testify in his own behalf. But it is not like that at all, but is rather like putting an honest, truthful and reliable witness on the stand to faithfully present the facts. It is absurd to assume that all witnesses are false witnesses, and therefore, the Bible is false. Such reasoning is as deceptive as it would be to say, “All land deeds, or titles, are fraudulent and faked, and therefore, your title to your home is, deceptive and no good.” The truth of the matter is: unless your “deed” can be proved to be fraudulent and false, it is genuine and will stand in any honest court. If it has all the marks of a genuine and legal title, it cannot be set aside by any sort of argument to the contrary.

Internal Evidences of Inspiration and Divinity

We affirm that the Bible has all necessary evidences of divine revelation and inspiration. It has the marks of divine origin and causation. Hundreds of times its writers claimed that the Word of the Lord came unto them saying what they wrote was from God, and that the Spirit of God spoke and wrote by, and through them (2 Sam. 23:2; Neh. 9:20,30). Others who were accepted as inspired men claimed for these that they were inspired (2 Pet. 1:20-21; Heb. 1:1-2). Even Jesus Christ, the Son of God, endorsed the writings of Moses (John 5:46-47). This would include the origin of man, (Gen. 1 and Gen. 2); Noah’s flood, (Gen. 6–9) and the miraculous destruction of the cities of Sodom (Gen. 19). In fact, Jesus endorsed all the Old Testament Scriptures, and performed all his miracles to prove his own Deity and Divine Sonship (John 20:30-31; John 3:1-2). The hundreds of prophecies of the Old Testament concerning cities, and nations, and even individuals, were fulfilled on time, and in some instances are being fulfilled now, demonstrating the truth of their claim to inspiration. “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).

The Bible was Written to Witnesses

Much of the Bible was written to those who were eye-witnesses of the miracles recorded. Moses wrote to the Israelites of their miraculous deliverance from Egyptian bondage. He reminded them of how he and Aaron had wrought miracles among them (Exo. 4:32). He reminded them of the fact that they had witnessed the ten plagues which convinced Pharaoh that God was with them (Exo. 7–12). Moses reminded them of how the Lord opened the Red Sea by mighty power and they crossed on dry ground, with the waters standing as a wall on each side of them (Exo. 14). Moses also reminded them of the fact that at Mount Sinai, the miraculous was in evidence round about the mountain, and that God Almighty spoke directly unto all the people, and that they feared and trembled and besought Moses to let God speak unto him, and through him unto them (Exo. 20:18-22; Neh. 9:13; Deut. 4:32-33; Heb. 12:25-26). Here, at the giving of the law of Moses, were hundreds of thousands of witnesses reminded by Moses that they had heard God speak directly unto them from heaven. Hence, the fact that the old law was given from God was witnessed by hundreds of thousands of people.

Before his death Moses said, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire” (Deut. 5:2-4). Here were living witnesses by the hundreds of thousands who could testify that God gave that old covenant law.

The Witnesses of the New Testament

Not only do we have testimony of those who wrote the New Testament, but witnesses who testified that they saw Jesus after he was crucified, that he rose from the dead on the third day, and above 500 at one time thus saw him alive after his death and resurrection (1 Cor. 15:1-22).

There were hundreds of witnesses who saw Jesus raise Lazarus, and being raised from the dead Lazarus later attended a feast at Bethany, his hometown (John 11:19-46; 12:1-2). When it was committed to record in the life-time of many of them, not one ever denied that it happened, as the Scriptures related it. We also have many such incidents of great miraculous powers displayed from God to confirm the Word: such as restoring sight to a blind man, (John 9:1-38), and the feeding of thousands in a miraculous way (Matt. 15:32-39). Here we have four thousand men, beside women and children who were fed with “Seven” loaves and a “few little fish.” This letter of the New Testament was written in their lifetime, and had this miracle not been true and genuine, the bitter enemies of Christ would have proved him a false prophet by arraying such witnesses against him. Such miracles are recorded also by Mark, Luke and John.

The written Word of God in the Scriptures has been confirmed by the miracles and signs recorded in the Word. Wherever it is preached and taught it carries its confirmation, or proof of its inspiration with it (John 20:30-31; Heb. 2:3-4; Acts 14:1-3).

Unity of the Scriptures

Though the Bible was written by about forty different writers, inspired of God, over a period of some 1,600 years, yet these writings are united and moulded into one great, overall purpose of God, as if written by one man, inspired of God. The Old Testament looked forward to the: New, and the New looked backward and fit into the prophecies and types of the Old as a hand fitting into a glove made especially for it.

These 40 men were often unknown and unheard of by each other, and were of different background, culture, education and training, and yet their writings make a complete whole.

It is as if 40 men were to start out to make a machine, and neither knew of the plans for others, but when the parts were finished and put together, they fit into each other and make a perfect whole, as in the case of a watch made by as many men neither knowing what the others were to make. Of course, such a product would not fit and could not be made into a perfect machine if there were no general oversight and plan for the finished product. Forty men with no divine supervision, or inspiration could not have produced the Bible. God had each writer produce his part according to the divine plan for the whole Book (2 Tim. 3:15-17). It began with man, sin, and paradise lost. And it closed with man saved, and paradise restored (Rev. 22:14). However, it also began with sin, “and ended with the eternal destruction of the wicked (Rev. 21:8; Rev. 22:18-19). Its central theme is the grace of God through Christ and his church (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:22-41,47).