If the Bible is Inspired...

 Have you ever asked yourself this question: If God exists and He wanted to speak to us in writing, what would that writing be like? You would expect that you could tell God's writing apart from man's writings. Even if God used men to write His Word to us, those men would be guided and protected from making mistakes. And you would expect their writings to stand out from writings that are not from God. You would expect that God's Book would have traits that prove it to be divine—from Him.

What characteristics do you suppose a book from God would possess? First, you would expect it to claim to be God's Word. The Bible makes that claim. You would expect it to contain a high purpose. The Bible presents the highest purpose humans could have: eternal salvation.

You would expect a divine book to be all-sufficient, meeting all human needs. The Bible does that, since it provides "all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).

You would expect a book from God to be absolutely accurate, with no errors or contradictions. And so the Bible is—without error in its statements about history, geography, science (like medicine and astronomy), and all other areas.

You would expect such a book to show unity in theme, structure, purpose, and doctrine. The Bible does just that.

You would expect a book from God to discuss the deepest subjects humans can imagine. The Bible tells us about the one true God, how and why He created us, the spiritual realm, and what happens when we die.

You would expect a divine book to show knowledge of the past, present, and future. The Bible does.

You would expect a book from God to offer a standard of ethics and morals that surpass human ideas. Again, the Bible is unsurpassed in this standard.

The Bible possesses the precise properties you would expect a book from God to possess. Indeed, the Bible is the Word of God! "[M]y heart stands in awe of Your word. I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure" (Psalm 119:161-162).

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