What makes the Bible such a unique book? Why should we believe it is inspired? What evidence can we present to prove that it is the ONLY book that came from God? Lord willing, we will endeavor to present (for your consideration) answers to these questions.

The Bible Is NOT:

1. A Philosophy Textbook. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." {Proverbs 9:10} The only true wisdom is the "wisdom from above." Those who seek wisdom must first come to know God. The Bible does not contain "pie-in-the-sky" reasoning or "down-home proverbs;" it contains divine wisdom-the greatest and truest kind of wisdom.
   
   
2. A Science Book. Although it is true that no known scientific fact disproves the Bible, science is not the Bible's main objective. Yes, we can know the earth is round {Isaiah 40:22}, and that there are paths in the sea (Psalms 8:8); but these bits of knowledge are additional benefits we receive from studying the Bible.
   
   
3. A Treatise on Ethics. It is true that any man who molds his life around the moral principles taught in the Bible will have better relationships with God and with his fellowmen. However, the Bible's main purpose is not to teach ethics. It is not just a handbook for proper conduct-again, its ethical teaching is an added benefit.
   
   
4. A Religion Textbook. Is this book concerned simply with various doctrines? It tells mankind who God is, what man's duty is to God and his fellowmen, how he came to be, where he is going, and what is his purpose. Please don't look at the Bible as just "one creed book" among many. Read John 20:30,31 and John 6:68.
   
   
5. Forty Men's Opinions. Some have concluded that the Bible's teachings and thoughts are little more than the "opinions of its writers." How can we explain the unity and harmony among all the writers? These men lived at different times, came from different backgrounds and cultures, and never met or conferred. Yet, they all spoke with clarity and uniformity. We'll say more about this later.

Areas in which the Bible is unique:

• The Brevity of Entire Books. Consider the book of Genesis. Two chapters tell about the creation and man's origin-there aren't many details. The Bible's first seventy chapters {Genesis 1-Exodus 20} reveal the first 2500 years of man's history-the Patriarchal Age. God revealed what we need TO KNOW.
  
  
• The Brevity of Revealed Information About Bible Incidents. In one chapter, Genesis 3, twenty-four short verses tell the story of man's fall from God's grace {the origin of sin, suffering, pain, death, and misery}. Eight short verses {Matt.17:1-8} tell about the transfiguration of Christ. Eight verses in Genesis 6 explain the world's wickedness and how it led to the flood. Nine verses in Genesis 11 give the historical account of the scattering of the nations and the beginning of different races. Surely we'd like more details; we're curious people. But God gave us what we need to know to understand why the world needed a Savior.
  
  
• The Omissions of the Scriptures. The Gospel of John omits the births of John the Baptist and Christ. Neither Mark nor John mentions anything about Christ's first 30 years on earth. All the Gospels combined tell of only 34 different days in the life of Christ. His ministry alone was 1270 days. Of the 879 verses in the Gospel of John, 237 pertain to one day. John is the only writer who gives more details about the final hours Jesus spent with His disciples prior to His death on the cross. Jesus told John to care for Mary after His death. Where was Joseph, Mary's husband? The book of Acts tells about events associated with Peter and Paul, omitting information about the lives of the other apostles. In 2 Corinthians 11:23ff, Paul condensed his life in a few short verses. The Scriptures contain not one physically descriptive word (height, weight, hair or eye color) about Jesus. Yes, many details are just not there, but what is there is God's revelation about what man needs to know in order to inherit eternal life.
  
  
• The Impartiality of the Scriptures. If you were writing a book about your own life, you'd probably tend to shy away and ignore some of the bad events. While the Bible gives many virtuous acts, of many folks, it also tells some that are vile. Abraham was a large part of God's great plan and a mighty man in the scriptures. Yet, on two occasions {Genesis 12:10-20; 20:1-12}, he lied. David was Israel's greatest king. Yet, we can read of his sins with Bathsheba {2 Samuel 11,12} and numbering God's people {2 Samuel 24:10-17}. Peter was one of the chosen twelve, but he denied the Lord {Matthew 26:69-75}. James and John had a terrible attitude concerning the villages of the Samaritans. The great apostle Paul reiterated for all to read, his life as an enemy of the church and his attempts to destroy it {Acts 8:3; 9:1; 26:9-11}. God does not hide the flaws of His people and of some of the great men of the Bible. His reason for doing this was to show that they were humans who had the same problems and weaknesses that plague us today. He wanted us to learn from them {Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:6-11}.
  
  
• The Calmness of the Scriptures. In the sacred canon, the wonderful and the commonplace are equally described. Jesus' walking on water isn't told with great excitement, but as a "matter for the record" {Mark 6:49-51}. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead He demonstrated his love for others who had suffered great loss {John 11:33-46}. The long night in the Garden of Gethsemane {Matthew 27:47-56} is reiterated with great calmness and in simple terms. The story of Jesus' resurrection from the dead {Matthew 28:1-6} is written as though it were just another event in His life. Even the beginning of the Lord's church, in Acts 2, is a simple recounting of the events that occurred on that particular Day of Pentecost. Today, so much of so-called religion is tied to emotionalism and feelings. The Bible record is much calmer.

If I had to hang my hat on one Bible aspect that places it above all other books ever written, it would be prophecy. Thirty-one percent of the Bible is prophetic. In total, there are more than 300 different prophecies concerning our Lord. And He fulfilled all of them, in exact detail, without once contradicting what the prophets had spoken. How did Isaiah {Isaiah 7:14}, who lived 700 years before Christ, know Mary's character so perfectly {Matthew 1:18-25}. Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled with an exactness that men today could never duplicate with their predictions of the future. Yes, God left us many "markers" for checking the accuracy of His book. Dear friend, the Bible did not just happen-it is God's mind revealed to man. Read it and you will agree-it's a very unique book!