THE UNIQUENESS OF GOD’S WORD

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but MY WORDS will by no means pass away” – Matthew 24:35

True Faith in Christ believes in the UNIQUENESS of GOD’S WORD: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but MY WORDS will by no means pass away” (Mt.24:35). God’s Word is eternally unique. The Bible stands alone as the matchless Book of all time. And it stands forever – unique in its history, message, universality, influence, life-transforming power, and testimony throughout history. The Bible is unique in its production, preservation, proclamations, fulfilled prophecies, and product.

In its production, the Bible is a unified message of redemption that has emerged out of diversity of authors, backgrounds, and literary forms. It consists of 66 books written over 1500 years, by the pens of about 40 different writers through whom an assortment of different historical, cultural, linguistic, and educational contexts and a variety of literary genres combine to produce a deliciously diverse flavour in the texts. The writers came from all walks of life: kings, priests, and prophets; simple fishermen and farmers; highly educated and those with no formal education. They wrote in a variety of circumstances, while experiencing a variety of emotions, and in three languages (Hebrews, Aramaic, and Greek). To have such a wide array of authors write a unified book without error or contradiction is unique indeed in both ancient and modern history.

In its preservation, the Bible has miraculously withstood the ravages of time, persecution, and criticism, and continues to be a global bestseller. Jewish scribes were meticulous in copying the Hebrew text and counted every letter they wrote. If an error was made, the text was not corrected but, immediately discarded. Israel collected and accurately preserved manuscripts of the Law of Moses and Prophets through the centuries (Dt.31:26; 1Sam.10:25). In light of the fact that there are over 5000 Greek manuscripts and some 9000 versions and translations, the New Testament has not only survived in more manuscripts than any other book from antiquity, but it has survived in a much purer form than any other great book.

In its proclamations, the Bible uniquely reveals God's plan from eternity to eternity. More than three thousand times writers of Scriptures received explicit divine direction to write: “Then the LORD said unto Moses, “WRITE this for a memorial in a book” (Exo.17:14a); “And Moses WROTE all the words of the LORD” (Exo.24:4a); “Then the LORD said to Moses, “WRITE these words: for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel” (Exo.34:27). Paul affirmed: “the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (1Cor.14:37b). Peter asserted: “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2Pet.1:21).

In its prophecies, the Bible’s records are precise, specific, and extensively fulfilled. More than one fourth of the Bible was is prophetic. It contains about 1000 prophecies, about half of which have been fulfilled down to the minutest detail. Prophecy is the most credible proof of the uniqueness and divine inspiration of the Bible. Fulfilled prophecy also demonstrates that the content is not man-made. Twenty-five Jewish writers provided Messianic prophecies detailing the life and ministry of the Messiah – the only Person in history to have had His ancestry, birth, character, teaching, career, reception, rejection, death, burial, and resurrection prewritten at least 500 years prior to His birth (Psa.16:10; Mic.5:2; Isa.53:8; Mt. 2:1; Acts 2: 29-32).

In its product, the Bible has changed the course of history, reached far-flung people, and transformed more lives than any other book. It is the gripping account of the plan of redemption promised, accomplished, and applied by God Himself. In its multi-coloured splendour, the Bible speaks with one voice, declaring redemptive grace centred in Jesus Christ – the Son of God and Saviour of sinners. The Bible is the only book whose Author is always present when one reads it! And the more we read the Bible, the more we’ll love its Author, and reflect His Uniqueness!