The Consent of All its Parts Testifies to Scripture's Divine Origin & Authority

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers. Hebrews 1:1a

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The story is told of some college students who missed an exam. Their professor had scheduled the end of the semester test, but the young men lamented that they were hindered due to a flat tire.  The professor, suspicious that they students had merely skipped the test for a joyride, consented to give the exam on one condition: that they all take the test in different rooms.

The students were thrilled and agreed to the professor’s terms.  But when they sat down to take their exam, they found the following: 

Question 1:  Which tire went flat?

I’m not a statistician, but from my calculations the students have a one in 256 chance of guessing the same tire.  If they had made up their story, it would no doubt be exposed.

Now imagine a scenario that is wildly larger.  Pretend there were 40 students on an 18 wheel semi-truck.  The chances of all 40 students getting the question right rises significantly.  To say that the odds of perfect unity are virtually impossible at this point is an understatement.

Now let us expand this illustration to biblical proportions.  Imagine 40 men writing 66 whole books (each with an average of 18 chapters each).  What is the likelihood of every detail in these documents being perfectly aligned? 

Were mere men to attempt such a feat (even of a true story), it would never happen.  Errors and contradictions would abound and they would be easily observable.  

But what is impossible for man is easy for God.  In sum, this is just one of the ways the Spirit of God confirms His unique authorship of Scripture to us.  The inspiration of Scripture is vividly displayed in the consent in all its parts.

The Bible is the only book in the world that has an unbroken unity.  When you read it and study all its most minute details, you will find that that there is not a single part that contradicts.  All of its doctrines perfectly cohere and every one of the historical elements has impeccable chronological harmony.  

The wonder of the radical agreement of Scripture is vastly surmounted when you consider that many of the Bible’s authors were not ‘men of letters,’ per se.  Think about it:

1. John and Peter were unlearned fisherman. 
2. Amos was a lowly shepherd.  
3. James was the son of a carpenter.

Being that these untrained men produced works that perfectly corresponded with the rest of Scripture points to the fact that there was something much greater superintending their pens.

We might also add to this that these authors were separated by time and distance.  In other words, there isn’t any real room for any sort of collusion or collaboration.  But yet their writings, which were produced over the course of some 1500 years, faultlessly synchronize.  How can this be?  There is no other explanation than that the Holy Spirit was the true and ultimate author.

Finally, we might add one more miraculous item to the equation.  The Bible has been read, studied, and attacked more than any other book in the world.  Yet, despite being so vehemently assailed, not a single fault has been found in it (at least nothing that could not easily be explained).

If we ever needed assurance that it is the Lord's voice that speaks in Scripture, we certainly have it.  And we can set our selves to heeding it knowing that God has given us His perfect truth for life.

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