Who Wrote the Bible?

You’re in a conversation and someone says, “Who wrote the Bible?” What would you say? The Bible is the best-selling book in human history, but a lot of people don’t really know much about it. So, it’s not surprising that people wonder, where did this book come from? Why was it written? And, who wrote it? Those are all good questions. The next time you’re in a conversation and someone asks who wrote the Bible, here are four things to remember: Number 1: The Bible is a collection of writings Although many people think of the Bible as one book, it is actually a collection of many books that were written in various times and places throughout history. In fact, the earliest writing in the Bible dates back to the 2nd millennium BC and the last was finished in the 1st century AD. So, in one sense, the Bible is not one book, but rather a complex set of books with a unified message. Number 2: God used people to write down the words of the Bible God used people to write down what he wanted to communicate. In some cases we know the names of those people with confidence. Men like Moses, David, Isaiah, Matthew, and Paul were responsible for actually writing down the words of the Bible. These were real people who lived in a real historical context. David, for example, was a king in Judah around 1000 BC. Matthew was a tax collector who lived in the Roman province of Judea in the first century AD. These men, and many others, wrote down the words that became the Bible in poems, legal material, letters and more. The words they wrote down retained the author’s own style, idiosyncrasies, and personality. But how did they know what to write? This brings us to the third point. Number 3: The writers communicated what God revealed to them God told the writers what to write. In the Bible, this process of revelation is called inspiration. God inspired the authors to write what he wanted them to write. The words these men wrote down were actually a communication from God. In his second letter to Timothy chapter 3 verse 16, the Apostle Paul writes, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” The Greek word translated “inspiration,” means “God breathed.” That is to say, the words he is referring to, the Old Testament to be precise in this case, were breathed out by God. They have God as their source. He’s saying that God is the true author of the words that became the Bible. In his second letter, chapter 1, verse 21, the Apostle Peter writes, “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (NIV). This passage, like the previous one, affirms that God is the ultimate source of the Bible. The authors of the Bible did not decide to be creative and make something new. The Bible tells us that God communicated with them and they wrote down what he gave to them. Number 4: Different books were revealed differently Each book of the Bible has its own origin story. Some of them are stated in the books. For example, the Book of Deuteronomy contains a series of sermons that God told Moses to give to Israel. While in the Gospel of Luke, the author declares his purpose to write a comprehensive history of Jesus’ ministry. Some of the prophets wrote down dreams God gave them. But even though these books were revealed differently, they were all inspired by God. He is the source of their message. The conclusion we can come to based on these verses is this: God is the author of the Bible and he used men to write it down. God is responsible for its content and it comes to us with his authority. So the next time you’re talking about holy books and someone asks who wrote the Bible, remember these 4 things: Number 1: The Bible is a collection of writings Number 2: God used people to write down the words of the Bible Number 3: The writers communicated what God revealed to them Number 4: Different books were revealed differently For What Would You Say, I’m Steven Sanchez.

Further Recommended Resources: In Defense of the Bible: A Comprehensive Apologetic for the Authority of Scripture, edited by Steven B. Cowan and Terry L. Wilder Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible, by Paul D. Wegner