The Divine Origin of the Bible

The ninth proof of the divine origin and authority of the Bible is that, as we grow in wisdom and holiness, we grow toward the Bible. In other words, as we grow toward God, we grow toward the Bible. Every thoughtful student of the Bible has had this experience. When one begins studying the Bible, many things may seem difficult to accept. But as one continues studying and growing in wisdom and holiness of character, the differences between oneself and the Bible become fewer and fewer. The nearer one gets to God, the nearer one gets to the Bible. What is the inevitable mathematical conclusion? The nearer one gets to God, the nearer one gets to the Bible. It is clear, then, that when one meets God, one will also meet the Bible. This suggests that the Bible was written from God’s point of view.

Suppose you are traveling through a forest under the leadership of an experienced guide. The way is new to you but before starting, this guide was recommended by those you trust, who tell you how he has safely conducted many parties through the forest without mishap.

After a while, you come to a place where two paths diverge. The guide tells you to take the path to the right, but your reason and common sense suggest the path to the left. You tell the guide, “You have been through this forest often and come highly recommended, so I have great confidence in you. But in this instance, my reason and common sense tell me you are wrong. I know my reason and common sense are not infallible, but they are the best guides I have, so I must follow them.” So, you take the path to the left but soon run into a morass and have to return and follow the guide’s advice.

Later, you come to another divergence. This time, the guide says to take the path to the left, but your reason and common sense suggest the path to the right. Again, you tell the guide, “I have great confidence in you. You were right before, and I was wrong, but my reason and common sense tell me to take the path to the right. I know my reason and common sense are not infallible, but they are the best guides I have, so I must follow them.” So, you take the path to the right and soon encounter an impassable barrier of rock, forcing you to return and follow the guide’s advice. Suppose this happened fifty times, and each time the guide proved right, and your reason and common sense proved wrong. By the fifty-first time, wouldn’t you have enough sense to trust the guide completely? Indeed, wouldn’t your reason and common sense themselves take the guide’s decision into account as the most important factor in deciding which path to take?

This mirrors my experience with the Bible. I have come to the fork in the road more than fifty times, and in every instance where my reason and common sense differed from the Bible, the Bible proved right, and my reason proved wrong. From now on, I trust I have enough sense to follow the Bible’s guidance when a difference occurs, to throw my reason to the winds and go the way the Bible says.