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Is the Bible one unit?
Whilst studying the Bible and considering the information contained within, it seems to form one complete whole. It builds together like a puzzle – each piece fitting into the next. Christ does not force Himself onto us, he accepts our attitude of either wanting to meet Him or not. Rev. 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come unto him and dine with him, and he with Me.†Ultimately, above any and all human authors, the Bible was written by God. Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that the Bible was “breathed out†by God. God superintended the human authors of the Bible so that, while using their own writing styles and personalities, they still recorded exactly what God intended. The Bible was not dictated by God, but it was perfectly guided and entirely inspired by Him. Humanly speaking, the Bible was written by approximately 40 men of diverse backgrounds over the course of 1500 years. Isaiah was a prophet, Ezra was a priest, Matthew was a tax-collector, John was a fisherman, Paul was a tentmaker, Moses was a shepherd, Luke was a physician. Despite being penned by different authors over 15 centuries, the Bible does not contradict itself and does not contain any errors. The authors all present different perspectives, but they all proclaim the same one true God, and the same one way of salvation - Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Few of the books of the Bible specifically name their author. Here are the books of the Bible along with the name of who is most assumed by biblical scholars to be the author, along with the approximate date of authorship. 2 Pet. 1:21 “for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.†The fact that the Bible and its books were retained, confirms supernatural protection, and it all forms one story of the Godhead dealing with sin and Eden in Gen 1,2 and Eden regained in Rev. 21,22. Information found on the internet supports my understanding! The diversity of Bible writers, those who wrote the Bible lived at different times. Some are separated by hundreds of years. In many cases, they were complete strangers to one another. Some Bible writers were businessmen or traders; others were shepherds, fishermen, soldiers, physicians, preachers, kings, human beings from all walks of life. They served under different governments and lived within contrasting cultures and systems of philosophy. All 66 Books of the Bible agree but here is the wonder of it all: When the 66 books of the Bible with their 1,189 chapters made up of 31,173 verses are brought together (KJV), we find perfect harmony in the message they convey. As the great scholar, F. F. Bruce noted: "The Bible is not simply an anthology; there is a unity which binds the whole together."The Bible writers gave God's messages by voice and pen while they lived, and when they died, their writings lived after them. These prophetic messages were then gathered together, under God's leading, in the book we call the Bible. Who Wrote the Bible: God or Man? The answer is in Scripture. II Peter 1:20-21 “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.†The Holy Spirit revealed to the prophets the messages of Scripture. The writers of the Bible wrote not according to their own will or whim, but only as they were moved, or controlled, by the Spirit of God. The Bible is God's own book!II Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The Holy Bible affects human beings so profoundly because "all" the Bible is "God-breathed." It's more than a nice collection of moral principles; it's more than a great book; it's an inspired document, God's book. The prophets who wrote the Bible related what they saw and heard in human language, but their message came directly from God.