The Bible

by David Padfield

The Psalmist said of the Word of God, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psa. 119:105).

There are many reasons I could give as to why I believe the Bible to be the Word of God. We could examine the prophecies that have been fulfilled (Psa. 22; Isa. 53; Dan. 8:1-8), or the fact the Bible is historically and geographically accurate (Acts 21:1-12; Luke 10:30), or the fact it has stood the test of time and has been transmitted to as God has desired (Matt. 24:35).

However, in this article, I would like to tell you what others have said about the Bible.

On his deathbed, Sir Walter Scott, the Scottish poet and novelist, said, "Bring me the Book!" When asked what book he replied, "There is but one book."

Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, said, "That Book is the rock on which this republic rests."

Thomas Jefferson, our third president, said, "I have always said, and will always say, that the studious perusal of the sacred volume will make better homes, better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands."

John Quincy Adams, our sixth president, said, "The first and almost only book deserving of universal distinction is the Bible. I speak as a man of the world to the men of the world and I say to you, 'Search the Scriptures.'"

Daniel Webster, a distinguished American who served as a congressman, senator, and Secretary of State, said, "The Bible fits man for life and prepares him for death."

Benjamin Franklin, in a speech at the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention in 1787, said, "I have lived sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that 'except the Lord build a house they labor in vain that build it.'"

In the winter of 1777 George Washington wintered at Valley Forge. Most of his soldiers were in rags, and only a few had bedclothing. Many had to sit by the fire all night to keep warm, and some of the sick soldiers were without beds or even loose straw to lie upon. Nearly 3,000 were barefoot, and many had frozen feet. In spite of all of this, Washington never doubted that in the end the American cause would triumph.

The story is told of a Quaker farmer, Isaac Potts, who approached the camp one day and saw George Washington on his knees in the woods, his cheeks wet with tears, praying for help and guidance.

When the farmer returned to his home, he said to his wife, "George Washington will succeed! George Washington will succeed! The Americans will secure their independence." "What makes you think so, Isaac?" inquired his wife. "I have heard him pray, Hannah, out there in the woods today, and the Lord will surely hear his prayer."

The Bible has been challenged in every century, yet stood the test of time against all its enemies and the corroding influences of time.

In A.D. 303, the Roman emperor Diocletian issued an edict to destroy Christians and the Bible. Over a burned Bible Diocletian built a monument on which he wrote "Extincto nomene Christianorum" (the name Christian is extinguished).

Twenty-five years later, Diocletian was dead and the new Emperor Constantine commissioned fifty copies of the Bible to be prepared at government expense.

In 1776 the French skeptic Voltaire predicted, "One hundred years from my day, there will not be a Bible on earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity-seeker." After his death, the presses used to print his books printed Bibles and Voltaire's house was used by the Geneva Bible Society to distribute Bibles. One hundred years from the time of Voltaire's prediction, the first edition of his work sold for .11¢ in Paris, but the British government paid the Czar of Russia half a million dollars for an ancient Bible manuscript.

We need to be thankful that God has revealed His mind to us (1 Cor. 2:5-13). "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

The Word of God is given to us in life and will be opened before us in judgment. Jesus said, "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day." (John 12:48). The Bible is not just a good book—it is the Word of God!