Inspired Because of its Unity

The Bible was written over nearly a 2,000-year period by more than forty different authors. The Bible is comprised of two parts: the Old Testament with its 39 books and the New Testament with its 27 books. God used men from every walk of life to write Scriptures: kings, priests, lawyers, shepherds, farmers, and fishermen—from a prince to a physician to a peasant.

Not only were they professionally different, but they also lived at different times. The oldest book of the Bible is Job, written about 1,800 years before Christ. Revelation was the last book, written around 95 A.D. In such 2,000-year span of time, cultures and customs can undergo great change. So these men came from different time periods of history and brought with them different historical perspectives.

Continents as well as time also separated them. Three continents have contributed to the Bible, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Obviously different cultures and languages are found in the Bible. Therefore, men who were not only separated by hundreds of years, but also by hundreds of miles, wrote the books of the Bible. Many never saw each other or knew what some of the others had written on the same subject, yet there is perfect unity! No part of Scripture contradicts another. This is beyond human ability.

Suppose forty scholars chose one controversial subject about which to write their opinions. They lived at different times and different places. Some may have known what some of the others wrote and some did not. Would they all agree? It is very unlikely.