Even if I were an atheist, I would be forced to acknowledge that there is something supernatural about the bible. Perhaps as an atheist, I might be able to foolishly, illogically, and with more than a hint of intellectual dishonesty dismiss belief in a supernatural God as irrational. But I would not be able to do that with the bible after a fair study of its pages. Perhaps I could deny that it was written by a powerful God who moved men to speak and write down his words as he carried them along by his Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21), but I would not be able to ignore the obvious supernatural power captured by those pages.
Consider, for instance, how the bible itself is not a single book, and yet it is singular. Containing 66 different books and letters composed by approximately 40 human writers, it claims God as its particular author. Those books were written in jumps, starts, and flourishes over a period of approximately 1,500 years by men from different cultures, backgrounds, intellects, occupations and motives. Their works represent all of the major literary genres ranging from historical, to poetic, to personal correspondence, to apocalyptic, and to almost every genre in between. Despite the length of time, the diversity of human involvement, and the dissimilar array of literature, the bible has a single narrative plot – the creation, fall, rescue and restoration of man through the sacrifice of the God who became one of them, suffered, and sacrificed himself for their salvation.
If that singular narrative were not enough to convince me that it was special, a fair and intellectually honest examination of its contents would require me to come to grips with the internal consistency and conceptual connections that exist between its many writers. Everything from the old testament prophecies of the birth of Jesus and his life, to the astounding historical record of his life, death, and resurrection are tantalizing reasons to consider that it might contain an uncanny metaphysical nature. The near-impossible-to-engineer connections that exist between nearly every significant division of its pages -- there may be more than 60,000 cross references between its verses that span the entirety of the work -- would cause me to consider that something bigger than individual human beings was at work in its production.
But maybe more important than all of that is how the bible seems to change the lives of human beings. When men and women study it fairly, take it seriously, and recognize the ultimate author it claims, their lives change. They either change instantly into people who seek righteousness, or they evolve gradually in that direction through a process of sanctification that is difficult to account for with natural explanations. As an atheist, I would not be able to read the bible seriously and fairly, recognize the impact it has on the people whose lives its changed, and then discount it as wholly natural without endangering my sense of personal intellectual honesty.
As a follower of Christ who takes the bible seriously, getting one into the hands of someone who doesn’t have it is part of the gospel work that God expects you to carry. In what ways are you getting the scriptures to those who don’t have access to them?
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