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Written over a period of approximately 1,600 years, by forty different authors, the Holy
Scripture has time after time proven to be flawless. The Bible consists of sixty-six books in
total, thirty-nine Old Testament and twenty-seven New Testament. Each book
compliments the other, never shows contradiction, and has proven to have inerrancy in
truth and historical accuracy. Inerrancy simply means, when applied to Scripture, what
God reveals and inspires is accurate, reliable, authoritative, and without error. "Sanctify
them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:17). All Scripture is inspired by God
and God is flawless. Every lesson, every historical event, and every prophecy was
precisely written by each author with guidance from the Holy Spirit to ensure the accuracy
of Scripture. In most cases the author was an actual eyewitness to the events, even in the
case of the Book of Revelation. This book teaches that John was made spirit and taken
into Heaven where Jesus Christ made John aware of the future of man and Christ's own
Glorious Appearing. As stated earlier, the Holy Spirit guided each author to ensure that
the events they were documenting were accurate. "For the prophecy came not in old time
by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2
Peter 1:21). Holy men of God through the Holy Spirit wrote the Holy Scriptures. This
becomes very apparent in the four Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were four
very different individuals with varying degrees of education and four distinctive styles of
writing. Each author is depicting in most cases the same events in history, yet
contradiction does not exist between each account. Our Father did not send the Holy
Spirit to change the writing styles of these four men nor to influence the intelligence in
which they wrote, however, His presence did ensure what they did write was the very
Word of God. With these facts in mind we can state that the Bible consisting of sixty-six
books written by forty different authors was co-authored by God. "All scripture is given
be inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This passage refers to the supernatural
guidance of God during the writing of Scripture. This inspired work generally brings
illustrations of God actually breathing life into His Word. The Bible is often referred too as
God-breathed.

From the Bible's beginnings there have been other writings that some have claimed should
be included in the Scripture. So some important questions come to mind. How were these
sixty-six books chosen? Who chose them and on what authority did they choose? This is
referred to as the question of canon. "And as many as walk according to this rule, peace
be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." (Galatians 6:16). The word canon
means to rule or a measuring rod and became the standard for determining which books
were to be considered Scripture. Each book within the Bible had to pass a test of
authenticity and authority. So what tests were administered to verify the cononicity of the
Bible?

1.First we must concede that certain books were canonical before any tests were
administered. The Church and councils recognized that certain books were the
Word of God and were not questioned.

2.Authority of the writer was heavily considered. In the Old Testament the
Lawgiver, Prophet, or the leader in Israel, had to give their authority to the book.
In the New Testament a book had to be written or authenticated by an Apostle by
his signature or apostolic authorization.

3. The book had to command an authoritative and inspired presence when read. It
had to have evidence of containing revelation.

4. The verdict of the early Churches was imperative. No book was canonized unless
it passed a unanimous vote among these Churches.

We recognize that each book was canonical as it was being written and this ended with the
last book. These tests were given to recognize the books thus forming the Bible, as we
know it. So who recognized these books? It is widely believed that Ezra recognized every
book in the Old Testament by the fifth century B.C. However, the Old Testament was not
established until the Council of Jamnia in 90 A.D. The first church council to list all
twenty-seven books of the New Testament was the Council of Carthage in 397 A.D. These
sixty-six books make up the Bible, no other books or documents can be termed "Scripture".
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any
man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this
book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God
shall take away his part out of the book life, and out of the holy city, and from the things
which are written in this book." (Revelation 22:18-19). This passage is directed towards
those who would add or delete not only to the book of Revelation but to the entire Bible.
To add to or delete from the Bible is to claim that God made errors and we all know that
God is perfect and incapable of error. As John writes in the Book of Revelation, chapter 22,
verse 19 "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy,
God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book."

Original copies of Scripture were written on papyrus starting with Moses in 1450 B.C. until
the time of Malachi in 400 B.C. We did not possess copies of the Old Testament dated
before 895 A.D. until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. When scholars
verified these documents against the documents we currently had they discovered an
amazing accuracy between the two. Indeed this alone proves that the Holy Scripture has
been handed down from generation to generation while maintaining an extremely accurate
account of what God originally intended. "Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah,
after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of
Jeremiah, saying, take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were
in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned." (Jeremiah 36:27-28). This
is just one passage that shows were God protected the inspired Word of God, from attacks
by evil men. While the original manuscripts have long since disappeared, ancient copies
of scripture from early Christian leaders demonstrate God's will to preserve the Scripture's
content and existence.

Interpretation of the Scriptures has been the subject to varied interpretation and debate.
Some would have us believe that the Bible is full of hidden meaning and is often hard to
comprehend. This type of thinking is simply not true, God has ensured that the true
believer will understand the meaning and be able to interpret every passage and book
within the Bible. "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy
law." (Psalm 119:18). This passage illustrates illumination of the Bible. Illumination, part of
the ministry of the Holy Spirit, enables us as true believers to understand the truth of God's
Word revealed in Scripture. Psalm 119:18 is often used in prayer as Christians take time to
study the Word of our Lord. There is no mystery involved with interpreting the Scriptures.
Simply study the Bible according to its literal, grammatical, and historical meaning. This
becomes necessary in understanding the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. "For I
delivered unto you first all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day
according to the scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The truth revealed in this passage is
essential to our salvation, Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and that He rose again.
We must interpret these as they are written. Christ died for our sins. This act closed the
gap between God and Man thus making it possible for us to enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven. He was buried. This proves the finality of Death. He rose again. This proves
that Christ was bodily resurrected to show His defeat of Death. We as Christians take
these truths literally as they were written and with this knowledge we are saved through
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The Bible has been translated into 303 languages and another 1,581 languages have a
portion of the Bible translated. It is the most widely distributed book in the history of man.
The Bible endures because man can not find his way to God through speculation or
philosophy. God must and has revealed Himself through the Holy Scripture so man might
be saved. Why does man, often question God's love and mercy? The Bible is indeed what
it claims to be God's true Word. The laws, lessons, and prophecies written in this great
book, bring peace to my heart, soul, and mind. If only the world would believe in the
scripture as it is written. Imagine all the people of the world living in accordance to the
Word of God.