The Alternative

Dr. Tony Evans: What makes the Bible the most unique document you will ever encounter?

Guest (Male): Dr. Tony Evans says the answer lies in who's behind it.

The Bible is not the word of man. The Bible is the word of God. This is the Alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans.

The Bible has been called a book of wisdom, a life manual, even a philosophical guide. But Dr. Evans says it's much more than that. Today he explains why scripture is completely unique, unlike any other book in history, because it doesn't just contain words about God, it is the word of God. Let's join him in Isaiah 55 as he shows how the Bible proves itself to be exactly what it claims to be.

Dr. Tony Evans: The Bible is the most important book in the world. There is no book you will ever read, no writing you will ever encounter, no inscription that you will ever see that will be able to compete with the word of God. Scripture is unique. The Bible is unique. Now, I know for some people, it's a philosophy book where they put it alongside of other philosophical thought about the meaning of life and the like.

First of all, you must understand that the Bible calls itself unique because the Bible calls itself the word of God. That means that without ever leaving the Bible, the Bible must authenticate itself as being unique since it declares itself to be so. Especially since in the Bible, we read in the same chapter, chapter 55, verse 9, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." In fact, back up to verse 8, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.

So that if the Bible is in fact the unique word of God, its thinking should be higher than our thinking, it should be different than our thinking. Because if a man could come up with it, that means God didn't need to. Here's a verse we're going to appeal to a number of times throughout this series, but you need to know it, and that is 2nd Peter chapter 1, verse 20: "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."

In other words, nobody wrote anything until God told them in order for it to get into the Bible. The main reason that we know the Bible is the word of God is because Jesus said so. In fact, Jesus says in Matthew chapter 5, verses 17 and 18, that the smallest letter of the smallest word that's recorded in the Bible will come true just like the Bible says because it is the word of God. Now, what's the implication of that? To reject the Bible is to reject Jesus since he endorsed it as the word of God.

Jesus declared over and over again that the word of God was sourced in God, and the Bible has all the credibility of any other historical document ever written. In fact, another argument for the uniqueness of the Bible is that scripture is unique in its unity. It is unique like no other book is unique. What do I mean? The Bible was written by 40 different authors, 40 different people, over a time span of 1,500 years.

It was written from about 1450 BC to 90 AD over 1,500 years by 40 different men. Now let me tell you about the background of these folks. Moses, he's a political leader. Peter, he's a fisherman. Amos, he's a herdsman. Joshua is a military general. Nehemiah is a cupbearer. Daniel is a prime minister. Luke is a medical doctor. Solomon is a king. Matthew is a tax collector. Paul is a rabbi. Moses was written from a wilderness. Jeremiah was written from a dungeon. Daniel was written on a hillside. Paul was writing in prison. Luke was writing while traveling, and John was writing while exiled on the Isle of Patmos.

Now, how you going to get 40 different men writing over 1,500 years living all over the place to come together across that time span and wind up with one document? The Bible is unique in its unity. It has got all this diversity and still comes up with 66 books making up one document and it not get messed over over time. Let me give you another reason why the Bible is unique. The Bible is unique in its teaching. There are a lot of books that teach there is a God, but there is no other book that teaches there is a triune God.

That there is one God composed of three persons who are distinct in personality while at the very same time being one in essence. No other book teaches that. But why would another book teach it since the Bible is unique? Jesus says, "I work, my father works. I give life, my father gives life." He says, "Me and my father are one." He declares the uniqueness of God. Let me tell you another teaching of the Bible that makes it like no other book, and this is probably the biggie: Jesus Christ.

There has been no character ever invented anywhere in history that can compete with the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. Who else goes around talking about being born of a virgin? I'd call that pretty unique. That's a one-of-a-kind kind of situation to declare he was born of a virgin. What other man do you know who is both God and man at the same time? One minute he's hungry, the next minute he's feeding 5,000. He's hungry because he's man, he's feeding 5,000 because he's God.

One minute he's thirsty, so he needs to drink because he's man. Next minute he's walking on water because he's God. One minute he has to sleep because he's tired because he's man. The next minute he's raising Lazarus from the biggest sleep ever, dead, and he gets up out the grave because he's God. In other words, Jesus is unique. But wouldn't you expect Jesus to be unique if the Bible is unique because the Bible has to self-authenticate itself as being unique and Jesus Christ is the most unique man that ever lived? As they said in the New Testament, "Never a man spake like this man."

Okay, well let me tell you how unique Jesus is. Jesus didn't just say, "I'm going to point you to God." He also said, "I'm the God I'm pointing you to." Now, that's unique. Jesus didn't say just look over there, there's God. Guess what he said? He said, "Come together every Sunday and do this in remembrance of me," taking the place of God. Not only that, but he received worship that only belongs to God. You remember Thomas? Thomas came to Jesus and he thought, "I don't believe. I don't believe it till I see it. If I don't see it, I don't believe it."

Jesus says, "Here, touch my hands. Touch the hole in my side. Touch the nail prints in my hand." Thomas fell on his face and guess what he said? He said, "My Lord, my God." He said, "You are my God." And guess what? Jesus didn't correct him. In fact, Philip, John 14, Philip says, "You know, Jesus, it's been nice. We've been running with you. We've been hanging out with you for three years, and you're alright, Jesus, but when are we going to see the father? We want to see the father."

And then guess what Jesus says? "Have I been with you this long and you still don't understand?" And then he throws it right out there. He says, "When you have seen me, you have seen the father. You've just seen him in human terms." Then Jesus threw the Jews off one day, thought what he was going to do when he was going to rise from the dead and all that. And the Jews said, "Look, you just a young man. You haven't been around here long." And Jesus says, "Before Abraham was, I am."

Now what he was supposed to say was, "Before Abraham was, I would have been bad enough. Before Abraham was, I was." But he didn't say, "Before Abraham was, I was." He used the term God used to Moses when Moses said, "Who shall I say sent me?" God said, "You tell them I AM THAT I AM sent you. Before Abraham, I am. I am the ever-present one." In fact, he says, "Abraham saw my day and was glad." I think that's pretty unique. You won't find this person in any other book.

Guest (Male): When Dr. Evans continues in a moment, he'll share more of the Bible's unique insight into mankind's origin and purpose. First, though, the message Tony has been bringing today is the first installment in his current teaching series, The Glory of God's Word. This 10-part collection highlights the uniqueness, power, and divine origin of scripture and how embracing its truth can reshape every area of your life.

The series includes content we won't have time to air, so we're making the full-length versions of all the messages available to you as our gift when you support the ministry of The Alternative with a generous donation. And as an added bonus, we're also including Tony's insightful book, *The Power of Knowing God*. It's a practical guide to moving beyond simply knowing about God to developing a deeper, more personal relationship with Him. Request both resources today at TonyEvans.org or call 1-800-800-3222 to get the details for this special offer. That's TonyEvans.org, or speak with someone from our resource team when you call 1-800-800-3222 any time of the day or night.

What happens when faith meets the edge of survival? On the Unbound podcast, Dr. Tony Evans shares stories shaped by hardship, purpose, and redemption.

Dr. Tony Evans: At one point in my life, I could have gone down the path where probably years in prison or not being here today. Generational trauma can be passed from generation to generation, but so can healing. Forgiveness can be the key that continues to unlock your future. Unbound with Dr. Tony Evans, listen now.

Guest (Male): You can subscribe to the Unbound podcast on Dr. Evans's YouTube channel or on your favorite podcast platform. Right now, let's get back to today's lesson on the uniqueness of the Bible.

Dr. Tony Evans: It is unique about its description about man. It explains in detail where man came from. It explains in detail where the universe came from. It explains that man is a creature of the earth, but yet he breathes with the breath of God. It explains your deepest need because it explains why nothing in nature can meet your deepest need because before man began to live, God had to breathe into him the breath of life, and you still don't live until you get the breath of God.

The only thing you can do without the breath of God is exist. Here's another uniqueness. The Bible is unique about the way of salvation. Guess what? Every other religion known to mankind tells you what you must do to make yourself acceptable to God. The Bible, unlike any other religious book, says men are saved not by works, they're saved by grace. Every other religion you earn your way in. Christianity based on the Bible says you can't earn your way in. God had to come down and make provision for you, offering you grace. He became your substitute. You don't have to find your own way to get to God.

So the Bible is unique in its teaching. Let me give you another way the Bible is unique. The Bible is unique in its impact. Or as Hebrews chapter 4, verse 12 says, the Bible is living and powerful. It's alive. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." It's alive. God spoke and the Bible says the worlds came into existence. He didn't go check with an architect. You know what he said? "Let there be." That's some powerful words. God is the only being in the universe who doesn't need raw material to get the job done.

Scripture is unique in another way. This have two more to give you. Scripture is unique in its history. No book in human history has been preserved like the Bible. Why wouldn't it be if God is the author? He's going to take care of his book. They outlawed it, they destroyed it, and they killed people for printing it. Wycliffe Bible Translators is known for John Wycliffe, who printed the Bible so the people could get it, and they killed him.

They tore down the printing presses. The Bible even records a story in Jeremiah 36. The king said, "Get rid of that book." And the king threw the word of God in the fire to get rid of it. Why would the king throw the word of God in the fire? The same reason Herod wanted to kill Jesus when he was born: the king didn't want to have to answer to it. So he threw it in the fire.

Guess what God said? God said two things: that book is not the only thing that's going to burn, that's number one. Number two, Jeremiah, go get me some new scribes, I'm going to tell them what the king burned and we're just going to rewrite it. Oh, let's come to a more contemporary day. Voltaire, you remember you studied philosophy and there was a French philosopher, Voltaire. Voltaire was an atheist. He said there is no God and then he jumped way out there. He says, "And this Bible in 50 years will be a nonexistent document."

That's what Voltaire said. Voltaire died. But that's not the kicker, let me give you the kicker. They turned his house into a Bible printing press. So the very house where he said the Bible would be dead was printing Bibles. God will make a fool out of you. It's like the great philosopher said: "God is dead," and then he signed his name. The philosopher died and somebody wrote: "He is dead," signed God.

God promises his word would abide forever. 1st Peter 1:23, Psalm 119 verse 89, Matthew 24:35 says, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall last forever." So there's no destroying Bibles here. There's no get rid of Bibles. And no book has sold more than the Bible. But why would you expect anything different if God is marketing his own book? You would expect that it would outsell every other book by every other author.

One more way that scripture is unique. It is unique in its accuracy. Now, you're supposed to get something wrong unless you God. You can only have a perfect book if you are a perfect person. Now watch this. You're supposed to make some mistakes. You know why the Bible authenticates itself? Prophecy. It talks about things well in advance of them happening in detail.

Watch this now. Micah 5, written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, says that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Now, Bethlehem is that big. I mean, if you going to pick some place, pick a big city where you got your chances are a little higher to get it right. Bethlehem is that big. Where was Jesus born? Bethlehem. Prophesied hundreds of years before his birth. The Bible predicted the fall of the Babylonian Empire by the Medo-Persian Empire. The Medo-Persian Empire, Daniel says, would be defeated by the Greek Empire. The Greek Empire would be defeated by the Roman Empire.

Now, all you got to do is close your Bible and go to your history book. If you go to your history book, you'll discover from secular history, not Christians, that the Babylonian Empire was destroyed by the Medo-Persian Empire, which was overcome by Alexander the Great in the Greek Empire, which was overcome by Rome. The Bible says that the Greek Empire would be divided three ways. Well, all you got to do is go to your history books and you'll discover that when Alexander died, three generals came in and split up the kingdom of Greece in three different ways.

Now, watch this. The Bible says that the Roman Empire was going to fall, and when the Roman Empire, Europe, fell, that it was going to break off into a 10-nation confederacy, and this 10-nation confederacy would come together to form a united Roman Empire. That wasn't luck or chance. God knows what's happening before it takes place. The Bible authenticates itself because it is prophetically true. It is prophetically accurate and therefore dependable. We close with the great tragedy. Here's the great tragedy. That we trust it with our lips, we honor it with our mouths, but we don't believe it with our lives.

How do we know we don't believe it? Don't we believe it? We carry it, sometimes. We got it sitting up on the shelf, maybe on the coffee table. Here's why you know you don't believe it. Because you go to every other source for your solutions. Somebody didn't hear me. You run to everything but it to fix what's wrong. It's not the first place you go, it's the last place you go.

And when you go to it last, that's because you believe in it last. Because what you believe in your head always shows up in your feet. So if God's way is the last way, when all else fails, try God, we try it last in our finances, we try it last in our relationships, we try it last in our careers, we try it last in our orientations, we try it last in our communications, we try it last, last, last, and we wonder why we got to go years without stuff getting right.

We go years without stuff getting right because for us, it's not unique. It's just another book that I honor because I was raised to honor it. But it has no life, it has no power. It's just talk. God just talking, he just wanted to talk one day so he just wrote a book. It has no power at all. And as long as that's what you believe, that's what you'll see: nothing.

If you don't believe it, you won't see it. For you, it'll be a dead book. Lifeless, empty. You'll get up and read it in the morning and say, "How boring." You know why it's boring? Because God knows you're not going to do nothing with it. And so it becomes an empty document. Ah, but when you understand it is the breath of God on paper. It's the breath of God on paper. Then you'll discover it's alive.

Guest (Male): Dr. Tony Evans, reminding us of the power of God's word when we approach it with faith and a heart ready to respond. Now, if you'd like to receive the complete full-length version of today's message, the title to ask about is "Scripture Is Unique." But the best way to get it is to request it as a part of Tony's 10-part series, *The Glory of God's Word*.

As I mentioned earlier, we're offering this powerful collection, available on digital download as well as on either CD or USB flash drive, as our thank you gift when you support Tony's ministry with a financial contribution. And don't forget, as an added bonus, we're also including Dr. Evans's highly acclaimed book, *The Power of Knowing God*. It's a reminder that simply knowing about God won't change anything until you apply that knowledge to your relationship with Him.

Just visit TonyEvans.org to get the details. Again, that's TonyEvans.org, or give us a call day or night at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our resource team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. In a world where truth can feel like it's up for debate, Dr. Evans takes us back to the source. Next time, he'll explain why truth isn't something we create or feel, it's something revealed. Be sure to join us.