The Bible is an amazing book. Its contents spread out to many books, all of these written by different authors in various ages and places. But while that may be the case, the truth is that God Himself is the one who had the Bible written for all the world to know Him.
Who really wrote the Bible?
The Bible’s 66 books – 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament – are written by 40 different authors over a period of 1,500 years. These authors lived in different places and different times, with different cultures. They had many different occupations and lifestyles, but the focus of what they have written is the same – to reveal God’s heart and will for mankind.
Some authors wrote more than one book in the Bible. Moses wrote the “Pentateuch,” consisting of the first five books Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Others, like the prophet Isaiah and Ezekiel, wrote one book each. Some wrote short books (like Jude) while some wrote long books.
The book of Psalms, on the other hand, is a compilation of songs written by various writers, including David, Asaph, the sons of Korah, and even Moses.
Writer’s credentials
What’s more amazing about the Bible is that its human authors varied in their levels of education. It contains books from Solomon, the wisest king who ever lived. It contains historical accounts from Moses, who was trained in the Egyptian palace. It also contains letters from Paul, who learned under a leading authority in the Sanhedrin before his conversion to Christianity.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Bible includes writings from the unschooled fisherman named Peter.
What sets these writers and their writings apart is not the training they received. All of them wrote “by inspiration of God” (see 2 Timothy 3:16) – in other words, it was not their own idea:
“But know this first of all, that no prophecy of the Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation. For no prophecy at any time was produced by the will of man, but holy men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)
Everything written in the Bible was written because God wanted the writer to write it and inspired it. And all they wrote simply communicated the same thing: God’s heart and mind.
Summing it up
So to sum it all up, God inspired many different authors to write the Bible’s many different books over a long period of time. And despite the differences in writing styles, the Bible remains as God’s Word because He is the one who put the words in the writer’s hearts and minds.
“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 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)