INTRODUCTION
Nearly every brand of religion is based on a book. Whether it’s an ancient religion or a modern construction it’s almost certain that it will follow some kind of sacred book. And in that sense Christianity is no different. We have our holy book and it’s called the Bible. But the Bible is different from every other book. The Bible is absolutely unique. There is no other book like it known to humanity.
1. A UNIQUE AUTHOR
“All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting and training in righteousness …” (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV)
God himself is the author of the Bible.
Of course, other religions claim that God wrote their book too. Mohammed believed that God dictated the words of the Quran to him, and Joseph Smith claimed the words written in the Book of Mormon came straight from the mouth of God.
But the crucial question we have to ask of other books is this – do these other books speak about Jesus as the one and only Saviour? You see, the strange fact about other religious books that claim to have come from God, is that none of them outline God’s plan of salvation through Jesus. But the central purpose of the Bible is to do just that. From start to finish, the purpose of the Bible is to outline God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. Christ is central to the Old and the New Testament. Every book has a climax and the climax of the Bible is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – God’s great plan of salvation.
In Mark 1:11 we read about the time at Jesus’ baptism, when God broke through the heavens and called out …
You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11 NIV)
Friends, if God is so excited about his Son, then why doesn’t Jesus even rate a mention in all these other religious books that God supposedly wrote? The answer is easy – God was not the author of these other books.
2. A UNIQUE UNITY
The Bible was written over a period of about 1500 years and by about 40 different writers. Yet even though it has such a mixed background, the Bible displays an amazing harmony. There is incredible agreement between the writers, some of whom lived 1500 years apart and obviously never met.
And the story of God’s rescue mission through Jesus Christ is woven throughout the entire Bible from beginning to end. We can see this so clearly in a passage from Luke 24.
… beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [i.e. Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:27 NIV).
Imagine picking up a book written by authors such as Aristotle, Plato, Shakespeare, John Bunyan, Isaac Newton, Queen Elizabeth as well as many unknown writers. And then, as you read it, you discover that this book is a complete biography of one man, Winston Churchill.
You would read that book in utter amazement. Amazed that Aristotle in and Plato could write about a man who lived at the same time as Queen Elizabeth. You would be amazed that poets, scientists, philosophers and royalty were all writing about the same man and with the same passion, excitement and zeal.
The Bible is similar to that scenario. Many writers, from many different backgrounds, writing over a period of 1500 years, but all writing about the same man - - Jesus. And that is why the Bible is unique. That is why the Bible stands out among every other religious book we have.
But how can it be, as Christians claim, that the Bible has one Author but many writers?
It’s helpful to see it like this. Maybe you’ve been watching the series on the ABC called, “Constructing Australia.” Last week’s episode was all about the construction of the Kalgoorlie pipeline which carries water 500 kms from Mundaring to Kalgoorlie.
Who made that pipeline? It was C.Y. O’Conner right?
Wrong! C.Y. O’Conner never lifted a spanner or turned a shovel of dirt in the entire construction of the Kalgoorlie pipeline. But history records that that pipeline was built by C.Y. O’Conner. We know, of course, that that pipeline was built by teams of men - - mostly concrete form-workers who first built the Mundaring Weir - - and then steel-workers who fashioned the pipe and then laid it from Mundaring to Kalgoorlie.
But in the history books O’Conner did it all. He planned it, he inspired it, and he supervised its construction.
Likewise the Bible was penned by the hands of many writers - - but its author, the One who planned it, inspired it and oversaw its construction, was God.
3. A UNIQUE TRUTH
a. Historically true
So is the Bible true? Well, there are two answers to that question. First, we know that the Bible is historically true. In other words, it has been proven many times that the events in the Bible actually happened as they are recorded. Archaeology has uncovered indisputable evidence that supports the events recorded in the Bible.
b. Experientially true
That is, the Bible is a true mirror of life. For example, the Bible says the world is tainted by sin. And human history has proven that to be true – that has been our experience. The Bible also says that your life and mine can be transformed and set free from sin through a living relationship with God and through knowing and following Jesus. And for many of us that experience is also true.
Today’s Pitcairn Island population is descended from British sailors and Tahitians. The mutineers of the HMS Bounty settled the island [first discovered by world explorers on 2 July 1767 by midshipman Pitcairn aboard the HMS Swallow] in 1790, along with their Tahitian women and a few Tahitian men. Fletcher Christian and his band of mutineers seized the Bounty from Captain William Bligh on 28 April 1789 following a voyage filled with disrespect and frequent, sometimes severe, punishments from Bligh toward his crew.
The Bounty set sail from Spithead in Portsmouth, England on 23 December 1787 on a mission to gather breadfruit trees from Polynesia and transport them to the British West Indies. The intent was to provide a new food source for the workers on sugar plantations there. After ten months and 27 thousand miles of sailing, the Bounty arrived in Mataivai Bay, Tahiti (where it remained until 4 April 1789); here the crew spent several months cultivating young breadfruit trees and prepared them for transport to their new destination. During their long stay in Tahiti, many of the men became involved with local women and some married. When it was time to leave this island paradise, they had a difficult time parting – this undoubtedly contributed to the motivation toward the soon coming mutiny.
Following the mutiny, Captain Bligh and eighteen loyal crew members were set adrift in a longboat and eventually arrived in Indonesia after an incredible open boat voyage of several thousand miles. Fletcher and his men returned to Tahiti for their women, and to discharge sixteen loyalists and mutineers who did not want to continue with him; then they circled the South Pacific for several months looking for a safe place to hide from the inevitable hunt to find and prosecute them. They eventually chose Pitcairn Island and arrived on 15 January 1790; they realized it was originally charted incorrectly (by about 200 miles), thus making them less likely to be found by future voyagers. Deciding to stay on the isolated island, the nine remaining mutineers, their women some nine other Polynesian men and women, unloaded and stripped the ship, then on 23 January set the Bounty afire so as to hide all evidence of their whereabouts ... hence, they quickly became, and remain, one of the world’s most isolated communities.
After a period of four years, the community fell into turmoil. Fueled by homemade alcohol, disputes over women eventually resulted in the violent deaths of all but two of the men – Adams and Young. Six years later Young died of asthma; Adams was left with eleven women and 23 children. Adams turned to the Bounty Bible, which led him to repentance and a new outlook on life. Using the Bible, he educated the children, built a school and organized the community into a Christian way of life.
Later Lex wrote, “I had been working like a mole for years, and suddenly it was as if the doors were flung wide open, and I saw the light, and I met God in Jesus Christ. And the burden of my sin rolled away, and I found new life in Christ.”
In 1808 Pitcairn was re-discovered by the American ship Topaz. Reports of the find went largely ignored; then, on 17 September 1814 the island community was again accidentally ‘discovered’ by two British frigates. Surprised by their find and impressed by the character of the residents, they chose to leave this community, founded by mutineers, alone and allow Adams to remain with his people. Adams died on 6 March 1829 at age 63.
SOURCE: http://www.onlinepitcairn.com/history.htm)
Friends, the Bible can completely transformed the people of Pitcairn Island – a community of mutineers dramatically changed to a community of grace, mercy, love and compassion. The God of the Bible can completely transform your experience of life too – it’s true.
So I urge you to take Jesus’ advice …
"… everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24 NIV).
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