What Makes the Bible Unique?

The bible is unique in that it is the only book that is fully human and also eminently divine. As a divine book, the bible is perfect, infallible, and inspired by God (II. Pet. 1:20,21; II Tim. 3:16,17; Lk. 21:33; Is. 55:11); it reveals God's own plan, will, motives and agenda (Isaiah 45:21-23); and it cannot be truly understood by anyone who is not taught by the Holy Spirit of God (I Cor. 2:12-16). And yet, it is also a thoroughly human book, and was written by human authors, each displaying his own unique style and personality; moreover, it was written in human languages, within the context of human history, and to address human needs. As the bible's great hero is Jesus Christ, who is eternally God and became fully human to reveal the nature of God to mankind (Jn. 1:14, 18), this dual nature of the bible is appropriate and necessary for the accurate portrayal of its great Protagonist.

The bible is thus the one complete and fully sufficient testimony of the God who created us, containing within its pages everything that he has determined that we could need to be pleasing to him, and live the lives he created us to live; this is why many of the Reformed creeds and confessions speak of the bible as “our only standard for faith and practice”.

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