The Bible is a unique book that tells the full story of Jesus Christ, written by many authors yet displaying an amazing unity.
Selwyn Hughes emphasizes the unique unity and divine inspiration of the Bible, written by various authors over centuries yet intricately woven together to reveal the living Word, Jesus Christ, throughout its pages. The account of the walk to Emmaus highlights how Christ Himself explained the Scriptures concerning Himself, showcasing the mystery and beauty of finding Him in every part of the Bible. The Bible stands out as God's singular published work, unlike any other religious text, as it uniquely reveals the full story of Jesus Christ through diverse human authors.
Text
"Were not our hearts burning ... while he talked with us ... and opened the Scriptures to us?" (v. 32)
For reading & meditation:
Luke 24:13-35
The Bible is unique in its varied penmanship. The Scriptures were written over a period of some fifteen hundred years by about forty different penmen, and yet although of such composite character, the book displays an amazing and essential unity. The most wonderful thing about the written Word is that woven through it from end to end, like a golden thread, the living Word can be observed. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in the account of the historic walk to Emmaus, when Luke tells us that "beginning with Moses [he could not go further back in the Bible than that!] and all the Prophets, [Christ] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (v. 27). Christ in all the Scriptures! There you have the mystery of the Bible compressed into a single phrase. Imagine picking up a book written by such contributors as Shakespeare, John Donne, John Bunyan, John Locke, Isaac Newton, Jeremy Taylor, as well as many unknown writers, and then finding it is a complete biography of Sir Winston Churchill. One would turn its pages in utter amazement. Yet we discover something similar when we read the pages of our Bible. Herein lies its uniqueness. Those forty different authors did not know when they were writing that they were putting together a book that tells us as no other the full story of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever other faiths claim for their books - that they were inspired or dictated by God - the Bible, so all Christians believe, is God's one and only published work.
O Father, it is no surprise that so much of Jesus comes out of the Bible when so much of Him has gone into it. And the more I see of Him in its pages, the more I see there is to be seen. And the more I want to see. Thank You, my Father. Amen.
Sermon Outline
- The Bible's Unique Character
- The Living Word in the Written Word
- The Mystery of the Bible
- The Bible is a complete biography of Jesus Christ
- Written by many authors, yet telling a unified story
Key Quotes
“Were not our hearts burning ... while he talked with us ... and opened the Scriptures to us?” — Selwyn Hughes
“Christ in all the Scriptures! There you have the mystery of the Bible compressed into a single phrase.” — Selwyn Hughes
“O Father, it is no surprise that so much of Jesus comes out of the Bible when so much of Him has gone into it.” — Selwyn Hughes
Application Points
- As we read the Bible, we can see Jesus and His story woven throughout the pages.
- The Bible is God's one and only published work, and it is a complete biography of Jesus Christ.
- The more we read the Bible, the more we will see Jesus and want to see Him.
