Why do people believe the Bible to be the Word of God when nowhere in the Bible does it claim this?

I came across this brilliant question. As you may know, the Bible consists of the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT).

The total number of books in the Bible varies according to different Christian traditions:

• Protestant Bible: 66 books (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament).
• Catholic Bible: 73 books (46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament).
• Greek Orthodox Bible: 75 books (49 in the Old Testament, including the Deuterocanonical books, and 27 in the New Testament).
• Russian Orthodox Bible: 76 books (50 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament).
• Ethiopian Orthodox Bible: 81 books (54 in the Old Testament, including additional books like Enoch and Jubilees, and 27 in the New Testament).

These differences arise due to variations in the biblical canons recognized by each tradition. The New Testament, on the other hand, contains 27 books, and most branches of Christianity are united in accepting them. However, there are a few groups that do not consider the book of Revelation as the Word of God.

Why is the Bible Considered the Word of God?

The Old Testament: God’s Spoken Word to the Israelites

In the Old Testament, God communicates through unique means: His spokespeople, called prophets, often deliver His messages. At times, angels, like the commander of God’s army speaking to Gideon, serve as His messengers. On other occasions, God speaks directly to His chosen people, such as Abraham, Moses, and Isaac. This divine communication can be understood as Rhema (God’s spoken word), which later became the Logos (God’s written word) through documentation. Thus, the Old Testament is considered the Word of God, as it contains these spoken messages that were written down for future generations.

The New Testament: Jesus as the Spoken Word Made Flesh

In the New Testament, the Gospels record Jesus’ teachings, which represent the Rhema (spoken word) once again becoming the Logos (written word). Jesus, as the Son of God, embodied the Word of God in His life and ministry. The Gospels preserve His spoken words, establishing the New Testament as another form of God’s communication to humanity, continuing the process of the spoken word becoming written scripture.

The Epistles or Letters

As people from different cultures, beyond the Jewish community, began accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior, various issues and challenges arose within these early Christian communities. To address these, the apostles—Peter, John, Paul, and James—wrote letters, known as Epistles, to provide guidance, correction, and encouragement to believers.

These letters, written between AD 50 and AD 100, were inspired by the Holy Spirit and aimed to edify the Christian church. Each letter responded to specific issues faced by the early Christians, offering teachings that were relevant to their circumstances. These writings were considered to be Rhema, the spoken word of God for particular situations, which was then incorporated into the Logos, the written word, forming a foundational part of the Bible.

The term Biblos (Greek for “book or scroll”) refers to the compilation of these sacred writings, which together make up the Bible. The Epistles played a crucial role in shaping Christian doctrine and providing practical instruction for believers across different cultures and regions.

The Bible, on every page, is the spoken word of God. Therefore, there is no need for it to explicitly claim to be the Word of God, as anyone who reads it naturally comes to recognize it as such. While there may be instances where people point to supposed “discrepancies,” these challenges can only be fully understood and resolved through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the daily lives of believers. The written word is just one way in which God continues to speak to His people, the Church. But God also speaks directly to each of us, if we truly listen. In simple terms, read the Scriptures, listen with an open heart, and live according to the power of Jesus’ Spirit, who enables us to embody His word in our lives.