[Originally this argument came from something Kevin DeYoung said in his book, Taking God At His Word. I first saw this form of the argument from the gifted comic theologist, Adam Ford, whose work can be seen at www.adam4d.com. ]
Consider Genesis 2:24, a rather well-known verse of the Old Testament:
"Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (ESV)
Who Said It?
Literally, who is the speaker on this occasion? Whose mind do these words come from?
If, for example, you look at Genesis 2:18, the speaker is noted: "Then the Lord said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him.'" There is no such designation for verse 24.
So, here's what I'm really asking:
Who narrates the passage in question?
And, if you're with me on that, then by extension here's what I'm really, really asking:
Who is the actual author of the Bible?
If there is nobody designated as speaker (for example, in the books of the major and minor prophets, which are presumed and often overtly credited to the title prophet), who is presumed to be speaking?
Assuming you take the Lord Jesus Christ's authority on the subject (and if you don't believe every word the Lord says in the New Testament, then by definition you have not accepted His Authority in your life and are not a Christian, in which case you probably don't care who wrote the Bible), there is a very definite answer. And He tells us in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 19, verses 4-5:
"Have you not read that He Who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, "Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."
So, whom does He say is the narrator of Genesis 2:24?
"He Who created them from the beginning."
God.
Who, therefore, is the actual author of the Bible?
GOD.
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