ORGANIC UNITY. The word "organic" should be stressed. This unity
B. Unity and Diversity in the Bible
1. THE VARIOUS BOOKS OF THE BIBLE CONSTITUTE AN ORGANIC UNITY. The word "organic" should be stressed. This unity is not a mere mechanical one, consisting of different parts that were prepared with a view to their mutual correlation, like the parts of a watch, and that were finally collected in one volume. The Bible is not to be compared to a cathedral, constructed according to the plans and specifications of an architect, but to a stately tree, the product of progressive growth. The Bible was not made, but grew, and the composition of its several books marks the stages of its progressive development. It is, in the last analysis, the product of a single mind, the embodiment of a single fruitful principle, branching out in various directions. The different parts of it are mutually dependent, and are all together subservient to the organism as a whole. Scripture itself testifies to its unity in more than one way. Notice particularly the following:
a. The passages that were quoted to prove the inspiration of the Bible, and many others that might be added to these, point to the fact that it has one primary author. It is in all its parts the product of the Holy Spirit.
b. The contents of the Bible, notwithstanding their variety, reveal a wonderful unity. All the books of the Bible have their binding center in Jesus Christ. They all relate to the work of redemption and to the founding of God's Kingdom on earth. Moreover, they all agree in their doctrinal teaching and in their practical bearing on life. It has been one of the marvels of the ages that 66 books, which gradually came into existence in the course of 1600 years, should reveal such remarkable unanimity.
c. The progressive character of God's revelation is also an effective proof of its unity. The study of Biblical Theology or Historia Revelationis is making this increasingly apparent. The Scriptures reveal the development of a single divine thought with several sub-