A Book From God Series

What Is the Bible?

We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”(NLT) All Scripture is inspired, infallible, and inerrant and “useful”. This word means “beneficial, helpful, valuable and full of profit”. I would like to explore in this message what is so special, so unique about the Bible that Christians believe it is literally the inspired word of God? .

The English word Bible means, "Book." It is derived from the Latin word biblia and the Greek words biblion and biblion meaning, "scroll" or "book." Christians use the term Bible to refer to the sixty-six books that they hold to be sacred Scripture. Consequently the Bible has been called the "Divine Library” The Bible is the most copied book of antiquity. It is scientifically accurate and historically reliable. It even contains information that was far ahead of its time and its accounts are specific. There are more copies of the biblical manuscripts, with remarkable consistency between them, than there are for any of the classics like Plato, Aristotle and Socrates. Again and again archaeological discoveries have verified the accuracy of the historical and cultural references in the Bible. The more they dig, the more it confirms as the Word of truth.

The Bible contains 66 books written over 1,500 years by 40 different writers but it tells one "big love story" of God's plan of salvation that culminated in Jesus Christ. It was completed approximately 2,000 years ago. In the Bible we have books that were written in the ancient languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic and were written in 3 different continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. Think about the varied historical and cultural circumstances in which each of these 66 books were written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years, in 3 different languages, and on 3 different continents. Yet, in all the centuries that have passed, none of its contents have ever been found inaccurate. So it would be impossible to claim to be an educated person in today's world without having at least some familiarity with the events contained in this book. In fact all of the events contained in this book should be known by everyone.

There Are Two Testaments in Scripture

The Bible is made up of two testaments, the Old and the New. The Old Testament is about three times larger than the New Testament. There are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. The Old Testament was composed from about 1,400 to 400 B.C. Thus it took about one thousand years to complete the various books of the Bible. Its writers lived at different times and came from many walks of life. Some were farmers, fishermen, and shepherds. Others were prophets, judges, and kings. The Gospel writer Luke was a doctor. Despite the varied backgrounds of its writers, the Bible is harmonious from beginning to end. New Testament was written during a much shorter period of time. The various books were composed from approximately A.D. 40 to A.D. 90. The earliest New Testament book written is most likely one of three (Galatians, 1 Thessalonians, or James). The last book written was the Book of Revelation.

Why Bible is imperative?

Why Bible is significant? What is so special, so unique about the Bible that Christians believe it is literally the inspired word of God?

In answering these questions, let us consider the amazing influence and the exceptional truth about this book: The Bible is an exciting book--not just because of the adventurous stories--but because God had it written just for us. The Bible is a gift from God, one for which we can be truly grateful. The Holy Spirit moved prophets like Moses and apostles like Paul to write about God’s relationship with the world. The Bible is one large book made up of sixty-six smaller books. It is the divine library - the Word of God to humanity. Although the Bible does not contain everything we would like to know about God it does contain everything that is indispensable. This unique book reveals things that we could never find out otherwise. For example, it tells us about the creation of the heavens, the earth, and the first man and woman. The Bible contains reliable principles to help us cope with life’s problems and anxieties. It explains how God will fulfill his purpose and bring about better conditions on the earth. The first book of the Bible tells us how mankind’s problems began. The last book shows that the whole earth will become a paradise, or garden. All the material in the Bible covers thousands of years of history and relates in some way to the unfolding of God’s purpose. The harmony of the Bible is impressive, but that is what we would expect of a book from God.