What is the Bible?

Question: "What is the Bible?"

Answer: The word “Bible” comes from the Latin and Greek words meaning “book,” a fitting name, since the Bible is the book for all people, for all time. It’s a book like no other, in a class by itself.

Sixty-six different books comprise the Bible. They include books of law, such as Leviticus and Deuteronomy; historical books, such as Ezra and Acts; books of poetry, such as Psalms and Ecclesiastes; books of prophecy, such as Isaiah and Revelation; biographies, such as Matthew and John; and epistles (formal letters) such as Titus and Hebrews.

What is the Bible? - The Authors
About 40 different human authors contributed to the Bible, which was written over a period of about 1500 years. The authors were kings, fishermen, priests, government officials, farmers, shepherds, and doctors. From all this diversity comes an incredible unity, with common themes woven throughout.

The Bible’s unity is due to the fact that, ultimately, it has one Author—God Himself. The Bible is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). The human authors wrote exactly what God wanted them to write, and the result was the perfect and holy Word of God (Psalm 12:6; 2 Peter 1:21).

What is the Bible? - The Divisions
The Bible is divided into two main parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. In short, the Old Testament is the story of a nation, and the New Testament is the story of a Man. The nation was God’s way of bringing the Man—Jesus Christ—into the world.

The Old Testament describes the founding and preservation of the nation of Israel. God promised to use Israel to bless the whole world (Genesis 12:2-3). Once Israel was established as a nation, God raised up a family within that nation through whom the blessing would come: the family of David (Psalm 89:3-4). Then, from the family of David was promised one Man who would bring the promised blessing (Isaiah 11:1-10).

The New Testament details the coming of that promised Man. His name was Jesus, and He fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament as He lived a perfect life, died to become the Savior, and rose from the dead.

What is the Bible? - The Central Character
Jesus is the central character in the Bible—the whole book is really about Him. The Old Testament predicts His coming and sets the stage for His entrance into the world. The New Testament describes His coming and His work to bring salvation to our sinful world.

Jesus is more than a historical figure; in fact, He is more than a man. He is God in the flesh, and His coming was the most important event in the history of the world. God Himself became a man in order to give us a clear, understandable picture of who He is. What is God like? He is like Jesus; Jesus is God in human form (John 1:14, 14:9).

What is the Bible? - A Brief Summary
God created man and placed him in a perfect environment; however, man rebelled against God and fell from what God intended him to be. God placed the world under a curse because of sin but immediately set in motion a plan to restore humanity and all creation to its original glory.

As part of His plan of redemption, God called Abraham out of Babylonia into Canaan (about 2000 B.C.). God promised Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob (also called Israel) that He would bless the world through a descendant of theirs. Israel’s family emigrated from Canaan to Egypt, where they grew to be a nation.

About 1400 B.C., God led Israel’s descendants out of Egypt under the direction of Moses and gave them the Promised Land, Canaan, as their own. Through Moses, God gave the people of Israel the Law and made a covenant (testament) with them. If they would remain faithful to God and not follow the idolatry of the surrounding nations, then they would prosper. If they forsook God and followed idols, then God would destroy their nation.

About 400 years later, during the reigns of David and his son Solomon, Israel was solidified into a great and powerful kingdom. God promised David and Solomon that a descendant of theirs would rule as an everlasting king.

After Solomon’s reign, the nation of Israel was divided. The ten tribes to the north were called “Israel,” and they lasted about 200 years before God judged them for their idolatry. Assyria took Israel captive about 721 B.C. The two tribes in the south were called “Judah,” and they lasted a little longer, but eventually they, too, turned from God. Babylon took them captive about 600 B.C.

About 70 years later, God graciously brought a remnant of the captives back into their own land. Jerusalem, the capital, was rebuilt about 444 B.C., and Israel once again established a national identity. Thus, the Old Testament closes.

The New Testament opens about 400 years later with the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Jesus was the descendant promised to Abraham and David, the One to fulfill God’s plan to redeem mankind and restore creation. Jesus faithfully completed His work—He died for sin and rose from the dead. The death of Christ is the basis for a new covenant (testament) with the world. All who have faith in Jesus will be saved from sin and live eternally.

After His resurrection, Jesus sent His disciples to spread the news everywhere of His life and His power to save. Jesus’ disciples went in every direction spreading the good news of Jesus and salvation. They traveled through Asia Minor, Greece, and all the Roman Empire. The New Testament closes with a prediction of Jesus’ return to judge the unbelieving world and free creation from the curse.

Recommended Resource: The Quest Study Bible.

Is the Bible truly God's Word?

Question: "Is the Bible truly God's Word?"

Answer: Our answer to this question will not only determine how we view the Bible and its importance to our lives, but also it will ultimately have an eternal impact on us. If the Bible is truly God’s Word, then we should cherish it, study it, obey it, and fully trust it. If the Bible is the Word of God, then to dismiss it is to dismiss God Himself. The fact that God gave us the Bible is an evidence and illustration of His love for us. The term “revelation” simply means that God communicated to mankind what He is like and how we can have a right relationship with Him. These are things that we could not have known had God not divinely revealed them to us in the Bible. Although God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible was given progressively over approximately 1500 years, it has always contained everything man needs to know about God in order to have a right relationship with Him. If the Bible is truly the Word of God, then it is the final authority for all matters of faith, religious practice, and morals. The question we must ask ourselves is how can we know that the Bible is the Word of God and not just a good book? What is unique about the Bible that sets it apart from all other religious books ever written? Is there any evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word? These types of questions must be seriously examined if we are to determine the validity of the Bible’s claim to be the very Word of God, divinely inspired, and totally sufficient for all matters of faith and practice. There can be no doubt that the Bible does claim to be the very Word of God. This is clearly seen in Paul’s commendation to Timothy: “… from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-17). There are both internal and external evidences that the Bible is truly God’s Word. The internal evidences are those things within the Bible that testify of its divine origin. One of the first internal evidences that the Bible is truly God’s Word is seen in its unity. Even though it is really sixty-six individual books, written on three continents, in three different languages, over a period of approximately 1500 years, by more than 40 authors who came from many walks of life, the Bible remains one unified book from beginning to end without contradiction. This unity is unique from all other books and is evidence of the divine origin of the words which God moved men to record. Another of the internal evidences that indicates the Bible is truly God’s Word is the prophecies contained within its pages. The Bible contains hundreds of detailed prophecies relating to the future of individual nations including Israel, certain cities, and mankind. Other prophecies concern the coming of One who would be the Messiah, the Savior of all who would believe in Him. Unlike the prophecies found in other religious books or those by men such as Nostradamus, biblical prophecies are extremely detailed. There are over three hundred prophecies concerning Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Not only was it foretold where He would be born and His lineage, but also how He would die and that He would rise again. There simply is no logical way to explain the fulfilled prophecies in the Bible other than by divine origin. There is no other religious book with the extent or type of predictive prophecy that the Bible contains. A third internal evidence of the divine origin of the Bible is its unique authority and power. While this evidence is more subjective than the first two, it is no less a powerful testimony of the divine origin of the Bible. The Bible’s authority is unlike any other book ever written. This authority and power are best seen in the way countless lives have been transformed by the supernatural power of God’s Word. Drug addicts have been cured by it, homosexuals set free by it, derelicts and deadbeats transformed by it, hardened criminals reformed by it, sinners rebuked by it, and hate turned to love by it. The Bible does possess a dynamic and transforming power that is only possible because it is truly God’s Word. There are also external evidences that indicate the Bible is truly the Word of God. One is the historicity of the Bible. Because the Bible details historical events, its truthfulness and accuracy are subject to verification like any other historical document. Through both archaeological evidences and other writings, the historical accounts of the Bible have been proven time and time again to be accurate and true. In fact, all the archaeological and manuscript evidence supporting the Bible makes it the best-documented book from the ancient world. The fact that the Bible accurately and truthfully records historically verifiable events is a great indication of its truthfulness when dealing with religious subjects and doctrines and helps substantiate its claim to be the very Word of God. Another external evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word is the integrity of its human authors. As mentioned earlier, God used men from many walks of life to record His words. In studying the lives of these men, we find them to be honest and sincere. The fact that they were willing to die often excruciating deaths for what they believed testifies that these ordinary yet honest men truly believed God had spoken to them. The men who wrote the New Testament and many hundreds of other believers (1 Corinthians 15:6) knew the truth of their message because they had seen and spent time with Jesus Christ after He had risen from the dead. Seeing the risen Christ had a tremendous impact on them. They went from hiding in fear to being willing to die for the message God had revealed to them. Their lives and deaths testify to the fact that the Bible truly is God’s Word. A final external evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word is the indestructibility of the Bible. Because of its importance and its claim to be the very Word of God, the Bible has suffered more vicious attacks and attempts to destroy it than any other book in history. From early Roman Emperors like Diocletian, through communist dictators and on to modern-day atheists and agnostics, the Bible has withstood and outlasted all of its attackers and is still today the most widely published book in the world. Throughout time, skeptics have regarded the Bible as mythological, but archeology has confirmed it as historical. Opponents have attacked its teaching as primitive and outdated, but its moral and legal concepts and teachings have had a positive influence on societies and cultures throughout the world. It continues to be attacked by pseudo-science, psychology, and political movements, yet it remains just as true and relevant today as it was when it was first written. It is a book that has transformed countless lives and cultures throughout the last 2000 years. No matter how its opponents try to attack, destroy, or discredit it, the Bible remains; its veracity and impact on lives is unmistakable. The accuracy which has been preserved despite every attempt to corrupt, attack, or destroy it is clear testimony to the fact that the Bible is truly God’s Word and is supernaturally protected by Him. It should not surprise us that, no matter how the Bible is attacked, it always comes out unchanged and unscathed. After all, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mark 13:31). After looking at the evidence, one can say without a doubt that, yes, the Bible is truly God’s Word.

Letter From God

My Child . . . .

* You may not know me, but I know everything about you... Psalm 139:1
* I know when you sit down and when you rise up... Psalm 139:2
* I am familiar with all your ways... Psalm 139:3
* Even the very hairs on your head are numbered... Matthew 10:29-31
* For you were made in my image... Genesis 1:27
* In me you live and move and have your being... Acts 17:28

* For you are my offspring... Acts 17:28
* I knew you even before you were conceived... Jeremiah 1:4-5
* I chose you when I planned creation... Ephesians 1:11-12
* You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book... Psalm 139:15-16
* I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live... Acts 17:26
* You are fearfully and wonderfully made... Psalm 139:14
* I knit you together in your mother's womb... Psalm 139:13

* And brought you forth on the day you were born... Psalm 71:6
* I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me... John 8:41-44
* I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love... 1 John 4:16
* And it is my desire to lavish my love on you... 1 John 3:1
* Simply because you are my child and I am your father... 1 John 3:1
* I offer you more than your earthly father ever could... Matthew 7:11
* For I am the perfect father... Matthew 5:48
* Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand... James 1:17
* For I am your provider and I meet all your needs... Matthew 6:31-33

* My plan for your future has always been filled with hope... Jeremiah 29:11
* Because I love you with an everlasting love... Jeremiah 31:3
* My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore... Psalm 139:17-18
* And I rejoice over you with singing... Zephaniah 3:17
* I will never stop doing good to you... Jeremiah 32:40
* For you are my treasured possession... Exodus 19:5
* I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul... Jeremiah 32:41

* And I want to show you great and marvelous things... Jeremiah 33:3
* If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me... Deuteronomy 4:29
* Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart... Psalm 37:4
* For it is I who gave you those desires... Philippians 2:13
* I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine... Ephesians 3:20
* For I am your greatest encourager... 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
* I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles... 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

* When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you... Psalm 34:18
* As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart... Isaiah 40:11
* One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes... Revelation 21:3-4
* And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth... Revelation 21:3-4
* I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus... John 17:23

* For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed... John 17:26
* He is the exact representation of my being... Hebrews 1:3
* He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you... Romans 8:31
* And to tell you that I am not counting your sins... 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
* Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled... 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
* His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you... 1 John 4:10
* I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love... Romans 8:31-32

* If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me... 1 John 2:23
* And nothing will ever separate you from my love again... Romans 8:38-39
* Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen... Luke 15:7
* I have always been Father, and will always be Father... Ephesians 3:14-15
* My question is... Will you be my child?... John 1:12-13
* I am waiting for you... Luke 15:11-32

Love,

Your Father - God!

God Will Not Leave You in the Waves of Life

Have you ever been to the beach and seen a small child that is scared of the waves? They desperately try to hold onto their daddy, subconsciously aware that the waves are much more powerful than they are. You can see the fear in their eyes and at times even hear their cries.

I’ve been to the beach countless times. But I’ve never seen a child that was taken out into the waves by their parent, and simply left there to drown. Why? Is it because of the child’s ability to swim like Michael Phelps? Is it because the child has the strength to hold on through the crashing waves? No. It is because their loving parent is holding on to them.

Like that small child at the beach, my Christian walk is a lot like life in the waves. Often, when in the middle of a trial, I am tempted to think that if I can conquer the “waves” and ride them like a professional surfer, I’ll be okay. But the point isn’t riding the waves – its trusting IN them. My hope is that I’m held fast in my Father’s unfailing arms, not in my ability to save myself. I’m safe not because my circumstances tell me so, I’m safe because my Father’s character doesn’t lie. Hope is found, not in conquering my fears, it’s found in trusting my Father.

Trials in my life cause me to look to my Savior for strength. And as He once again proves Himself faithful to me, the result is a deeper trust in God and a joy that goes beyond my circumstances.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-9)

Father, help me to trust in you. No trial in my life surprises you. And no trial is outside of your control. Thank you that you are sovereign and good and that I can trust in you, no matter what waves come.