THE BIBLE

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Have you ever wondered what the Bible is? Can we really believe the Bible? What does it contain? The Bible is God’s divine revelation to mankind. It contains the Word of God. Though the words in it seem merely from men, they are from God Himself. The Bible makes it clear that the scriptures are inspired by God.

WHAT IS THE BIBLE?

The Bible was inspired by God. The Greek word for inspiration is theopneustos. It means “God’s breath”. When someone speaks, they expire air.  So was it with God and the Bible. God blew His breath on men He selected and they wrote what He told them to. These men were instruments in God’s hands in transmitting truth or the will of God for mankind.  “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

THE BIBLE IS SPIRIT AND LIFE

John 6:63 says “It is the Spirit Who gives life; the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life”. Jesus, Himself made it clear that His words are spirit and that they give life. No other person dared say that their words are spirit and make people alive. 

WHAT MAKES THE BIBLE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER BOOKS?

You may be wondering why Christians esteem the Bible as more than just a book. Here are some of the reasons:

• It is wonderful in its unity. Over 40 writers from different generations and times wrote the Bible over a period of 1,500 years. Yet, every part of it is highly coherent and stands in agreement with all the other parts. There are no contradictions in the Bible as some claim. Understanding the Bible and the author of it will help you see what others do not understand and comment on as a contradiction.

• The Bible is unique in its survival. In spite of having suffered centuries of attack and intended destruction, the Bible has grown more and more popular with the passage of time. No other book in all history has faced as much persecution as the Bible. Rulers in and outside the church have tried to keep the believers from having access to the Bible by burning every copy of it available. People found with Bibles in their possession were brutally punished and murdered. Yet, the Bible lives on till today. There must have been something about such a book to have made it that much of a “threat” to certain people.

• It is unique in its fulfillment. Space would fail me to enumerate all the prophecies given in the Bible that have and are still coming through. Prophecies about government systems and social events gave a thousand years before were fulfilled. Prophecies about the rise and fall of kings and the developments of nations and kingdoms were given and fulfilled hundreds of years later. Prophecies about the birth and murder of the Messiah were fulfilled in the exact sequence in which they were given. No book on the planet has this testimony or should I say “superpower”.

• The Bible is unique in its transmission. Scholarly critics like Voltaire critically analyzed all the manuscripts of the Bible and found out that the Bible had a 96% accuracy. There had to be One Person “writing” the Bible for it to be that accurate even when it was written by over 40 different authors from different parts of the world, from different generations over a span of 1,500 years. There just has to be something bigger!

When we read the Word of God in the pages of the Bible, we experience the life of God because God’s very nature trapped in His breath is in the Word! That is where the words came from – God. So, if you want to know who God is, how He thinks, and what He likes and doesn’t like, get to the Bible. There is a kids’ song that says “Read your Bible, pray every day if you want to grow”. This is true. We grow spiritually and in our knowledge of God as we stay in the Word of God more and more, every single day.

In conclusion, if you want to live a life that pleases your Creator and honors Him, start spending more time reading the Bible and it will make you what it talks about.

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