What Is The Bible

Bible comes from the Greek word Biblia or the books.  It is so named for it is made up of 66 individual books.  These books are divided into two sections, 39 which make up the Old Testament and 27 which make up the New Testament.

The first major section is the Old Testament.  The books of the Old Testament are made up of historical books relating the history of our world and God’s people from the time of the beginning of the worlds until the time preceding the birth of Christ.  These books include the writings of the prophets as well as books of wisdom and the psalms.  The Old Testament was the scriptures or Bible of Jesus.

The New Testament includes the books that tell us of the life of Jesus, the history of the early years of the church, letters of the apostles, and the revelation of John.  These were written in the years following the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The collection of the books of the Bible as we know became established permanently through the church councils of 363 and 367 A.D.  These books today are also broken down into chapters.  This took place in the 13th century.  These chapters are then broken down into smaller sections called verses.  This took place around 1551 A.D.

An example of these divisions would be 1 Thessalonians 5:23. This means the reference is found in the first book Paul wrote to the Thessalonians.  The reference would be found in the fifth chapter.  Finally, we would look at the 23rd verse in the fifth chapter.

Today the Bible has been translated into every major language in the world and also into many smaller dialects.  There are many English versions.  The most common of these is the King James or Authorized Version completed around 1611 A.D.  this is not the earliest version for Wycliff had printed a Bible in the English in 14th Century.

Today there are many other English versions.  For some this seems confusing, but it actually has arisen from a desire to clear up confusion.

The desire of these new translations is to go back to the oldest copies of the Old and New Testament.  Of these there are thousands of copies and fragments of copies dating back as far as 150 A.D.  these are written in Hebrew and Greek.  From these scholars attempt to translate these scriptures into modern English in a way that is true to the original texts and at the same time will be understandable to modern readers.

There are some Bibles, however, such as the Living Bible that are more of a paraphrase than a translation.  This means that they not only convey the words of the text, but they also try to interpret their meaning.  For in depth study these are not as reliable for they are controlled by the bias of the editor.

In our worship services we use the New International Version.  We have chosen this version for its accuracy and for its readability.  You are welcome to use whichever version is most comfortable to you.

How Was The Bible Written

The question of how the Bible was written is of utmost importance when looking at the importance of the Bible.  If these are just a collection of writings by some men their value would be limited to the historical value for understanding customs and the mindset of those writing, but the Bible is much more than that.

2 Timothy 3:16 says “All Scripture is God-breathed…”  We understand from this that it was not just a collection of books written by men were guided in what they wrote.  This inspiration has continued throughout the process of its collection into one bible and as it has been translated.

In the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene, Article Five states “We believe in the plenary inspiration of Scriptures, by which we understand the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration, inerrantly revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation, so that whatever is not contained therein is not to be enjoined as an article of faith.”

The greatest test of the accuracy of scripture is its reliability.  More than ever we are discovering that what is contained in the Bible is true.  Creation is an example.  Scientist used to scoff at the idea of creation by God, but now their own research is proving that there must have been a god of some type.  For instance, examine the Big Bang theory.

We are also discovering that the ethical instruction of the Bible is best for human life.  God was not joking when he proclaimed marriage to be permanent (Matthew 19:4-9).  Our society today is experiencing traumatic results from ignoring God’s Word.

But the greatest proof of the Bibles accuracy is the claims of the Bible that God can transform people’s lives (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).  The church is full of people who have seen God’s promise fulfilled in their lives.  God’s Word is true.

Why It Is Important

The Bible is of utmost importance for Christians, for it reveals to us God’s desire for our lives.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathes and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be fully equipped for every good work.”

This also means that God has lovingly provided us with everything we need to know concerning salvation and how to live holy lives.  We are not left to figure it out on our own.

This also means that we should take seriously what we find in the Bible.  If god has placed it there for us, then God had a very good reason, to ignore what we find in these pages is in essence to ignore God Himself.

You may, however, be a little overwhelmed by what you find in the Bible.  You may look at it and say there is no way that you could ever understand all that it contains. 

If that is how you feel, there are two things that you should remember.  First, God does Not anticipate that we can sit down and suddenly understand it all and commit it all to memory.  It may begin with just one verse we understand and apply to our lives, as we walk with God this number will grow until we begin to understand more and more, but this will take time.  Be patient, God is (2 Peter 3:9).

The second thing to remember is that the reference to scripture being God-Breathed is not just about the writing of scripture, it also applies to the reading.  As we read the Holy Spirit breathes fresh life into the scriptures so that they come alive to us.  It is He who enables us to understand what we read.  As we pray God will open our eyes to the truth conveyed there.

The Bible is truly a special book.  It is special to those who open its cover and allow the Holy Spirit to bring the scriptures to life.  Will you join those who have discovered the joy of reading and knowing God’s Word, the Bible?