The Bible

The word Bible comes from the Greek word Biblia which means “books.” That is exactly what the Bible is – a collection of books. When we say “Holy Bible,” we speak of a collection of holy books. The word Scriptures means “sacred or divine writings.”

The Bible is divided into two sections – The Old Testament and the New Testament. The word Testament means covenant. We could correctly speak of the Old Testament and the New Covenant. A covenant is a sacred agreement between God and His people. The Old Testament tells about God’s covenant with Abraham and His descendants, the nation of Israel (Gen. 12:1-3; Exo. 19:3-8). Jeremiahspoke of a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34) and his prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Jesus established the new covenant of grace by dying on the cross for our sins (Mt. 26:28).

The Bible, a special book.

●The Bible is special because of its INSPIRATION.

2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is inspired by God…” meaning that the Holy Spirit breathed divine truth into chosen human writers (see 2 Peter 1:21). The Holy Spirit guided these writers as they wrote God’s revelation of Himself. We do not know exactly how the Holy Spirit did this, but the result is clear. The Bible is inspired by God, and it inspires us.

There are many theories how God inspired the writers of the Bible. The Bible does not explain what method the Holy Spirit used. These are the theories according to the conservatives.

Dictation theory- The Holy Spirit dictated each of the words to the writers of the Bible. This means that the writers of the Bible simply acted as scribes or secretaries.

Verbal-Plenary- The Holy Spirit guided the writers of the Bible. Because of this, they were able to write the correct words; but still God used their own personal experiences.

Dynamic-The Holy Spirit inspired the writers. Because of this, they were able to write accurately the message of God, but in their own words.

Don’t worry about these three theories. It is enough to know that there are many theories about revelation. These are the three most common ideas about how God gave His Word to man.

●The Bible is special because of its AUTHORITY.

In 2 Peter 1:21, Peter testified that the prophets “spoke the message that came from God.” The expression “Thus saith the Lord” occurs 359 times in the Bible which strengthens the belief that the Bible is the Word of God.

The Bible is our authority in all areas of life, authoritative in all matters of faith and practice/s. This means that the Bible guides us in our beliefs and in our daily living. It also means that the Bible tells us how to work in our Churches. It is important for us to value the Bible as our authority in matters of faith. God’s Word is reliable!

●The Bible is special because of its MESSAGE.

The entire Bible, whether the Old Testament or the New Testament, looks to the mighty redemptive atonement of Christ. Jesus said, “You study the scriptures because you think that in them you will find eternal life. And these very Scriptures speak about me.”(John 5:39). The Old Testament looks forward to Christ. The New Testament looks back on Christ’s life and forward to His second coming. The key message of the Bible is found in Luke 24:45-47. “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘This is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later, and in his name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations’…” The message of the Bible is redemption from sin through faith.

●The Bible is special because of its PURPOSE.

The Bible is to reveal God, to show the way of salvation, and to instruct us in how to live.

-  The primary purpose of the Bible is to bring men to salvation (see John 20:30-31).

-  The Bible second’s purpose is to guide us in our living (see Psa.119:105). The Bible encourages us to be faithful in service to God (Romans 15:4). The Scriptures also equips

 us for service (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

-  The Bible presents to us God’s  nature and character. It tells us about His works. God teaches us about Himself through the Bible.

●The Bible is special because of its NATURE.

-  The message of the Bible is eternal. (Psa. 119:89; Isa.40:8; Lk.21:33). Its true message will never change.

-  The Bible is true (John 17:17). Many men have questioned the truth of the Bible, but the Bible has survived every test.

-  The Bible is both human and divine. The Bible was inspired by God. God is its author; yet, the Bible was also written by men (Lk. 1:1-3). God’s Spirit guided the men as they wrote. However, their personalities were not overwhelmed. Each Bible book rreveals the distinctive style of its writer. The Bible is both human and divine just as Jesus was both human and divine. This is mystery . it is hard to understand, but we know that God works through ordinary people to perform His works of grace.

●The Bible is special because of its POWER.

The Holy Spirit speaks through the Bible to convict men of sin and call them to repentance and salvation (Heb. 4:12). The Bible has the power to change men’s lives as God speaks through it.

●The Bible is special because of its UNITY.

The Bible is a unit . the Bible was written by approximately 57 different authors from all walks of life  ̶  farmers, shepherds, tentmakers, physicians, governors, and kings. The span of its writing was about 1,500 years in places ranging all the way from Babylon to Rome. T deals with history, law, poetry, prophecy, philosophy, science, sociology, and salvation, to mention only a few of its varied themes.

The Bible was not written by its authors with the purpose of forming one book. Yet, gathered together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in its final form after AD 300, it tells one complete story. If one should read the New Testament without a knowledge of the old Testament, he would ask, “Where is that which went before?” If he should read the Old Testament without knowing the New Testament, he would inquire, “Where is the t=rest of the story?” The only reasonable answer is that all this was done under the guiding hand of God.