The Bible is God’s Holy Word. The book of John tells us that Jesus is “the Word”.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
I’ve heard the Bible described as letters written to us and for us. Or, our instructions while on Earth. It’s many things. It’s the history of the world, starting from the very beginning. It’s the history of God’s people, from Abraham to Jesus. It’s the early church’s history, from Jesus’ Crucifixion to letters written by the Apostle Paul to the early church. The Bible is scientific. You’ll find many things in the Bible that agree with science. The Bible is prophetic. That means many things in the Bible told what was going to happen before it happened. In some cases years and years and years before it happened. Some prophecies have been fulfilled within the last hundred years. There are prophecies about to be fulfilled. We can see things lining up just the way God said they would.
The Bible is made up of sixty-six books. These books were written by the inspiration of God over a span of about 1500 years, by different authors. They all agree and harmonize perfectly with each other. As believers, we rely on the Bible heavily. We simply can’t do without it. We know that it is the infallible Word of God. There are no mistakes in the Bible.
I recommend you start with a King James Version (KJV). This should be your baseline. There isn’t a thing in the world wrong with reading other versions of the Bible, as long as you have something you can compare the versions with that is reliable. Kind of like using a ruler to measure something. For example, if you read a verse in the Message Bible, but it says something that conflicts with the KJV, throw that verse out. It’s not accurate. If you read a verse in the New International Version (NIV), but it says something that conflicts with the KJV, throw that verse out. It’s not accurate. If you read a verse that has the same meaning as the KJV, use that verse to gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word. It’s that simple. Always compare what you’re reading to the KJV. Other versions can help us to understand scripture. But, they should be clarifying the scripture, not contradicting, watering down, or completely changing the meaning of the original.
You’ll find that a KJV Study Bible will be one of the most valuable tools you can invest in. A Study Bible gives the scriptures, but it will also give references to supporting scriptures, have a dictionary/concordance, charts/maps, and some way to group topics/ideas together. A Study Bible is much different than a Commentary Bible. A Commentary Bible will give a lot of opinions. Opinions are fine, but too many times I’ve seen people act as if the Commentary in their Bible is just as much God-inspired scripture as the actual scriptures are. This simply is not the case. Man’s opinions are just that...opinions. Don’t believe everything you read and hear. Verify it with actual scripture. Always. Verify, study, pray about, anything you read or hear. No matter where you read it or hear it. Even what you’re reading in this blog. Look it up for yourself. Let God teach you. He’s able and more than willing.
The Bible is made up of two sections. The Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament was written before Jesus was born. It starts with the book of Genesis, which covers everything we could ever want to know about creation, the fall of man, Noah and the Flood, the Tower of Babel, and more. It introduces us to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Patriarchs of the Hebrews. It’s fascinating. The Old Testament ends with the book of Malachi, a small prophetic book. We then have about 400 years between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The New Testament begins with the book of Matthew and ends with the book of Revelation. Matthew is one of the four Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It tells of the Virgin birth of Jesus, His earthly ministry, his crucifixion, raising from the dead, and His ascension. Revelation is a prophetic book about the end of this age.
I highly recommend that new Christians begin in one of the four Gospels. This will give a firm biblical foundation that can be built upon. The book of Psalms in the Old Testament is very good for new believers, as well. When you’re ready to begin studying the Bible, not just reading it, I suggest you start where you are most interested, unless God tells you specifically where he wants you to study. (Yes, God speaks to us and wants to show us many things, if we’ll let him).
The most important thing about the Bible, though, is that it be used. Don’t just let it collect dust on a shelf. It’s the Word of God. It’s the living word of God, meaning God speaks to us through His word. We can read a verse today and get something from it, then read it again a year from now, and get something new from it. We can find answers to many of our questions in the Bible. Our faith is strengthened by the Word of God. Our spirits lifted, our hearts full, by the Word of God. We can see how to respond (and how not to respond) in some situations. Reading the Bible is for our benefit, not God’s. It’s a great asset and tool for believers all over the world. Today, some Christians risk their lives to smuggle Bibles into their country, who have to keep them hidden lest they be put to death. We are blessed because we can have one in every room if we so desire.
Lord-willing next week we’re going to discuss faith. See you then!
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