The word “Bible” comes from the Greek word “ta biblia” meaning “the 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.
What is the Bible? - The Books
73 different books comprise the Bible. The Protestant Bible excludes 7 books called the Deuterocanonical books/ Apocrypha. Therefore, the Protestant Bible comprises of 66 books in total. Some Orthdox Bible even have 81 books. We ill discuss the cannon and related issues later.
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 , across 3 continents, in 3 languages. The authors were kings, fishermen, priests, government officials, farmers, shepherds, doctors etc. 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). The authors didn't know each other, for exampleMoses didn't know Paul, but still the message remains the same.
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. It also upholds the second coming of Jesus Christ.
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).Furthermore, He is coming again,but this time to judge the World and save His redeemed people. We ought to read the Bible ,which is God's perfect Word and strive to live a Godly life in a perfect relationship with Jesus.
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