Day 11: What is the Bible?

The Bible is God’s Holy Word. It is inspired by God and can guide you to new life in Jesus Christ and teach you how to live a Godly life.

Where did the Bible come from? The Bible is God’s Holy Word. It is inspired by God and can guide you to new life in Jesus Christ and teach you how to live a Godly life. It was written over a period of 1600 years, by more than forty different writers, on three different continents, and in three different languages—and every book of the Bible has a unified message and points us to God. Timothy 3: 16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” When it says “God-breathed”, it means that the Spirit of God inspired the writers to write what God wanted us to know. This fact is confirmed by the Spirit within us which testifies to the truth in the Bible. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful.” In other words, the unique “living” feature of the Bible is confirmed as it speaks personally to you. Scripture has the power to transform our lives and feed our souls.

"Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119: 105

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.." Isaiah 40: 8

The Bible Teaches Who God Is
How is the Bible organized? The Bible contains 66 Books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Testament simply means covenant, a word that refers to God’s promises to us and His faithfulness to honor those promises. Each book has a different theme and a different way of showing who God is and teaching us His ways. Have you ever had someone teach you a point using many different illustrations? That’s how the Bible is: there are so many different stories and ways God shows us who He is and who we are. Talking about the things that happened to people in the Bible, it says, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11). We can learn from the things people went through in the Bible and feel comforted by them. Take a moment and thank God He gave us so many stories and ways to understand Him.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4: 12

With what person in the Bible do you identify most? Why? What do you learn about God through his or her life experiences?