The Bible is the sacred scripture of Christianity. It consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament, totaling 66 books. The Old Testament contains 39 books and the New Testament contains 27 books. It was written over a span of around 1,500 years by over 40 authors from diverse backgrounds. Yet, it tells one unified story centered on God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.
The word “Bible” comes from the Greek word “biblia” which means “books.” It is a collection of books that Christians consider holy and authoritative. These books are believed to be divinely inspired and contain revelation from God. Some key aspects of the Bible:
- It reveals who God is and how He relates to humanity.
- It records God’s interactions with people throughout history.
- It prophecies the coming of Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
- It provides an account of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection.
- It lays out God’s plan of salvation through faith in Christ.
- It teaches Christian beliefs, values, and way of life.
Old Testament
The Old Testament chronicles God’s dealings with the nation of Israel and God’s establishment of the Mosaic Law. It opens with the creation of the world and the first humans, Adam and Eve. Key events include:
- The Fall of humanity into sin (Genesis 3)
- Noah and the Great Flood (Genesis 6-9)
- God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12, 15, 17)
- The Exodus from Egypt led by Moses (Exodus)
- The giving of the Ten Commandments and the Law (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy)
- The conquest of Canaan led by Joshua (Joshua)
- Israel’s kingdom under David and Solomon (1-2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1-11)
- The division of Israel into two kingdoms: Israel and Judah (1 Kings 12)
- The destruction of Israel by Assyria (2 Kings 17) and later Judah by Babylon (2 Kings 24-25)
There are several types of Old Testament books:
- Law – Books of Moses giving Israel God’s laws (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
- History – Records Israel’s history as a nation (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther)
- Wisdom – Writings of wise teachers on life, morality, and worship (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon)
- Major Prophets – Books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
- Minor Prophets – Shorter prophetic books from Hosea to Malachi
The overarching theme of the Old Testament is God’s covenant relationship with Israel as His chosen people. It emphasizes holiness, justice, and righteous living according to God’s Law. Through the prophets, God promises a new covenant and redemption through a coming Messiah.
New Testament
The New Testament centers on the person and work of Jesus Christ and the birth of the Christian church. Its 27 books can be grouped into:
- Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which recount Jesus’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection
- History – Acts of the Apostles, which records the early church’s growth after Jesus’s ascension
- Pauline Epistles – Letters written by the apostle Paul to churches and individuals about doctrine and Christian living
- General Epistles – Letters written by other apostles like Peter, John, James, and Jude
- Revelation – An apocalyptic vision of the end times given to the apostle John
The four Gospels provide four unique perspectives on Jesus’s life and ministry. Acts shows how the gospel spread from Jerusalem to Rome through early missionaries and evangelists. The Epistles give instructions in sound doctrine and practical Christian conduct. Revelation uses vivid imagery to portray God’s future victory over evil.
Some key themes of the New Testament include:
- Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah
- Jesus as the Son of God, crucified for the sins of the world and resurrected
- Salvation by grace through faith in Christ
- Repentance, love, hope, justice, and other Christian virtues
- The Kingdom of God and eternal life through Jesus
- Living by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit
- The return of Christ and the final judgment
Overall, the New Testament emphasizes salvation through faith in Christ and following His model of loving God and neighbor.
The Bible’s Origin and Authority
There are a few key events surrounding the origin and compilation of the Bible:
- Individual books were written over centuries by prophets, historians, poets, and apostles as God inspired them.
- The Old Testament canon was compiled and accepted by Jewish rabbis by the 2nd century BC.
- The 27 books of the New Testament were written in the 1st century AD and affirmed as authoritative by the early church.
- In AD 367, Athanasius of Alexandria provided the first list of the exact 27 books of the New Testament canon.
- The doctrines of Biblical inspiration, authority, and inerrancy were important to early church leaders.
- The Bible was painstakingly copied and distributed by scribes through the centuries.
- Key translations like the Vulgate (4th century), Wycliffe’s Bible (1382), and King James Version (1611) made it widely accessible.
Christians consider the Bible authoritative and God-breathed because:
- The Bible calls itself the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16).
- Its books claim to convey God’s messages. “Thus says the Lord” occurs over 2000 times.
- Jesus and New Testament writers affirmed the Old Testament’s authority.
- Its supernatural unity points to divine inspiration.
- Fulfilled prophecies and historical/archaeological accuracy bolster its authority.
- Changed lives through Scripture testify to its power.
For these reasons, Christians uphold the Bible alone as their supreme spiritual authority, guiding all doctrine, ethics, and practices. Other church traditions and personal experiences are secondary.
Major Themes and Concepts
God
The Bible depicts God’s attributes, activities, and relationship with humanity. Key points include:
- There is one true eternal God existing as three equal divine Persons – the Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). This is the doctrine of the Trinity.
- God is holy, just, loving, merciful, faithful, gracious, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6-7).
- God is the almighty Creator of the heavens, earth, and life. He actively sustains His creation (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:17).
- God reveals His glory, wisdom, power, and divine nature through His acts in history and the natural world (Psalms 19:1; Romans 1:20).
- God is perfectly good, hating evil and bringing judgment against sinners. Yet He offers salvation through Christ (Nahum 1:2-3).
Overall, God is presented as the righteous but merciful Creator actively involved with His creation and implementing His sovereign plan.
Humanity
The Bible teaches fundamental truths about human nature. Key teachings include:
- Humans were created in God’s image as the pinnacle of God’s creation to have relationship with Him (Genesis 1:26-27).
- Adam and Eve’s disobedience brought sin into the world, marring the image of God in humanity (Genesis 3).
- Fallen humans are inclined toward sin and rebellion against God (Romans 3:23; 5:12).
- Human life is precious from conception. Murder is condemned (Exodus 20:13).
- Men and women are created equal before God and designed for complementary roles (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 5:22-33).
- God cares deeply for the poor, marginalized, and disadvantaged (Psalms 82:3-4).
The Bible presents a nuanced perspective – humans have great dignity but also great capacity for evil. Redemption is needed to restore humanity to God’s design.
Jesus Christ
The Bible proclaims Jesus as the divine Son of God and the Christ (Messiah) who fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. Key points include:
- Jesus is fully God and fully man, the second person of the Trinity (John 1:1, 14).
- Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, and spoke divine truth (Matthew 1:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Acts 2:22; John 14:6).
- Jesus died on the cross as a substitute sacrifice for human sin, rose physically from the dead, and ascended to heaven (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
- He is the only way to God, the mediator between God and man (John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5).
- He will physically return to establish His kingdom over a renewed creation (Revelation 21-22).
Jesus is the central figure of the Bible and Christian faith – the long-awaited Messiah who brings salvation through His death and resurrection.
Salvation
The Bible reveals God’s redemptive plan for rescuing humanity from sin and death. Core teachings about salvation include:
- Salvation is only through Jesus Christ and cannot be earned by good works or self-effort (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- One must repent of sin, believe in Christ, and receive God’s grace through faith in order to be saved (Acts 2:38; 3:19).
- Regeneration and indwelling of the Holy Spirit enable believers to live a godly life (Titus 3:5; Romans 8:9).
- God adopts those He saves into His family as His children (Romans 8:15).
- Salvation results in eternal life with God after death for the believer (John 3:16).
- Those who reject Christ face judgment and eternal separation from God (Revelation 20:11-15).
The Bible reveals a God-designed plan to redeem a broken world and restore humanity to right relationship with the Creator.
Christian Living
Scripture gives direction on how followers of Christ should live. Key instructions for Christian living include:
- Loving God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:29-30).
- Pursuing holiness, righteousness, and avoidance of sin (1 Peter 1:15-16).
- Loving one’s neighbor as oneself (Mark 12:31). Loving and forgiving others (1 John 4:11).
- Using one’s gifts to serve God and others (1 Peter 4:10).
- Spreading the gospel through word and deed (Matthew 28:19-20).
- Living by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17).
- Participating in the church through worship, fellowship, giving, and spiritual gifts (Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 12).
The Bible gives wisdom and instruction for all aspects of Christian living in faithfulness to God.
End Times
The Bible prophesies the return of Jesus Christ and coming events of the end times. Major prophecies include:
- Increased wickedness, tribulation, and persecution precede Christ’s coming (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).
- Jesus will return visibly in power and glory to judge the earth (Matthew 24:29-31).
- There will be a resurrection of the dead – believers to eternal life, unbelievers to eternal punishment (John 5:28-29).
- Satan will be defeated and cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
- God will purge the old corrupt world with fire and recreate a new heavens and new earth (2 Peter 3:10-13).
- Believers will dwell with God forever in the new creation (Revelation 21:3-4).
These prophecies depict Christ’s eventual triumph over all evil, death, and suffering when He returns to establish God’s perfect kingdom.
Interpreting the Bible
Here are some key principles Christians follow when studying and interpreting the Bible:
- Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to correctly understand the meaning (1 Corinthians 2:14).
- Interpret Scripture in context – literary, historical, cultural (Isaiah 7:14).
- Let clearer passages shed light on more obscure ones.
- Consider the author’s intended meaning, not just your own ideas.
- Scripture interprets Scripture – use cross-references (1 Corinthians 2:13).
- Look for the author’s flow of thought and main goal.
- All interpretations must align with Christ’s teachings (Luke 24:27).
- Apply sound exegesis using word studies, commentaries, etc.
Proper biblical interpretation recognizes Scripture’s divine inspiration while using scholarly methods to find the intended meaning. This should guide doctrine and practice.
The Bible’s Transforming Impact
For 2000 years, the Bible has powerfully impacted lives worldwide. Consider:
- The Bible is history’s best-selling and most translated book, with distribution in the billions.
- Scripture has inspired great literature, art, music, reforms, and moral movements.
- Lives have been radically changed from heinous sin or unbelief to righteousness and faith through encounter with Scripture.
- Believers have found deep peace, comfort, and strength through God’s word in trials (Psalm 119:50).
- Revival and missionary movements have spread where access to the Bible has increased.
- Archaeological finds have repeatedly confirmed the Bible’s reliability.
In life-changing ways, the living Word of God “is sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible is the Spirit-inspired, authoritative guide for Christian living.
