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The BibleThe Bible is God’s written revelation of Himself to humanity. It consists of 66 separate books penned by at least 40 individuals on multiple continents over roughly a 1,500 year period, spanning the latter part of the Bronze Age to the early years of the Roman Empire.
The Bible’s claim as the genuine word of God is recognized through its historical and prophetical accuracy, supporting its own testimony that its writers were chosen and inspired by the Holy Spirit, meaning that God Himself provided the content and the writers transcribed what they received. Despite the varied backgrounds, cultures, places, and time periods in which the writers lived, their constituent texts form a seamless historical account and a consistent explanation of God and His dealings with humanity.
God has ensured the integrity of the Bible we have in our possession today by providentially guiding its compilation and preservation throughout the ages. Though the original, inerrant, infallible texts are believed to no longer exist, their fundamental truth claims and essential doctrines have persisted in a long, documentable chain of faithful manuscripts and translations. Outlier versions that deliberately mistranslate the text or stray from that which has been codified in the historically-received canon of scripture are easily recognized by comparison. As a result of God’s ultimate administration, the Bible stands intact to this day as His genuine, complete, authoritative word.
Many of the Bible’s accounts, assertions and predictions have been corroborated through documented history, archeological and scientific discovery, and the passage of time. Over the centuries, nothing it contains has ever been disproven, attesting further to its trustworthiness as a source for everything that is essential to know about God, His character, His creation, His expectations, man’s purpose, and the necessity and path for redemption.
The Bible confirms the separation between God and man and reveals that the cause of it is rooted in the issue of holiness—specifically, the incompatibility of God’s infinite holiness with man’s sinful nature. The redemption of man—to the purpose of spiritual reconciliation with God for all of eternity—is the most important message we can receive and is the major theme of the Bible. Since the time that the earthly ministry of the apostles ended, scripture alone has stood as the source of this critical revelation.
Reading and studying the Bible helps us begin to understand the character and will of God, and there is no endeavor that is more important or potentially rewarding. It is by scripture alone that we receive His special revelation: the gospel of Jesus Christ, the knowledge of our need for salvation, the act of grace that made it possible, and the one way we may attain it. Respond to God’s word with a sincere heart and receive His gift of redemption—by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Image: Bodmer Papyri, Papyrus 66, Gospel of John (detail)
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Most scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB)
