I will cover in the next blog post how we know the Bible is the true word of God. But first, let’s discover what the Bible is and what it says about itself.

Simply put, the Bible is God’s word.  Though it was written by humans (over thousands of years) and bears the marks of each person’s unique personality and perspective, they were all “carried along by the Hoy Spirit”.  The Bible is often called “inspired” because it was inspired by God’s Spirit

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.  II Peter 1: 21

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.  II Timothy 3: 16-17

Jesus says that God’s word, the Bible, is truth.  If we are living outside the bounds of scripture, we are living a lie!

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. John 17: 17

The Bible also speaks of its ability to be meaningful and convicting to each person and to adapt to them individually as they change (it refers to this as being “living” and “active”)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  Hebrews 4: 12

It contains everything that we need to know about who God is, who we are, why we are here and how we are saved (what it labels as “the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints”). In other words, it is the final and complete revelation from God to man, to which nothing would be added in the future.

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.  Jude 3

Our modern Bibles are divided into two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament

The Old Testament begins with God’s creation of the heavens and the earth and, after humans sinned, follows the family of people through whom God promised to bless all the earth through a coming Messiah.

  • In a very real sense, the Old Testament is a book about Jesus in that it points in an ever clearer and more detailed fashion to the coming King

The New Testament begins with the announcement of the birth of the long awaited King and the Gospels (the first four books of the New Testament) track Jesus’ life and ministry, showing how they line up with the prophecies of the Old Testament in maintaining one continuous story.

  • The remaining books of the New Testament explain how the church began through God’s guidance and support and how we are to live as Christians today.

The Bible validates itself as true and provides us everything we need to know about who God is, who we are and how we are to view and interact with the world. We talk to God through our prayers and He speaks to us through the Bible.