Bible

WHAT IS THE BIBLE EXACTLY?

1.1. INTRODUCTION

This bible is our compass and guide to eternal life. It is important to know what is the Bible and why the Bible is important.

There is no book that is as easily misunderstood as God’s word. So what is the bible actually? The word Bible comes from the word τὰ βιβλία (biblía), which means books in Greek since it is not only one book, but consists of many books.

It is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and New Testament. The difference between the Old and New Testament is that the Old was written before Jesus Christ came to the earth, and the New was written after Jesus came to the world. The Old Testament in the Bible was originally written in Hebrew and consisted of 39 books, and the New Testament in the Bible was written in Greek and consisted of 27 books that make up a total quantity of 66 books. The 39 books relating to the Old Testament were composed of between 1450 to 400 BC; the 27 books relating to the New Testament were written between ad 50 and 100 BC.

It tells us what happened in the past, and includes a historical record of events experienced by the Hebrew people, which archaeologists and historians can confirm. The Old Testament is mainly historical events, but there is also the book of proverbs that guides you on how to live your everyday life. The psalms are full of praises to say unto God and different kinds of prayers. It also tells us what will happen in the future. It is full of prophecies that have already happened and which are still going to happen. We see prophetic events which are still to occur in the book of Revelation.

 It tells you why we are here on earth and why our world is the way it is, especially the wickedness in the world, and provides the remedy for life’s problems. The bible will tell you about who God is and reveals His will for all of us and the plan of salvation of the human race.

Without it, we would not be aware that we are in a helpless condition and need a Savior. We would not understand what sin is and why there is so much suffering in the world.

A popular acronym for the Bible is Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.

It is better than any self-help book that you can ever get from any store. It is our compass and guide to eternal life.

1.2. WHO WROTE THE BIBLE BOOKS?

2 Timothy 3:16 says that God inspired the Bible. Men filled with the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, and the Holy Spirit inspired them to do so. The Spirit of God put what they should write in their minds, and these prophetic messages were gathered to form the Bible.

The book was authored by 35 writers who lived at different times, and some lived hundreds or even a thousand years apart. Some were fishermen, other shepherds, other kings, and others were physicians who allowed themselves to be God’s prophets. Amos 3:7 says that God will not do anything without first revealing it to His servants, the prophets.

1.3. WHY IS THE BIBLE IMPORTANT?

The Bible is also referred to as God’s Word and is a guide on understanding salvation. It also tells us about how to be close to God and have a relationship with Him. The following bible verses also tell us why the Bible is essential:

Most importantly, those who have read the God’s Word will tell you how it had transformed their lives into a better life. There are many testimonies of different Christians who talk about how they lived in a life of helpless addiction and overcame challenges and had their lives changed from misery to joy when they read God’s Word and became Christian.

1.4. JESUS AND THE BIBLE

One of the main reasons to know what is the bible is because it is important because it tells us is of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus and the bible cannot be separated because the bible talks about Him, and we told the following from these bible verses:

2. KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE SOONER

How can you understand the Bible more, especially the complex parts? How do you know what the correct interpretation is? How do you understand prophecy?

2.1. SOURCE OF BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING

We obtain wisdom and understanding from God (James 1:5). God inspires the scriptures, and He understands the Bible more than anyone you will meet (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore, the Bible should not be opened without prayer, and we should humbly ask what the meaning is of the Scripture that we are reading.

2.2. THE WORD OF GOD IS LIKE A SWORD

Hebrews 4:12 says that God’s word is sharper than a two-edged sword.

Before you decide to start reading the Bible, you need to accept that the Bible contains certain parts that are not appealing to read and what you might not want to read. In addition, you must accept that you will not always like what you read. The Bible tells you the truth and not what you want to hear.

Some parts of the Bible are wonderful to read because they talk about God’s love, how He protects us, and how He wants to bless us. But some parts of the Bible tell us that we need to stop doing certain things that we like to do and start doing things that we do not want to do.

These not so lovely parts feel like a sword, and when you read them, it feels like someone is cutting you, and you do not want to reread them.

An example is those parts that tell us that we are sinners and that we have to change. Many Christians do not want to read these types of bible verses, although there are a lot of them in the New Testament. We being under grace, is not an excuse to sin.

2.3. YOUR INTENTION AND ATTITUDE MATTERS

This might sound obvious, but if it is your intention to read the Bible, to criticize it. Then will never understand it. I have come across Christians who criticize God and also criticize the Bible. God will not give scoffers the correct understanding of the Bible.

You must also believe from the beginning that all of it is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). I have come across Christians who have stated that they believe that the Bible contains the word of God and that some of it is inspired and other parts are not inspired. Now, how do you know which part is inspired and which part is not? It is either all of it is inspired or none of it. A skeptic will never understand the Bible.

You must have the attitude that God wants you to understand the Bible and must be willing to change from the onset no matter what. You cannot be a Christian and live the same lifestyle as you did before becoming a Christian. God expects you to change, and the Bible will tell you what changes you need to implement to get eternal life.

2.4. GOD GIVES MORE KNOWLEDGE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO SHARE IT

God expects us to preach the gospel to everyone (Mark 16:15). The gospel is a teaching that is meant to be shared with others and not kept to ourselves.


Think about it? What is the point of God giving more understanding and knowledge about a particular subject to you, and only you are helped?


He would rather give understanding to someone who will share it with others. I am not saying that you would not be given any understanding, but He is more likely to provide more knowledge and understanding to someone who will share it with others. And someone who will not share his knowledge will probably get less of an understanding about the Bible. From my personal experience, I have found my understanding of the Bible increases because I shared it.


You do not have to know a lot to share or wait until you have accumulated a lot of understanding before you share. You can start sharing the little that you already know.


When you discuss the Bible with others, people will ask you questions, and it causes you to do more research and increases your understanding of the Bible.

2.5. THE FASTER YOU OBEY, THE QUICKER YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE

Matthew 7:6 says that we should not give what is holy to the dogs or cast pearls to the swine because they will trample them and turn and rend us.


This means that you should not give something that is of great value to someone who will not appreciate it. People who do not appreciate God’s word are those who do not obey it.


Matthew 7:24-27 says whosoever hears the words of Christ and does them is a wise man, and whosoever does not do the saying of Christ is a foolish man.


I have been reading the Bible for many years and have reread several parts of it over the years. Some parts of the Scripture can be understood the first time you read them, and there are parts that you will finally understand after several years. 


The Bible has many commandments other than the ten commandments that are mentioned in Exodus. The words in the Bible do not only tell you what you should do to get to heaven, but it also tells you how to behave and treat others while you are still on earth. You read most of this in the book of Proverbs and many parts in the New Testament.


I have noticed that my understanding of the Bible increased in proportion to the speed that I obeyed the Bible. The faster I obeyed and implemented what the Bible told me to do in my life, the faster I understood the Bible. When I read a specific portion of Scripture and obeyed it, God would then provide me with a better understanding of another part of Scripture or help me to come into contact with a preacher who understood that part of the Scripture more than anyone else. On the other hand, if I disobeyed a particular part of Scripture, then I would incorrectly interpret other parts of the Bible and keep coming across preachers who would provide me with the incorrect interpretation of that part of the Bible. 


Therefore God expects us to be doers of the word, not just read and hear about and then forget about it. (James 1:22-25) Your knowledge and understanding in proportion to how quickly you obey.


This is logical because if God gives you the correct understanding of a part of the Bible and do not obey it, why would you obey the second and third things God tells you.


God is also unlikely to provide thorough biblical knowledge to a person who lives a lifestyle that will take him to hell. Why would He? Doing so would be pointless and a waste of time since he will end up in hell at the end of his life. 


For example, why would God give a better understanding of the Bible to a man committing adultery? He is going to hell in any way, whether he has a better understanding or not. How will the additional understanding of the Bible help him?


Many people are going to disagree with the statement that I am going to say, but I will say anyway. The statement is that you will not understand the book of Revelation, the book of Daniel, or a lot of the prophecies in the Bible until you decide to keep the Seventh Day Sabbath. The book of Revelation is a book about choosing who you will worship, and the subject is linked to the Sabbath, but you do not realize this until you keep it.

2.6. THERE WILL BE PARTS THAT WILL TAKE LONGER TO UNDERSTAND

Obedience to God’s word and sharing it can help you understand most parts of the Bible sooner than most Christians. However, there are some parts of the Bible that you will understand through experience. 


For example, in Matthew 10:34-36, Christ said that he did not come to the earth to send peace, but a word. And further stated that a man would be against his father, daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. The man’s enemies will be people who are included in his household.


You will not understand this bible verse until you start to take the Bible seriously, especially if you decide to convert from atheism or another religion. 


The other thing that I have realized is that God gives you an understanding of certain parts of the Bible if He believes you can handle it. For example, there are certain parts of the Bible which I would not have been able to take seriously and implement in my life a few years ago because I lacked maturity. However, God later revealed the correct understanding after many years after I had matured, and it is was when I implemented it in my life.