In my last post I encouraged you toward daily Bible reading. Here it is 6 weeks later and I wonder if you have begun to develop that habit. I'm not asking for confessions! That will be between you and God. However, since I wrote that I have jotted down a few headings on what the Bible is so I will make the next 4 blogs about different things that the Bible is.
Recently I half-jokingly suggested to a friend that he might like to read the Bible to his poor-sighted wife. She is a believer and he is not, and every now and then I 'push his button' just to tease, but also to get him to think. That day his cheeky response was, "I don't read novels!"
If there is one thing I absolutely know for sure it is that the Bible is NOT a novel. The (Protestant) Holy Bible is an amazing collection of 66 books, by almost as many writers, spanning centuries. It is divided into 2 parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The Old Testament covers the story of God's chosen people, the Israelites, who were direct descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It also contains elements of history, poetry and prophecy. The New Testament is the story of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and his followers. It finishes with the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the apostle John and tells of how this world will pass away and be replaced by a new earth ruled by Jesus Christ.
In recent years many people have worked on various translations of the Bible in order to make it more easy to read. Some are good, others are not so good. I generally use the New King James Version (NKJV), New International Version (NIV) and the New Living Translation (NLT).
Why do I say that the Bible is truth? Because I believe that it is the Word of God; the God who created the heavens and the earth and gave us a written account of it. The God who created us (and all who have walked this earth before us), who has given us his words to instruct and guide us in how to live a full and satisfying life on this earth.
Not only that, he is God who promised to send his Son to this earth as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. From the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God's one command to them, sin became a barrier between us and God. From that time sin was part of every person born. We were separated from God by the barrier of sin which could only be broken down by a perfect man, one who never sinned. That man was Jesus Christ. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,
There are so many reasons why I believe that the Bible is Truth; one of the main ones is because so many prophecies given in both the Old and New Testaments have been fulfilled, to the letter, in amazing ways through the centuries. There are 351 Old Testament prophecies that have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone. Check this out https://www.newtestamentchristians.com/bible-study-resources/351-old-testament-prophecies-fulfilled-in-jesus-christ/
Next time I will give you some more of what the Bible is and what it contains. Happy reading!
Prayer: Dear God, please help me to have a desire to study and understand your Word. Amen
