The Bible is the #1 best seller in the world and has deeply influenced people in the past as well as the present. But is it really worth believing? Is the Bible truly God’s Word, or is it a work of fiction? Is it merely a piece of literature? A historical record? How was it made? What is the Bible, exactly?
Everyone has different experiences with the Bible. Some people have very personal, spiritual experiences with the Bible. Others may have only considered it on an intellectual or literary level. And some have almost no experience, if any, with the Bible; this is definitely true for people in Japan. Regardless of what you might think of it, the Bible is absolutely integral to the Christian faith. But why? What makes it so important?
Simply put, the Bible is “one unified story that points to Jesus” (thanks, BibleProject). Jesus is the focus throughout the whole Bible—from page one to the last page. But how can that be? Jesus doesn’t appear until the New Testament, right? Jesus does, in fact, appear throughout the Old Testament, just not in the way you might expect. We can look at how the Bible was made to better understand Jesus’ continuity throughout the Scriptures.
General Facts About the Bible
The Bible consists of 66 books in total and has two sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible, was written approximately between 1200 and 165 BC, and makes up 39 books.
The Old Testament first addresses the origin of creation and sin, and follows the history of humanity and their rebellion against God. The New Testament takes the last 27 books and was written in the first century AD. The New Testament covers the life of Jesus, the start of the early church, and the solution for sin in the death and resurrection of Jesus. As for who wrote the Bible, it was written by about 40 authors, 35 of whom can be identified by name. Some of the authors remain unknown to this day.
The Word of God
But the Bible is called “the Word of God,” right? How does that work? Let’s look at 2 Peter 1:21.
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.
2 Peter 1:21
God used all of these writers in their humanity to write the Bible. These authors don’t make up stories and write them as fiction. What they write is true because it is from God, not themselves.
When you read the Bible, you’ll notice differences in writing styles, content, and thematic focus with every writer. However, everything in the Bible connects to each other. If you pay attention, the authors are constantly referencing other parts of the Bible. These authors, while using their own human abilities and gifts, are led by God’s Spirit through every writing decision. This shows the continuity in God’s Word and Spirit, despite the difference in time, people, place, and historical context.
The Bible is not a work of fiction, and though written by many people across different times, it is simultaneously completely inspired by God.
The Bible According to Jesus
But isn’t the Bible just a bunch of laws? Or isn’t it full of Jesus’ teachings? Let’s see what Jesus says about the Bible in Luke 24.
Now he said to them, “These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Luke 24:44
Jesus mentions the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (also known as “other writings”). This is how Jesus and the Jews organized the Old Testament. They are separated by genre. The Bible is a book, and books have literary styles and genres. Since the Bible consists of several books written by a variety of authors, it’s natural for different styles to be used.
Literary Styles of the Bible
The Bible consists of 3 main three literary styles: narrative, poetry, and discourse. Narratives are told like stories, with characters, setting, events, and plot. This would be like the historical books of the Old Testament. Poetry includes songs, metaphor, and allegory. Many prophecies in the Bible are written as poetry. And discourse is written communication that states an idea or concept without using a story or poetic elements. This would be like the letters in the New Testament.
We recognize that these genres and styles are different. You can’t read poetry as literally as history. And you can’t always find an argument in a story like you can in discourse. Moreover, these books were written thousands of years ago. Their poetry, discourse, and historical stories come from a different context and standard than ours. When we read the Bible, we need to understand 1) what kind of literary style is being used, and 2) how the historical context and standards of these authors are different from ours. We have to approach the Bible from the perspective of the original author and audience. This way, we can better understand what God is trying to say.
The Purpose of the Bible
So, what’s the purpose of the Bible? How does it connect to us now? How should we think about the Bible as we read it?
When we read the Bible, it’s important to remember that it all points to Jesus. God created all things, including humans, so we could share in God’s love and work alongside God. But humanity rebelled against God by following our own ideas of good and bad instead of God’s. This was the original sin. All throughout the Bible, we see this pattern of rebellion and sin over and over again. But God also promises a Savior that will crush sin for us by dying in our place, so that we may be reconciled with God and have eternal life. This promise is continually repeated throughout the Bible; it’s the overarching story.
As Jesus said in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” The biblical scriptures “bear witness” about Jesus. Jesus is saying that the whole Bible is about him.
A Unified Story about Jesus
As mentioned before, the Bible is “one unified story that points to Jesus.” From the first page of the Old Testament to the last page of the New Testament, we need to ask, “How does this point to Jesus?” This will help to inform us on how to interpret what we’re reading, how it connects to other parts of the Bible, and more importantly, how it applies to our own lives.
The Bible is not just a handbook on how to live a good life. Nor is it just a law book that tells us what is right and wrong. The Bible is full of stories, history, laws, poetry, letters, sermons, prophecies, and teachings. And all of it is directly from God, written through the lens of human authors who were inspired by God’s Spirit at different times in history. It is full of truth and wisdom for living the life God intended for us, and it tells us the way of salvation through Jesus.
To summarize, I will leave you with a passage from 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 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.
2 Timothy 3:15-17