Hello there! Like you, a lot of people have questioned, “What is the Bible?” Shall we investigate?
Given that the Bible is the book for everyone, everywhere, at all times, its name is appropriate. The word Bible is derived from Latin and Greek words that signify book. It is a book unto itself, unlike any other.
A total of sixty-six books make up the Bible. These consist of historical texts like Ezra and Acts, law books like Leviticus and Deuteronomy, poetry books like Psalms and Ecclesiastes, prophetic books like Isaiah and Revelation, biographies like Matthew and John, and epistles (formal letters) like Titus and Hebrews.
What is the Bible?
Over a span of 1500 years, the Bible was written by over forty separate human authors. Kings, priests, fisherman, government employees, farmers, shepherds, and physicians were among the writers.
Despite all of this variation, there is a remarkable unity that has recurring themes. The unity of the Bible stems from the reality that God is its ultimate author. The human authors of the Bible penned precisely what God instructed them to write, and the outcome was the flawless and pure Word of God. The Bible is inspired by God.
The Old Testament and the New Testament make up the two primary sections of the Bible. To put it briefly, the New is a man’s tale, while the Old is the story of a nation. God brought the man, Jesus Christ, into the world through the nation.
The establishment and upkeep of the state of Israel are chronicled in the Old Testament. God vowed to bless the entire world via Israel. God created the Davidic family as a family inside the country of Israel, through whom the blessing would be bestowed. One individual was then promised to come from David’s family and bring the promised blessing.
The New Testament describes the arrival of the promised man, known by the name of Jesus, who lived a sinless life, died in order to become the Savior, and rose again to fulfill the Old Testament predictions. The Bible revolves on Jesus; in fact, the entire text is about Him. The Old Testament foretells His arrival and establishes the conditions for His arrival. The New Testament tells the story of His arrival and mission to rescue our world filled with sin.
Jesus is more than a man; He is more than a historical figure. The world’s most significant event in history was the arrival of this God-man. God Himself took on human form in order to provide us with a comprehensible image of Himself. How does God seem? He resembles Jesus. Jesus is God manifested as a man.
In Summary, What is the Bible?
Man was created by God and given the ideal surroundings. Nevertheless, man disobeyed God and strayed from his divine nature. Due to sin, God cursed the earth, but he also started a plan to bring all of creation, including people, back to its former splendor.
About 2,000 BC, God called Abraham out of Babylonia and into Canaan as part of His plan of redemption. God prophesied that via one of their descendants, Jacob (commonly known as Israel), his son Isaac, and Abraham himself would benefit the entire world.
The family of Israel left Canaan and settled in Egypt, where they became a country around 1440 BC. Under Moses’ leadership, God delivered the descendants of Israel from Egypt and granted them possession of the promised country, Canaan. God established a covenant and gave the Israelites the Torah through Moses. They would flourish if they stayed obedient to God; if they followed idols, God would destroy their country.
Israel was established as a strong and formidable monarchy some 400 years later, during the rule of King David and his son, King Solomon. God assured David and Solomon that one of their descendants would be king forever. Following Solomon’s rule, Israel was split into two countries. Before God punished the ten tribes to the north for their idolatry, they lived for almost 200 years and were known as Israel. Around 712 BC, Israel was captured by Assyria.
Judah, the name of the two tribes in the south, persisted a little while longer before turning away from God as well. They were captured by Babylon in 600 BC.
God mercifully returned a small portion of the prisoners to Jerusalem, their own land, some 70 years later. About 444 BC, the capital was reconstructed, and Israel reestablished its status as a country. The Old Testament ends as a result.
About 400 years later, the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem marks the beginning of the New Testament. Jesus was the promised offspring of Abraham and David, the one who would carry out God’s design to bring creation back to life and rescue humanity.
Jesus dutifully finished what He started by dying in order to atone for sin and rising again. The foundation of a new covenant (testament) with the world is Christ’s death. Everyone who believes in Jesus will be delivered from sin and granted eternal life.
Following His resurrection, Jesus dispatched His disciples to proclaim the good news of His life and salvific abilities worldwide. Jesus’ followers dispersed the good news of redemption and Jesus in every direction. They traversed the entirety of the Roman Empire as well as Greece and Asia Minor.
The last words of the New Testament foretell Jesus’ second coming, when he will judge the world of unbelievers and lift the curse off of creation.