The Bible is the best-selling and most read book of all time. So far, it has been translated into over 1700 world languages. The Bible is different from other books. Usually books are the fruit of one author. However, the Bible has been written by at least 40 people, over 1500 years, in several different countries, in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
The Bible originates in the Middle East, where the roots of human civilization are.
It is a unique message that God has sent to people. It therefore does not prove the existence of God, but takes it as a finished fact (as it would not be normal for the author of a book to prove its existence, because it goes without saying). The Bible’s messages are all-encompassing: they apply to all people at all times, because they concern the eternal truths. Truth cannot really be understood in any way other than through the revelation of our Creator in His Word. This means that proper theological education is the basis for every other upgrade of knowledge. The Bible answers all the essential questions of life, and the deeper we study, the wider our perspectives are, including the knowledge and appreciation of all other things in this world and beyond. The importance of knowing God and His will cannot be overstated, because not only the quality of our present life, but also the future promised eternal life depends on it.
In addition, the Bible contains clear and radical revelations regarding human existence and destiny, which are not found in any other book. Jesus Christ himself, recognized as the promised Savior, made powerful statements, which leave no room for compromise and which may simply be either the most sacred truths or the greatest lies that human race has ever heard. But He confirmed everything He said in action in such testimony and in accordance with the demonstration of truth that all doubts remain in the domain of malice.
When asked why we prefer the Bible among all the so-called scriptures, we can summarize the answer in a few lines:
- The Bible corresponds to logic, science, experience, known history, conscience and common sense. It is accurate and reliable in several different respects: a great deal of scientific evidence confirms the Bible; prophecy (prophecy) confirms the Bible; it is textually authentic and demonstrable as attested by the oldest manuscripts discovered; it is historically witnessed not only by Jews and people who lived in the time of Jesus Christ, but also by relevant historians.
- The Bible reveals a transparent Creator and Savior, who clearly declares Himself.
- God Himself bears testimony that this is His Word, which the Son of God Jesus Christ himself has affirmed.
- Morally and ethically, the Bible is superior to other literature.
- Biblical truth is practical. It is the perfect and applicable response to one’s spiritual needs. It tells our minds how to properly use our will and to preserve ourselves from evil in moments of temptation. It provides a reasoned answer, not to the unimportant, but to the essential needs of our being. In its essence, truth is good because it reveals God’s love for us (but not for our sins and self-righteous ideas). By reflecting on the expediency (meaning) of its science, we also recognize the willingness of truth to withstand any criticism and rethinking. We accept the truth because we understand it, not because we get some sign that it is. Based on the meaning of what has been said, we judge the correctness of the speaking authority.
- The Bible has the power to radically affect our lives; hence it follows that it is the living Word of God.
- Although the Bible is a compilation of the work of some 40 different writers, its unity is fascinating.
- The Bible is almost perfectly preserved over time.
- Bible writers were mostly persecuted or challenged personalities for what they were revealing.
Tips for Beginners
At first reading, the Bible can seem like a complicated, difficult to understand, and boring book. Don’t be distracted by these impressions.
A susceptive, open and humble access is very important. Do not use the Bible to prove your own prejudices or the attitudes of your favorite authorities. Why? For He who really is the Authority tells us. But how can we know that it is not false? This comes with time, because God puts himself to the test, to reconsider, as opposed to false authorities (especially religious ones). We can simply say, “God, if you have it, prove to me that this is your message to me.” If we honestly seek the truth from the heart, we will definitely get it. It will appeal to our reason, conscience, experience will communicate to us through science, history, sociology… in fact it will connect complete knowledge into one big meaningful mosaic. It will also open up spiritual perspectives for what we do not perceive with our senses.
Finally, on a subjective level, we will become incomparably better and better quality people. The ones who know exactly what life priorities are, and who are very difficult to deceive and deceive in any way. Such measurable results do not exist in any other ideology or religion. But keep in mind that this is not desirable for the system that mostly likes you to be spiritually and mentally drugged (doses adjust to your profile and personality potentials).
An ideologically constructed person has a reasonable religion, whose classic “religious” aspect consists in the simple confidence that God will fulfill all his promises, the most important of which – the final realization of the Salvation Plan – belongs to the future. By socializing with the Bible, you will inevitably reach that point, with subjective experiences varying from one individual to another.
Here are some basic principles for reading and studying the Bible:
Who’s talking? In what context? To whom is the message addressed? Is it a direct revelation of God, a message through illustrations, visions, prophecy? We need to learn to think, to distinguish between topics and terms, and subjects and priorities.
The Bible contains numerous descriptions of historical events, some of which may seem strange because of the mixing of supernatural powers as well as individual experiences. How and why did it come about? Did these persons act in God’s will? Does God approve of the described forms of action? What lesson and message do these events have for us?
In short, analytical thinking that we need for a set of tools. These tools consist in reasonably distinguishing between things, and certain foreknowledge. In order to understand the Bible, we must acquire other knowledge, especially in the history, culture of ancient peoples, and languages. But most important is the spiritual enlightenment given by the Author himself (see John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:11, 14; Psalm 119:18; Solomon 2: 3-5; Ephesians 1:17; Luke 8:11; John 6 : 63, 68…).
When you acquire a certain notion of the Bible and its content, the best way to study it is through thematic units, bearing in mind its key message, which we discussed in the introductory section. What is the plan of salvation, what does God save us from, how do we know that we need salvation, the origin and consequences of sin, who Jesus Christ is, what qualifies him as the Savior of mankind, what are the prophecies and why they are given, what kinds of prophecies are found in The Bible, how man was made and what elements, what is the difference between life and death, why death is an integral part of human experience, is there an afterlife, what is the law of God, and what kind of law is mentioned by the Bible, what is the nature and character of the Bible? What is the Spirit of God, are there angels and demons, who is Lucifer or Satan, whether he is a real being or a metaphor, what religious service does God approve of, how will God judge humanity, whether there is paradise and hell, what is meant by a new born. etc. The point is to consolidate biblical texts that speak to the same subject, which is the method used by Jesus himself (see Luke 24: 25-27)!
Is it wise to ask others for explanations if something is not clear to us in the Bible, and there will certainly be cases like this? Yes, but on condition that you know the person to whom the Bible is an authority, not the dogmas and opinions of various religious institutions and their distinguished representatives, in obvious or covert conflict with God’s revelation. Otherwise, it would be like asking for money to borrow from a forger. Logically, sooner or later, with such “capital” you will be blown away.
Do not expect everything to be immediately clear to you, because no one has that capacity, especially not when we consider our mental, spiritual and physical impairments and retardation from the effects of sin. Just as the process of true physical healing is done by stopping and restoring the mechanisms that led to the illness, which requires identification of the causes of the illness, similarly spiritual healing is also a process that God can drastically accelerate if the needs of the individual require it. In both cases, our willing consent to complete treatment is necessary.
Finally, do not calculate as petty traders what you gain and what you lose on a short-term basis.
The author of the Bible is the Source of Life and your best Friend
Friendship is created through getting to know each other and gaining trust. And that takes time and companionship. A true friend is one who wishes us really well, who is willing to sacrifice for us, who loves us steadily, who leads us to life instead of death. It is our Creator and Redeemer, our Father in the full sense of the word. Is it fair to ignore and reject His Scripture? Or subordinate it to false ideological and religious “epistles” by those who cannot even help themselves and who want to manipulate and use us for their selfish ends? Nobody can do this check for you.