The Bible is the Holy book that Christians live by. It is a spiritual book in which the Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to us. The Holy Spirit wrote it through divine inspiration and revelations to men. The Bible is the most beautifully written book you will ever read.
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The Bible is unique and spiritually uplifting because it is a gift from God that feeds our spirit when we read it. To read and understand it is to love it, and it is not a once-in-a-lifetime read; you will want and need to read it again and again. It is in-exhaustible if you allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the more profound revelations of Christ in its pages. The Bible tells us how to live a Christian life. Before opening the Bible, say a simple prayer to God, asking Him to help you understand what you read and how to put it into practice.
The Bible reveal the one true living God and the work of the three persons of the Godhead - The Holy Trinity. The prophecies and revelation of Jesus Christ are contained in Old and New Testaments. Teachings on God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, grace and redemption are the central foci of the Bible. Jesus is revealed in the scriptures from beginning to end.
Many non-Christians believe men wrote the Bible and that it is just a storybook. They also think the stories are fictional and reject them as truths. Every story in the Bible is a factual narrative, not just a ‘good story’. It is our history book as well as our spiritual book.
The term Bible was first used in A.D. 400 and originated from the Greek word ‘Biblia’ meaning ‘rolls’ or ‘scrolls’, the primary writing material used by the Greeks at that time and was made from papyrus. The word ‘Bible’ means “Book of Books” or a “Collection of Books” and was written by many different scribes (writers of the time) under the inspiration and anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible comprises sixty-six books divided into two main sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the first section of the Bible and was initially written in Hebrew. However, some books of the Old Testament and some elements of the New Testament are recorded in Aramaic - the language that Jesus spoke. Most of the New Testament was written in Greek, the ordinary everyday language of that time.
The Old Testament or Old Covenant contains thirty-nine books (forty-six for the Catholics and other Orthodox denominations), starting with Genesis and ending with Malachi. Some books were written between the Old and New Testaments when God was silent on earth. The Holy Spirit did not inspire these books, so they have not been included in many versions of the Bible. They are known as the Apocrypha and are not part of the Hebrew Scriptures.
The Christian should aim to read the Bible daily, and it is not about how much you read but how much you understand. A verse or two a day will be invaluable to you. The Bible is available in many versions and on many mediums.
The Bible has been translated into hundreds of languages. For many years, the most accurate English version translated directly from the original Hebrew scrolls was the King James Version (KJV). Still, we now have other accurate versions translated from the original Hebrew scrolls. These include, The New King James Version (NKJV), The New American Standard Bible (NASB) and The Amplified Bible (AMP), among others.
There are many versions of the Bible, some actual translations from the original Hebrew scrolls, some transliterations, and some paraphrasing; you will need to decide which version works best for you. You can also get Audio Bibles and use Bible Apps to help you read and study the Bible.
Recommended Reading:
2 Timothy 3:13-17
1 Timothy 4:12-14
2 Peter 1:19-21
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