4 Things Everybody Needs to Know About the Bible

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i-knowWhen I think of all the important theological truths that we Christians need to understand, I have to begin with teaching about the Bible. If we know the textbook well, even have it memorized, but the textbook has errors, then our knowledge is flawed.

So as we begin this journey on Fridays looking at essential doctrines about which believers should be knowledgeable, we begin with the Bible. God’s Word is our standard for truth and there are four things about the Bible we need to understand before we can learn about the other important truths.

  1. The Bible is the Word of God.

The Bible is not just a word from God, it is the word of God. In 2 Timothy 3:16 Paul tells us that all Scripture is inspired by God. To day God’s Word is inspired is not to say that it inspired like a modern work of art, poetry, or song. The word literally means to be breathed out by God. God is the source of the Bible.

The Bible contains 66 books written over a 1600-year span by 40 authors from 3 different continents. These authors include shepherds, kings, scholars, fishermen, a priest, a butler, and a even a military general. In spite of all of that, the Bible maintains a unique unity from beginning to end. It is a redemptive story from creation, through fall, and continuing in redemption, leading up to our ascension to Heaven.

All the words and each individual word in the Bible comes from God.

  1. The Bible is our ultimate source of authority.

In 2 Timothy 3:17, Paul asserts that the Bible produces a mature person, perfectly equipped for EVERY GOOD work. The Bible’s teaching is comprehensive. It contains all we need to know to live obedient lives and in obeying it, we are made complete and enable to handle what comes our way in life.

  1. Bible truth is timeless and always relevant.

In Psalms 119, David tells us that the Bible will keep our way pure (vs 9), keep us from sin (vs 11), and give direction and guidance (vs 105).

Isaiah 40:8 reminds us that unlike flowers and grass, God’s Word does not fade, go dormant, or disappear.

While others claim the teaching of the Bible are foreign to today’s culture, we realize that the Word should inform, instruct, and guide our living in our contemporary culture. What God said was TRUTH then is still TRUTH today.

  1. Obeying the Bible leads to a successful life. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 19:10-11, Matthew 7:24-27)

Self-proclaimed secrets to success change with every generation, but God’s Word has stood the test of time. We can trust God’s Word to guide us directly down a path to the success that God has for us.

Our knowledge of God, His Son Jesus, and all other important Christian doctrines are only as reliable as our source for that knowledge. You can trust that we have a sure and certain Word of God that reveals all He desires us to know.

2 thoughts on “4 Things Everybody Needs to Know About the Bible”

  1. G.B. Howell, Jr

    Jim, good word here about the Word. I especially love that God’s Word is always relevant. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 119:89, “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (NIV) —or— as KJV says, “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” I LOVE that! I want to set the course of my life on something that is eternally settled – not by flawed man man – but in Heaven – by our eternal Father. That’s why it is always relevant – its truths are settled and therefore forever unchanging.

    • jimdug12

      Thanks for comments. I love that verse in Psalm 119 too – the whole Psalm is a great one about the Word of God. It is so much easier to please the One who has given us an eternal, unchanging word than to please the ever-changing, fickle meanderings of culture.

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