Description of the Holy Bible – Part 13

What The Bible Is Not
The Bible is not an amulet, charm, fetish, or anything to work wonders by its very presence alone, and it does not claim to be such. It does claim that if one will study and practise its teachings, he will see wonders worked in his life, both now and in the hereafter.

(2) The Bible is not a book of chronological events or an unbroken series of divine utterances. It was given, here a little and there a little, to many men through 18 centuries. (Isa. 28:9-11) But regardless of this, it forms a perfect unity. (3) The Bible is not a book of heavenly utterances in supernatural language; it is God’s revelation in the simplest human language possible. (4) The Bible is not a book of mysteries; it explains its so-called mysteries, and is so self-interpreting that no mystery remains. (5) The Bible is not a book that says one thing and means another. Generally, the passages have one simple meaning. In the few, which have a double meaning, this fact is quite clear, either from the verses themselves or from parallel passages. One cannot, as is sometimes said, get a thousand different meanings from the Scriptures. (6) The Bible is not a specimen of God’s skill as a writer or logician. It is a book written by men whom He used to record His revelation. The method was by giving them ways of expressing truth, and freedom in the use of their own language. What inspiration guarantees is unity of truth, (inerrancy) not sameness of words and expressions. (7) The Bible is not a book of systematic discourses on any one subject, but it does give divine information on practically every subject. One must collect together, from here and there, all God’s information through various writers, in order to know the whole truth. When this is done, there is perfect harmony, and everything which a man really needs to know about a subject is clear. (8) The Bible is not a book adapted to the tastes, customs, and habits of any one nation or people. It is not for any one age or period of time. It is a book to which all people in all ages can conform, and yet retain their own lawful customs and habits, which are not contrary to God’s will.

What The Bible Is
• The Bible is God’s inspired revelation of the origin and destiny of all things. Here, heaven is opened and the gates of hell disclosed. It is the traveller’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter.

• Christ is the thread woven through all the Scriptures, the central theme that binds them together. In Jesus, revelation passed from law to life, from a Book to a person. Now that Person gives the fullest meaning to the book. The more we know of the Bible, the more we will know of Jesus. One main purpose in wanting to understand the Bible better is not simply to gain knowledge, but to increase our knowledge of Him. The more we know Him the more we will want to live for Him.

• The Bible is in the most special sense the Word of God. It is the one and only published work of God. The Bible is God’s Word—God’s voice—God’s message—a divine and personal communication. The Bible reflects God’s opinions, God’s counsel, God’s commands, God’s desires, God’s warnings, God’s very mind. The Bible is not composed of man’s thoughts, which God uses to make His mind known.