What is the Bible?

Jacqui Adewole 0:06

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time . It has shaped the laws and policies of many Western countries , influenced language , music and art . It continues to inspire millions of Christians around the world today . But what exactly is it ? What is the Bible ? If you're asking questions like these , stay tuned to this episode of the Bible Basics Podcast for answers and more discussion on what the Bible is and why it matters . Well , welcome everyone . I'm your host , Jacqui Adewole , and this is the Bible Basics Podcast . Here , weekly , we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable , bite-sized chunks .

The Bible is...

Jacqui Adewole 1:08

Have you ever wondered what makes the Bible so different from other books ? At first glance , it might look like any other book , but with its intimidating size , you may feel a bit overwhelmed . And with its stories talking about events that happened thousands of years ago , you might wonder if it's still useful today . But the truth is , people in every generation have found its message indispensable . Its influence on individuals and society over the centuries has been enormous . We're often told to read , study , memorize , meditate on and know the Bible , but rarely do we stop and actually explain what the Bible is . Well , i'm excited to share with you what I've learned , so let's dive in .

Jacqui Adewole 2:00

Most people think of the Bible as a book like a long and complicated novel , with too many oddly named characters and not enough plot . Pick up a Bible , look at it in your hand . No question about it , it's a book . But it's vastly more . The Bible is not a single book , but an anthology , a collection of many books , and , in a broader sense , it's not just an anthology of shorter works , but an entire library .

Jacqui Adewole 2:33

The Bible is a collection of 66 books that were written over a period of more than 1500 years . In a typical printed Bible , the longest book , Psalms , takes up more than 100 pages , while the shortest book , 2 John , is less than a page . It's divided into two primary sections The Old Testament , containing 39 books covering the time before Jesus . The second section is the New Testament , containing 27 books , which covers the period during and after Jesus' life . Beyond those two sections , the Bible contains several more divisions . The Pentateuch , which is the first five books , the historical books , the poetry and wisdom books , the books of prophecy , the Gospels and the letters , which are also referred to as the Epistles .

Bible Writers

Jacqui Adewole 3:30

And get this, more than 40 different people wrote the various books of the Bible in three different languages Hebrew , Greek and Aramaic . Seriously enough , none of the men who wrote the books of the Bible wrote for a living . Some of the writers were rich , some were poor . Among them were kings , poets , prophets , musicians , philosophers , farmers , teachers , a priest , a statesman , a sheepherder , a tax collector , a physician and a couple of fishermen . They wrote in palaces and in prisons , in great cities and in the wilderness , in times of terrible war and in times of peace and tranquility . Most of them were unknown to each other , and yet they chronicled the lives of good and bad people , battles and journeys , the life of Jesus and early church activity . They wrote in styles of stories , poems , histories , letters , proverbs and prophecies . Despite their diversity , when you examine them all , you discover that they all have a common theme—God's relationship with us , his creation , the human race .

Word of God

Jacqui Adewole 4:49

The Bible is the inspired Word of God . Theologians and scholars have argued endlessly about the question of how a book written by so many authors over so many centuries can possibly be inspired by God . Well , this is what I depend on . The Bible itself says that its words are God-breathed . Sometimes God told the Bible writers the exact words to say , but more often He used their minds , personalities , vocabularies and experiences to produce His own perfect , infallible , which means accurate and an errant , which means without error , his own , perfect , infallible and an errant Word . And that's what makes the Bible different from any other book . The Bible is not just a textbook or a book of abstract theology to be analyzed , discussed and understood only by highly educated theologians and experts . No , it's a book about real people and about a God who is real . The Bible tells the story of God's relationship with the masterpiece of His creation—people . It's an account of God revealing Himself to us , to you and me .

Jacqui Adewole 6:13

Thank you for joining me today at Bible Basics . I hope you found this episode informative and helpful . Before you go , i want to leave you with one thought . The Bible is not just a collection of stories or a historical record . It's a living , breathing testament to the power and love of God . Its words have the power to transform our lives , to heal our broken hearts and to bring us hope when we are feeling hopeless . If this has been beneficial to you , please subscribe or follow and tell someone else about the Bible Basics podcast . Thank you for listening and we'll talk again soon .