Untangling

You walk into a old, cramped book room. Evening sunset, rosy and soothing, shreds itself on the antique wallpapered walls. The air is dancing with dust as you survey bookcases loaded with tales of old, classical literature. It is a room that has every book, every work famous to man. Aristotle, Homer, Dickens, Rowling, Shakespeare…Masterpieces. Literary wonders. You pick up “Hamlet,” good but not too controversial. You pick up “Moby Dick,” great description. You cough upon the dust and then you find a Bible. It sits among the books. It looks just like all the others. But somehow, its different. An emblem of life itself. Shining gold words. Holy Bible.
People love the Bible. People hate the Bible. People get worried about using the Bible. People write songs about the Bible. People burn the Bible. People treasure the Bible. The book is controversial.

The number one seller in the world, the Bible somehow stands out. But why is that? What is the Bible exactly? It is just a book? What is the Bible all about? Does its content reveal something more?

Written by 40 different authors over a time period of 1500s years, the Bible is a hefty book. It was not one man who wrote it, as with many authors of literature. It was lots of people, lots of people believing the same things, contributing through one God.

The Hebrew Scriptures, or the Old Testament, tells of creation and the rules of God. It tells of humanity’s failings and God’s wrath, God’s love, people’s lives. Stories and stories of God working in people’s lives. You know of David and Goliath, Adam and Eve, Daniel, Ruth, Esther. The Old Testament shows us how God interceded in these people’s lives and still intercedes in ours today…But the Old Testament is much more than a jumble of accounts. It foreshadows a savior, many passages having prophesies matching up with Jesus’ life. The manna that fell from the sky, the sacrificial lamb…all symbols of the Jesus from the New Testament.

The New Testament is all about Jesus. A testament is a covenant, a promise. God’s new testament was Jesus and his sacrifice. The four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have stories and eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ time on earth, the concepts he taught, the death he faced. Most of the other books in the New Testament are written by Paul. Once spiteful, hater, mass killer of Christians, he became a strong spiritual, Christian model. The books encourage people, once they have accepted Christ, to continue on in their faith. They are tools piercing the heart, feeding the truth that is capable of eternal life. That Jesus died. Our sins are forgiven. No longer are we measured strictly by the intense scale of the Old Testament. We are measured by Christ’s death. He died so that we might live fully.

The Bible is God’s story, His word and His promise. It is not just a silly piece of make believe. So many people wrote with the same goal. It was canonized very strictly and carefully, prayerfully. Try putting together a book like the Bible today and you will get contradictions piled up quickly.

The Bible is not magical. But its main promise is a miracle.

Jesus. His Death. Eternal Life. Freedom from sin. God’s love.

Next time you find a dusty old room, find the dusty Bible sitting on the shelf. It is not just a compilation of stories. It reaches into the heart and finds the meaning of life. The text reads differently for believers. You have to understand fully the blessings of God before you can find joy in the word of God.

So find a Bible. Wipe off the dust. You might find it is much more than a good book.

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Bible Study Blog