"I Have Questions About the Bible!"
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"Isn't the Bible really old?"
The earliest parts of the Bible were written around 1400 BC by Moses. Moses and those who wrote the Bible came from a highly literate society, and were able to write what they knew to preserve it for us. They also came from a culture that valued oral tradition. Moses wrote about things that happened in the beginning, when the world was created, but there was a dependable oral tradition that Moses partly used to write down what happened in the centuries before he lived. Yes, the Bible is old, but there are many other ancient documents that historians rely on and treat as valuable and reliable! Being old doesn't mean the Bible isn't true.
We also believe that God "inspired" men what to write, so that the Bible is not something that contains the words of men, but that it IS the Word of God.
"How do we know there aren't a lot of mistakes in the Bible, made along the way?"
The Bible was not written as one book, but was written as 66 individual books, and later compiled into one book. Only those books that were confirmed as "inspired" by God were included in the "canon" (the rule) of Scripture. The Bible was also copied again and again by many different kinds of people over the millennia.
Yes, there are differences between certain manuscripts. On one, an "n" appears, but on another one, it is absent. But if you look at all the manuscripts (and there are many), you can determine the wording and see what the original writers meant to say.
On top of that, scribes were absolutely careful to copy out the manuscripts most of the time. It wasn't like a childhood game of "telephone" at all. God was behind it all to make sure we have exactly what was first written.
"Where Should I Start Reading the Bible?"
You might think that, like every book, you should start at the beginning! But since the Bible is a collection of books, it might be wise to start at a particular book, rather than reading all the way through. Yes, there are things in certains parts you won't know until you read what comes before, but for the most part, there are good things you can glean wherever you pick up.
For those who have never read through the Bible before, we would recommend starting with the Gospel of John. It is one of four stories about Jesus' miracles and His teachings. Two other books that are great for understanding who God is and how He thinks of us are Proverbs and Romans.
If you don't have a Bible, we would love to send you one!
"Why Is It Important To Read The Bible?"
Since the Bible is God's Word, it tells us important things He wants us to know.
- It tells us about who we are
- It tells us about who our Creator is
- It tells us the way the world works
- It tells us humanity's problems
- It tells us what we can do to solve our problems
The Bible is God's revelation of HImself to us. Our great purpose in life is to know Him, and the Bible is what God wants to tell us about Himself. In it, we see His heart: His love, compassion, justice, mercy, and wrath for sin. In it, we see our own problems and what can be done to solve them. God wants you to know His Word and start to implement some of the principles in it into your life.
Start growing! Start building!
"What If I Can't Understand The Bible?"
There are many resources for understanding and implementing the Bible into your life.
The first resource is a church. A good church is one where the Bible is taught and preached as an autority. FInd a church where they take the Bible seriously and love it.
The second resource is other Christians who can study the Bible with you. In Acts 8, a man is asked "Understandest thou what thou readest?" His answer: "How can I, except some man should guide me?" The best resources are in person, even though there are great resources online.
The third resource is the Holy Spirit, who moves into your heart when you are born again and converted. He helps us understand and apply the Bible!
