The Bible is one of the most influential books in the world. Christians often refer to it as ‘God’s Word’—seeing it as the most important book ever written and as an authority for their faith. Although the Bible is more than 3000 years old, Christians believe that God continues to speak to them through it—teaching, helping and guiding them, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to know and love him more and learn to walk in his ways.
The word Bible comes from a Greek word, biblos, which simply means book. However, the Bible is not one book but a collection of different books—66 in total—that speak about God and his redemptive plan for the world. This library was written over a long period of time, by about 40 different authors inspired by the Holy Spirit. It includes many different types of writing (genres) including history, prophecy, poetry and words of wisdom, laws, proverbs and letters.
It is important to understand that for Christians this is not just ‘a’ book but ‘The’ book, which reveals God’s big story of who he is, who we are and what he has done for us. It tells of his original creation and his promise to renew heaven and earth following its brokenness. And describes the fall and final restoration of sinful humanity accomplished through the death, resurrection and return of His Son—the Lord Jesus Christ.
The following three videos gradually dig deeper into this seemingly simple question—what is the Bible?