The Bible is a book that pretty much everyone has heard of, yet many have never read it. It is comprised of 66 books, divided into two major parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The Old testament begins with the 5 books of law, also known as the Torah, which are common between Christianity and Judaism. The rest of the Old Testament contains the remaining 41 books, which include history, poetry, and the books of the prophets. In summary, it gathers together all of the writings and prophecies that happened before the birth of Jesus.
The New Testament on the other hand starts with the four Gospels recounting the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ, written by two of his disciples, and two believers who were not disciples. Following the Gospel are one book of history (Acts), many letters (mostly written by the Apostle Paul), and one book of prophecy which is called the Revelation. This last book tells us what is to come.
Broadly speaking, the Bible is structured in such a way that it explains what occurred in the past, helps us navigate what is happening today, and points us towards what will play out in the future.
Now, I can totally see how this would seem like a bold statement, especially from the point of view of someone who is not a Christian. What gives Christians the audacity to believe that what the Bible says is even real? That what they believe is the truth? Why is another religion not true? What about atheism? Those are all valid questions, but hear me out.
If you were chatting with a friend and she recommended a book that really helped her and/or changed her life, you might consider checking it out, right? What if it recently made it on the New York Times best seller list? All the more reason to read it since it adds credibility. One would assume that the longer it stays on the list the more reliable it becomes, so any initial hesitations you may have would eventually vanish as you see the book on the list for weeks, months or even years.
You get the point. :)
Now let’s say that the book has been a best-seller for nearly 90 years, since the inception of the New York Times best seller list in 1931, and that in fact it is so popular that a decision was made to not include it on the list. Moreover, imagine millions of people had read it and testified to how it changed their life.
That book exists and it is the Bible.
In 1995, it was estimated that the Bible had sold 5 billion copies worldwide. Each year, 100 million Bibles are sold or given away. This would make the Bible the most successful literary creation of all time. I don't know about you, but when I found out, it gave me chills. Anyone else?
What's ironic is that In the 1800s, Voltaire predicted that the Bible would soon become a museum piece, and would be replaced by some more updated philosophies. This couldn’t be farther from the truth: today, the Bible remains top of the best-seller list. In comparison, the best-selling secular book series in history, Harry Potter, has sold approximately 500 million copies. That's only 10% of the number of copies of the Bible.
This should really come to no surprise for Christians, since it is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew that"
¶ “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations.” [Matthew 24:14, ESV]
Indeed, it was foretold that the message of the Gospel (meaning good news) would reach to all nations.
We need to remind ourselves that this was at a time when only a few hundred people knew about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, within a confined location on earth. They did not have social media or internet like we do today. Can you imagine how radical the message must have been to be able spread so rapidly and eventually transcend space and time?
Let me leave you with these parting words today: many books can inform you, but only the Bible can transform you. This has been true in my life and I know I am not an isolated case.
See you next week for part 2, a deep dive into the historical credibility of the Bible. :)
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I too got chills when I read that the Bible is the most successful literary creation of all time. Amazing!