The Bible Matters

Do you own a Bible? DO you own more than one copy of it? I did a quick search, and I have at least 41 digital, distinct versions or translations of the Bible, and at least 10 distinct print versions or translations.

About the Bible

The Bible is Popular

The best-selling book of all time is the Christian Bible. It is impossible to know exactly how many copies have been printed in the roughly 1,500 years since its contents were standardized, but research conducted by the British and Foreign Bible Society in 2021 suggests that the total number probably lies between 5 and 7 billion copies.

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/best-selling-book-of-non-fiction

That is a staggering number! And according to data and trends, that number could be higher that 8 billion copies today!

The Bible ranks No. 1 annually when combining all sales and when comparing it to combined sales of other books. Nearly nine out of 10 (88 percent) Americans own a Bible, and they own an average of 4.4 copies of it, according to Barna.

What Do Americans Really Think About the Bible?

That is a staggering statistic!

That is not even counting all of the digital versions out there. The YouVersion bible app has over 755,573,452 app installs. And that is just ONE of hundreds of Bible apps out there.

According to the 2023 annual review of the YouVersion Family of Apps, which includes Bible App, Bible App Lite, and Bible App for Kids, Bible use and installs increased at higher rates than ever before in 2023.

Each month this year ranked among the highest months of use of all time in the 15 year history of YouVersion, both in downloads and daily usage.

Installs increased by over 100 million devices, breaking the previous record from 2020 of 76 million installs in one year. Meanwhile, daily Bible use grew by 20% compared to 2022, leading to about 12 million people engaging with the Bible each day.

https://evangelicalfocus.com/culture/24887/bible-installs-increased-by-over-100-million-devices-in-2023

I think one of the most encouraging tidbits from those reports is that daily reading is up. Not only do more people have the Bible, more people are reading it.

The Bible is the most translated book

According to Wycliffe Bible Translators, in September 2024, speakers of 3,765 languages had access to at least a book of the Bible, including 1,274 languages with a book or more, 1,726 languages with access to the New Testament in their native language and 756 the full Bible.

By Dec 22, 2024 there were 3,336 versions in 2,182 languages available digitally on bible.com, of which 2,181 are available audibly. There are also versions in 2,090 languages at faithcomesbyhearing.com and a similar number on the American Bible Society’s bibles.org.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bible_translations_by_language

The Bible is Controversial

While it is the #1 best seller of all times, and the most translated book in history, it is also a very controversial book in our day. It has repeatedly been attacked for its moral stance and has been blamed by some as the cause or certain societal ills.

Some schools have, unsuccessfully, tried to ban the best-seller from their libraries. Most have failed, however, according to the BBC, in 2023 David School in Salt Lake City, Utah, did just that (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65794363) citing the Bible contains “violence and vulgarity” and therefore should not be in their schools.

On the flip side of that, in 2024, Louisiana became the first state to require all public schools to display the 10 Commandments in each classroom (https://www.npr.org/2024/06/19/nx-s1-5012298/louisiana-becomes-first-state-to-require-ten-commandments-displayed-in-classrooms)

Currently, South Dakota has Senate Bill 51 on the docket that would similarly mandate the display of the 10 commandments in all public school classrooms. (https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/25686/274265)

The battle wages on

Doubtless, many legal battles will ensue as some people seek for removal of all Biblical references from schools, while others defend the teachings and values taught in the Bible and its importance in the founding of our nation.

“We need to illustrate our history and truth, some people may want to say, ‘We don’t want to talk about these topics,’ but the Ten Commandments certainly were a part of the founding of our country,” said Carley, as quoted by Dakota News Now.

“If we find kids honoring their father and mother, a lot of parents will be happy about that. If we find people are not stealing, lying or murdering, I think our Sheriff Department and law enforcement will certainly be happy.”

https://www.christianpost.com/news/south-dakota-may-pass-law-mandating-ten-commandments-in-schools.html

That last quote seemed to point to another view that some people have about the Bible.

Social Bible – Moral Guidebook

Some see the Bible as set or moral teachings that are helpful to a society. Perhaps none more famous that Elon Musk who, though he proclaims to be an atheist, also said that he now believes in the…

“teachings of Christ,” including the principles “‘love thy neighbor’ and ‘Turn the other cheek,’ which is very important for forgiveness

https://x.com/america/status/1850346392172048635

Surely, the entire Sermon on the Mount of Matthew 5-7 is a great list of rules to follow on how to treat others.

Psalm 119:9 says that the Word of God will keep a young man pure, and Psalm 119:105 says that God’s word is a lamp that lights our path and shows us how to live.

Have you ever asked yourself, or had someone else ask you, “What is the Bible?”

• Is it a book of good morals?
• Is it a self-help guide to achieving success?
• Is it an outdated book of codes that poses as a threat to society?
• Is it an inspiration collection of ancient poetry and history?
• Or, is there something more to the Bible?

What is the Bible?

This morning, I want to examine this book that we have. What IS the Bible?

The word “bible”

We refer to this book as the bible, the holy bible, the holy scriptures. The Bible actually never refers to itself as “the bible”. It refers to “the scriptures” but not the “bible”.

The word Bible is a transliteration of the Greek word bíblos (βίβλος), meaning “book.” The same Greek word also means “scroll” or “parchment.” So the word bible is more about what the words are written on than what words are contained on those pages.

In OUR case, it is a book. A singular book. However, originally it was a series of scrolls which were eventually combined into one book as moveable type was developed.

A scroll that contained “scriptures” could have been made out of leather or out of parchment. As it was written, new pieces would be sewn into place to continue adding text.

Our modern single volume book is made up for many books. And in the Christian bible, those books are split into two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Do you know how many books there are in the Bible? Can you tell me how many OT? How many NT?

In our modern, Protestant versions, we have 66 books in all.

• 39 OT
• 27 NT

Actually, “testament” is a word we use without thinking about it. Perhaps it might mean more if we used a more biblical word, “covenant”.

The Old Covenant

The first set of books is the Old Covenant. That is, it tells the story of the way God lived in relationship with mankind from creation up to the time of Jesus. It is the story of

• Genesis, the beginning of creation
• Adam – the first man
• Sin, death, deception and the worst of mankind
• Law, grace, forgiveness and redemption by God

It is the story of God loving mankind, and mankind rejecting God, then attempting to love God, then failing again. The scene plays out over and over again.

The Old Covenant was made up of groups of books. Depending upon which texts you used, and how far back you might look, you could have them groups in different ways. They were written over the span of about 1,000 years from approximately 1450 BC – 400 BC.

The Law [first 5 books in your bible]

TORAH: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Regardless of how far back in history you go, everyone seems to put these 5 together as the beginning of the collection.

Can anyone tell me the author of the Torah? Moses? Well, yes is partially correct.

The last book in that series is Deuteronomy. Let’s read the last chapter together, 34:

Deuteronomy 34 CSB

1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho, and the Lord showed him all the land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, 3 the Negev, and the plain in the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 The Lord then said to him, “This is the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.” 5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the Lord’s word. 6 He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows where his grave is. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not left him. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end. 9 Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. 10 No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do against the land of Egypt—to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land— 12 and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Curious… how would Moses have written about his own death, the nation mourning his death for 30 days? How would Moses know that the people obeyed Joshua if Joshua took power after his death? And how would you explain verse 10?

Most of our books, old and new testaments, were written by multiple authors and edited over time. The manuscripts as well as the message demonstrate this. Yet the consistency of the Bible is truly divine.

The OT was written over about a 1,000 years with many authors, and yet the consistency in the story, in the teaching and in the revelation of Yahweh, the God of the Bible, is amazing.

We believe that is because the scriptures were inspired by God.

This was not a trance-like situation where the person was a drone while they wrote down what God said. This was God, revealing himself and his message to his people who then passed it along.

Paul referred to this inspiration when he penned these words to young pastor Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:16 CSB

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,

Back to the books in the Old Covenant.

So the first group of books is the Torah.

There are several ways to arrange the rest of the books.

The Hebrew bible has it in 3 sections: TaNaK

Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets) , Ketuvim (Writings)

LAW:

1st 5 books

PROPHETS:

Jewish Division: 2 Parts:

1. Former Prophets – Joshua – 2 Kings
2. Latter Prophets – Isaiah – Ezekiel

WRITING:

• Poetry (Job, Psalm, Proverbs)
• 5 Scrolls (Megilloth) (Ruth, Songs, Eccl, Esther, Lamentations)
• Historical (1-2 Chron, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah)

The bible you have would list it differently but would include the same books.

The process by which the 39 books of the Old Testament were selected and placed together is referred to as “canonization”.

The Canon

Have you ever heard the phrase, “the canon of scripture”?

Canon – assigning sacred status to a written work. Of all, which are to be considered inspired.

Gk – Kanon, Heb – qaneh – Rule, Standard

Collection of Book that met the standard of being sacred. There were many groups, over hundreds of years, that sought God to determine which writings could be considered “inspired”.

One determining factor for the Old Testament was whether or not one of the authors was a recognize prophet, like Moses, Elijah, etc.

Some books, like Esther, were not accepted early on. As a matter of fact, we do not know with certainty who the author of Ester was, so that was not the only factor in determining whether or not something was inspired.

As mentioned, these were written from approximately 1400 BC to 400 BC. The last writing of the Old Covenant was the book of Malachi, which was written about 400 BC.

The Septuagint

During the years between Malachi and the arrival of Jesus, around 300BC and 250BC, the books of the OT that were considered “scripture” were translated into Greek (Septuagint). This was important because Greek had become the common language of the Roman world.

The Septuagint was the scriptures of the Jews until about 1000 AD when the Masoretic Text was adopted by Jews as a unified translation.

SIDE NOTE: the books of the OT did not have titles to them until the Septuagint. We called the first book, “Genesis” as it’s title. The Hebrew title for the book of Genesis is “בְּרֵאשִׁית” (bərēšît), which translates to “In the beginning” and is the first word of the text.

This Greek version of the TaNaK, the Septuagint, would have been the scriptures of Jesus and the disciples. While it is likely they also knew the Hebrew, the Septuagint was the common translation.

So, when Paul wrote those words to Timothy, he would have been referring to the TaNaK:

2 Timothy 3:16 CSB

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,

Also, Jesus would have been referring to this TaNaK when,

Luke 24:44 CSB

44 He told them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

The NEW Covenant

The New Testament, or New Covenant, begins with the birth of the Messiah (the 4 gospels), and ends with a Re-Creation of the earth, with Messiah ruling and people restored back to fellowship with Yahweh.

There are 27 books in the NT. Some were recognized as inspired very early on, and others took time.

New Testament canonicity was partially determined by author, much like the OT. Whether the author was an apostle, or lived in proximity to an apostle or of Jesus was a big factor. James, for example, was the brother of Jesus and the author of the NT book with his namesake. Similarly, Jude was a brother of Jesus.

Luke, on the other hand, was neither! He was a historian that got his facts from the Apostles and other eyewitnesses. And we really have no clue who penned the word of the book of Hebrews.

The books of the New Covenant were penned from 50-100AD, but it was not until the Synod of Hippo in 393 AD, that Augustine pushed for the 27 books that we now call the New Testament. In the Third Synod of Carthage in 397 AD the 27 books were canonized.

While the text of the 66 books of our current Bible were accepted in 397 AD, something awesome happened in the 1947.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

What are the dead sea scrolls you might ask?

The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 931 documents discovered in caves along the edge of the Dead Sea in the Judean desert, in what is now the West Bank[1]. These scrolls, dating from as early as 300 BC to AD 40, represent the greatest literary and archaeological discovery of our time[1]. While not the original documents of the Hebrew Bible, they are the oldest known copies of these texts[1]. The scrolls include all Old Testament books except Esther[2]. Importantly, the scrolls have confirmed the general integrity of the Masoretic text, which is considered a faithful representation of the ancient biblical text[2]. The scrolls are believed to have been part of an ancient library belonging to a community that flourished at Qumran between 100 BC and AD 68[2].

[1] Price, J. R. (2021). The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Discovery Heard Around the World (p. 1). Rose Publishing. [2] Cairns, A. (2002). In Dictionary of Theological Terms (p. 123). Ambassador Emerald International.

Think about that. The Bible had been canonized and reprinted many times based upon the scrolls that were known. The Masoretic text was adopted about 1,000 AD. These scrolls that were found in 1947 and following dated back about 1,000 years prior to that text and had at least snippets from every OT book except Esther! What a tremendous test of integrity and confirmation that God preserves and protects his words.

Quick Summary

So, this Bible that you and I have in our possession is a compilation of 66 books comprised to two volumes:

• Old Covenant = God’s covenant with the People of Israel.
• New Covenant = God’s NEW covenant through Jesus.

¾ of our Bible is OT. IT is THE authoritative portion for Jews and ¾ of the authority for Christians (though most Christians tend to spend ¾ of their time in the NT).

It is a well preserved, inspired collection of writings that began about 3,400 years ago, was compiled over about 2,000 years and has been translated into thousands of languages.

While all of that is incredible, it still does not answer the question of “what is the Bible”?

What is the Bible?

I think when you understand what the Bible really is, you can understand why it is all the things we just talked about.

• The Bible a collection of writings where God reveals himself to his creation.
• It is a glimpse into the person and character of the creator and sustainer of life.
• It is a sneak peek of the way that God works in the world.
• It is a revelation of what was lost, what is at stake, and the price God paid to redeem mankind.
• It is a story of the grace that is available from God to all who will accept it.

It is a book that, no matter how many times you read it, there is always more to learn and know. It was never meant to be a scientific textbook, but a life-giving, living text.

Hebrews 4:12 CSB

12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

It was designed to show us our need for redemption:

Romans 8:3 NLT

3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.

And is demonstrates the amazing grace of God as he offered his son for us.

Romans 5:8 CSB

8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

What makes the Bible the only book in history that continues to sell MORE copies the longer it is on the market?

Perhaps it is the HOPE that is offered?

The annual [YouVersion] review also showed that for the third year since 2020, Isaiah 41:10 is the most highlighted, bookmarked, and shared verse of the year.

Isaiah 41:10 CSB

10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.

The Bible is a spectacular book that is filled with hope.

But I believe it is more than that.

Many people have defined God on their own terms. Why? Because they want a god. Some might want a god they can control. Others might want a god they can blame. But in the heart of man there is the desire to be divine or seek the divine.

The world around us inescapably points to a divine creator.

Romans 1:18–20 NLT

18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

I believe that the Bible, these 66 books from dozens of authors, over thousands of years, continues to sell because it introduces us to the Creator God who genuinely loves his creation and has paid the ultimate price to redeem it. It is the story of a God of covenants, who wants a covenant relationship with you and me, and signed the deal with the blood of Jesus.

The Christian message is not a message of condemnation. The world, everyone of us, stands condemned based upon our own merit and actions. The Christian message is one of redemption, forgiveness, adoption and hope for those that will agree to God’s terms. The Bible reveals that message and the God who is compassionate enough to offer it.

The most quoted verse in the Bible, from the Bible tells us about the character of Yahweh. When Yahweh, God, introduced himself, in person, to Moses, here is how we wanted Moses to know him:

Exodus 34:5–8 NLT

5 Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. 6 The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. 7 I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.” 8 Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped.

While it is easy to get hung up on God punishing the guilty to the 3rd and 4th generation, we really should see that he lavishes his love to 1,000 generations! While a just God must punish sin, the God of the Bible wants us to know that he prefers to lavish us with his grace so much more!

The Bible tells us about God, about ourselves, and about how to live–now and eternally. The Bible helps us know God, love God, and follow God. But it also helps us understand humankind. The Bible contains God’s master plan of salvation and how we can have assurance of God’s forgiveness and salvation through Jesus. In fact, God’s love and plan to save people is woven throughout the entire Bible–Old Testament and New Testament.

It is my prayer that you will join the countless millions who are reading and studying the Bible not so that you can know more literature, but so that you can know God more. That is what the Bible does, and that is why it matters.