Here is the simple answer: The Bible is “the sacred scriptures of Christians comprising the Old Testament and the New Testament,” according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

We can dig into that a bit more. The word “Bible” derives from Medieval Latin biblia, which came from the Greek phrase biblia to hagia, “the holy books.” The modern Bible is comprised of 66 books that contain 1,189 chapters and 31,102 verses.

Yet this basic information does nothing to explain the Bible’s continuing deep impact on the world. Many billions of Bibles have been printed throughout history, and 6.4 copies are sold every 10 seconds today.

Its impact on culture and society cannot be overstated. We quote it all the time with sayings like “a drop in the bucket” (Isa. 40:15), “a house divided against itself cannot stand” (Matt. 12:25) and “a leopard cannot change his spots” (Jer. 13:23).

In addition, “salt of the earth,” “scapegoat” and “behemoth” come from Matthew 5:13, Leviticus 16:10 and Job 40:15-24, respectively.

The Bible also impacts individual lives—with viewpoints on what it is varying widely. Some view it as a source of inspirational quotes. Others see it as a storybook filled with heroes you should model your life after. To others, it is a window into the future with prophecy. Still others see it as a theological Q&A book—answering any question you may have.

None of these biblical outlooks are completely off base, but they are simplistic views of an incredibly complex book.

What does the Bible say it is? It certainly makes some huge claims:

“Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

“Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

“Every word of God is pure” (Prov. 30:5).

So the Bible claims to contain God’s truth, that it can guide you in your life and that every word in it is pure. Yet can the book back all these up?

You do not have to just take these words at face value. If God claims a book is His divine Word, He would make sure to bring proof of His authorship. He would plainly state why He inspired it.

Overall Purpose

The Bible is a book like no other. It has about 40 authors and was written over many millennia. You have Moses writing the first five books of the Bible around 1400 BC and the apostle John recording Revelation around AD 90—and everything in between.

What should be a disjointed, disagreeing mess is instead an awesomely intricate and interwoven narrative revealing God’s Plan for humanity.

Notice the first place in the Bible that talks about writing the Bible. In the book of Exodus, God rescued ancient Israel by giving them victory over a warring tribe called the Amalekites. Notably, He then told Moses in chapter 17: “Write this for a memorial in a book…” (vs. 14).

Many thousands of years later, we can read that account. Look at what God was doing there. He had just intervened to help and protect the people He was working with. At this time, it was the nation of Israel. The entire Bible has a similar theme, showing how He wants to work with all of mankind—both on a grand scale and in individual lives.

The very first pages of Scripture reveal God’s ultimate reason for creating people.

Genesis 1:26 says, “And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

God made human beings in His image and likeness. No other living thing has this distinction. For all the wonder, beauty and creativity seen in nature—no other creature is made to look like and be like the Creator God. Only human beings.

Verse 27 repeats this for emphasis: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”

This begins to explain God’s Plan for humanity. He created mankind to expand His Family—a purpose that is emphasized throughout the pages of the Bible.

All the way over in the New Testament, look at what the apostle Paul said in II Corinthians 6:18. He wrote that those who follow God’s Way “shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Back to the story in Genesis. The first humans, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Doing so cut them off from eating of another tree that would have allowed them to build God’s character in this life and ultimately be born into His Family as sons and daughters of God.

Genesis 3:24 says that God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden “to keep the way of the tree of life.”

The tree of life symbolizes man’s awesome potential: to have eternal life and be born into His Family.

This theme bookends God’s Word. Notice what it says on the very last page of the Bible: “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Rev. 22:14).

Understanding God’s purpose for humanity is essential to understanding the Bible and all that it contains.

How It Was Written

With so many people involved in writing the Bible over such a long period of time, its interconnectivity and singular message are nothing short of miraculous.

That is what II Timothy 3:16 flat-out says: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…”

The Eternal God inspired the many authors of the Bible to record their words. He also directed those who helped compile, canonize and translate it into the book we have today.

God worked with and through these people to record history in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles. He inspired the songwriters and poets in the Psalms. He gave the prophets the visions and words to describe future events in His Plan. He helped Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to craft various perspectives on Jesus Christ’s life. He guided the pens of the apostles when writing letters to first-century Christians—words that would later become part of Scripture.

These writings all sing in harmony and build on one another to reveal God’s purpose for mankind. Because of this, there is no reason to avoid certain books of the Bible. While it can be easy to focus solely on the New Testament, the Old Testament is equally important. There is a reason why it is over 70 percent of the Bible—not to mention that Jesus and the apostles constantly quoted from it.

Paul said this about the Old Testament’s importance: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).

He said something similar in I Corinthians 10: “Now all these things happened unto them [ancient Israel] for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (vs. 11).

Certainly, some of the Bible is more difficult to approach. There are sections that can initially seem obscure and odd, yet they all have a purpose.

Let’s look at II Timothy 3:16 again, this time reading to verse 17: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

The inspired Word of God—all of it—will show you how to live.

A Sharp Sword

The Bible tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. That is why it is profitable for doctrine—to know what to believe—for reproof, correction and instruction.

Recall that Psalm 119:105 calls the book “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” It lights the way forward.

Hebrews 4:12 describes it this way: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

When wielded properly, the Bible can be like a razor-sharp sword and cut through faulty human reasoning.

For example, God’s Word describes what man is like in his natural state: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).

No one wants to admit that his heart is deceitful above all things or that he is desperately wicked. Yet God reveals exactly this to everyone who will read and take heed.

Understanding the facts of human nature—how we think and act when not following God’s Way—makes the wisdom of the Bible even more vital. Without divine guidance, we would continue to do things that cause misery, harm and unhappiness.

This is why Proverbs 3:5 states: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.”

The Bible instructs us how to live lives of outflowing concern toward God and others. It is the ultimate instruction manual for mankind.

Helping Hand

Even when you know the basics of the Bible, approaching it can still feel daunting. God knows this, which is why He uses teachers to help you along the way.

This has always been the case. A story in the book of Acts makes this clear: “So he [the apostle Philip] got ready and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading Isaiah the prophet” (8:27-28, New American Standard Bible).

God inspired Philip to go and talk to this man (vs. 29).

“And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and said, Understand you what you read?” (vs. 30).

The man responded: “How can I, except some man should guide me?” (vs. 31).

Philip then answered the man’s questions.

Anyone who has tried to read the book of Isaiah straight through knows how this man felt: “How can I understand this unless someone guides me?” It is a complex book that contains history, poetry and prophecy—some of which was fulfilled by Jesus Christ in the first century and other events have yet to occur.

Yet Isaiah is just one of the many prophecy books in the Bible. The others can also seem dense and unapproachable. What in the world is Revelation all about? There are the seven trumpet plagues, a mysterious mark of the beast, a horrible creature with seven heads and ten horns rising out of the earth and a massive city coming out of the sky toward the book’s end.

Huh?

To help people navigate His Word, God established His Church to give them understanding. Ephesians 4:11 shows that God “gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.”

These ministers and teachers are placed by God into the Church to guide those who want to better understand Scripture and follow His way of life.

The Real Truth is here to offer you that biblical guidance. Yet The Restored Church of God, which publishes this magazine, has many more resources to help you delve into the pages of your Bible. We have The Pillar of the Truth magazine focusing on Christian living, Ambassador Youth magazine for teens, as well as many other books, booklets and articles answering life’s greatest questions. There are also World to Come videos and sermons to help you on your way. All of this is available at rcg.org.

But on your journey to understand God and the Bible more, do not just take our word for it. Be sure to read what God is saying in your own Bible.

During Jesus’ ministry, He asked the 12 disciples if they would leave Him. Peter answered plainly: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

The Bible contains “the words of eternal life.” It is a living book that explains today’s world and what makes you tick. It shows exactly what God has been doing throughout history and today.

It is up to you to diligently study the scriptures and apply the words they contain. As II Timothy 2:15 states: “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Yet, remember, you do not have to go through this process alone. The Real Truth and The Restored Church of God are here to help!