What is “The God Book?” The God Book is The Holy Bible—a ‘good’ Book. The Bible is often referred to as God’s Word, the Scriptures, the Holy Scriptures, or the Canon of Scripture. The dictionary describes the Bible as “the Holy Book of Christians consisting of the Old and New Testaments” The Bible originated with God as the divine Author. We read, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).
And God, being the God of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, divinely chose and appointed about 40 “human” authors to write the scriptures over a period of some 1500 years. The Bible declares: “Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20,21). “Someone’s own interpretation” means “not isolated from what the Scripture states elsewhere. Scripture is always corroborated by other Scripture(s) and must be kept within the intended context.
Although the Bible is one Book, yet 66 books make up this one Book, forming one continuous story—the story of humanity in relation to God. Nothing is ever told once for all and all for once. The Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ is the main theme of the Bible. Also, the Bible consists of two main sections called Old Testament, with 39 books and New Testament with 37 books. Both Testaments complement each other. The Old Testament starts with the Book of Genesis—the book of beginnings, recording the beginning of the heavens and the earth and the progressive self-revelation of God Himself. The New Testament begins with the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew, one of four Gospels recording the birth, life, ministry, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of the Person of Jesus Christ.
The following is excerpted from Dr J. Vernon McGee: “What makes the Bible so important?
“The books of your Bible—down to the very words written—are God’s thoughts; they are God’s words. In your hands. If you believe that, the Bible becomes more than ink on a page but something supernatural. God, using human authors in various life situations, wrote it for one purpose: To introduce you to Himself. The God who spoke light out of darkness wants to speak truth into your mind and heart. That truth will lead you to His Son, Jesus— whom to know is life eternal (John 17:3). And that’s just the beginning.
“Through His Word, the Spirt of God awakens us to new life. He frees us from the chains of sin. He comforts the depressed, inspires the discouraged, guides the confused. He empowers us to live by faith—because faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
“The Bible is probably the most maligned book that ever has been written. It has been attacked as no other book has ever been attacked. Yet it has ministered and does minister to literally millions of people around the globe, and it has been doing this now for several thousand years. A book of this nature and with this tremendous impact upon the human family certainly deserves the intelligent consideration of men and women.” (By Dr. J. Vernon McGee and Thru the Bible, www.ttb.org)
God is sovereign and theBible is proof that what He says is exactly what He means, and He wants us to be obedient to His word. We should also read the Bible with an “open and willing mind,” being eager to hear from God.The prophet Jeremiah was so thrilled about the Word of God that it became as “food to a hungry man.” He declared to God, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16). He joyfully treasured up the Scriptures in his heart and retained them to be aware of what God is teaching him. There is also the situation with King David who expressed to God: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!” (Psalm 119:11). David asked God, “teach me your statutes.” He meant God’s laws which are written in His Word. In another place David admitted to God, ”Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). This means that God’s word shows us what is happening around us and also provides the light for us to see where we are going in a world that has been darkened by sin.
If believers are to live a God-fearing life, then reading the Bible must be essentially a part of their lifestyle. It’s just like the “operations manual” that explains how to operate machinery. The instructions must be read and followed in order to operate the equipment successfully. Therefore, let’s think of the Bible as God’s operations manual speaking to us through His Holy Word. We read that “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130). If there is no light, there will be no understanding.
The Bible has been proven to be a “stress reliever” in the sense that when situations arise that prevent us from knowing what to do or where to turn, we can consult the Scriptures for direction, guidance and understanding. The Bible is always available to help us in a variety of ways. It will not be of use to us if it is ignored or kept as a closed book. It must be read in order to see what God Almighty is saying to us and how we should respond. Many Christians over many years have testified to the truth of the Scriptures and how they have transformed their lives. And many have come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior by reading the Bible.
God’s Word is the Christian’s best and greatest resource for knowledge and wisdom, and we certainly need both. God’s Word should also be praised for its guidance and insight. Psalm 119, is the longest chapter in the book of Psalms, and also in the entire Bible. It is divided into twenty-two equal segments, and is all about the praise and excellencies of God’s Word. “Give me the Bible, holy message shining, Thy light shall guide me in the narrow way. Precept and promise, law and love combining, ‘Til night shall vanish in eternal day)” (Priscilla J Owens, 1829-1907).If your desire is to know God, you can only know Him through His Word.