We are all aware that we live in a world with too many unsolvable problems. Some claim that the Bible is a book that can help us to solve these problems. Is this true?
Millions are starving. The number of drug addicts is on the rise. More and more families are falling apart. We read about incest and domestic violence almost every day on the front pages. The air we breathe, and the water we drink are gradually polluted. Meanwhile, more and more people are becoming victims of violence.
ALSO, we live in a time of difficult decisions. For example, many are relentlessly against abortion, marking it with the unborn’s killing. Others are just as firmly in favor of the view that women have power over their bodies and that they can decide for themselves on this matter. Many consider homosexuality, divorce, and premarital sex immoral. Others believe that such actions are purely personal matters. Who can say whose point of view is correct?
The Bible Is a Book With Many Views on It – How Do Most View Bible Today?
The Bible contains moral guidance and describes real solutions to violence, hunger, and environmental pollution. However, the difficulty is that most people do not view the Bible as an authority in this area. At least in Western countries, the Bible was treated with respect in the past. Although the Bible was written by humans, in the past, most Christians viewed it as the Word of God and were convinced that God himself inspired its contents.
3 Today, however, it is common to question everything: customs, ideas, moral behavior, and even the existence of God. The value of the Bible is especially questionable. Most obviously consider it outdated and unimportant. Among intellectuals today, only a few look at it as the Word of God. Most people would rather agree with the opinion of the scientist James Barr, who wrote: “My review shows that humans created the biblical tradition. These are human sayings, their beliefs. ”
The Bible Is a Book Inspired by God – What Is the Purpose of This Book?
Do you think so? What do you think is the Bible the Word of God or man? Regardless of how you answered this question, the following should be considered: If the Bible is only a human word, then it is logical that there is no convincing solution to humanity’s problems. People would then have to try to cope as best they can, hoping to avoid poisoning somehow or destroying themselves in a nuclear war. But if the Bible is the Word of God, then it is exactly what we need to get through in these difficult times.
This book will provide evidence that the Bible is truly the Word of God. After reviewing the evidence, the publishers hope you will realize that the Bible contains the only real solution to humanity’s problems. But first, we want to draw your attention to some facts that show that the Bible really deserves to be addressed.
Bible as an Absolute Bestseller
What noteworthy facts about the Bible deserve our attention?
First of all, the Bible is a bestseller, the most widely distributed book of all time. According to the Guinness Book of World Records (1988), between 1815 and 1975, an estimated 2,500,000,000 copies were printed. That’s a huge number. No other book in history has experienced nearly as much circulation as the Bible.
Second, no book has been translated into as many languages as the Bible. Today, it can be read in full or in parts in over 1,800 languages. The American Bible Society reports that the Bible has become available to 98 percent of our planet’s population in the meantime. Just imagine the tremendous effort involved in compiling so many translations! What other book has received such attention?
Bible Is a Book With an Impact
What did some say about the influence of the bible?
The New Encyclopœdia Britannica calls the Bible “probably the most influential collection of books in human history.”
The German poet Heinrich Hein, who lived in the 19th century, admitted: “I thank my enlightenment quite simply by reading a book … the Bible. It is rightly called the Bible. Whoever has lost his God can find him again in this book. ”During the same century, William H. Seward, who fought against slavery, declared,“ The whole hope of human progress is based on the growing influence of the Bible. ”
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, called the Bible “the best gift God has ever given to man… Without the Bible, we would not be able to distinguish right from wrong.”
The British lawyer Sir William Blackstone emphasized the influence of the Bible in the following words: “On these foundations, the law of nature and the law of revelation [the Bible], all human laws rest, which is why it should be said that no human laws should contradict the above.”
The Bible Is a Book That Is Hated and Loved
What is the opposition to the Bible?
10 At the same time, we must establish that no other book in history has been the target of such fierce attacks, nor has it been so hated. From the Middle Ages until the 20th century, Bibles were publicly burned. And even in modern times, reading and distributing the Bible was punishable by a fine and imprisonment. In past centuries, such “crimes” have often led to torture and death.
How did Tyndale prove his love of the Bible?
At the same time, the Bible encouraged people to pay attention to. Despite their relentless persecution, many did not give up reading the Bible. Take, for example, the Englishman William Tyndale, who lived in the 16th century. He studied at the University of Oxford and became a respected professor at Cambridge University.
Tyndale loved the Bible. In his day, however, the church leaders insisted that Bibles were published only in Latin, the dead language. Since Tyndale wanted the Bible to be available to his countrymen, he decided to translate it into English. As this was against the law, he had to leave his easy academic career and flee to the continent. He led a difficult life as a refugee long enough to translate the Greek Scriptures (“New Testament”) and parts of the Hebrew Scriptures (“Old Testament”) into his mother tongue. However, he was finally arrested, accused of heresy and strangled, and his body was burned off.
What makes the Bible unique, among other things?
Tyndale is just one of a large number of people who sacrificed everything to read the Bible or make it available to others. No other book has encouraged so many ordinary men and women to show truly incredible courage. In this respect, the Bible is truly unparalleled.
The Claim That the Bible Is a Book of God
What do Bible writers say over and over again?
The Bible is unique because of the claim made by many of its writers. About 40 people, including kings, shepherds, fishers, ministers, priests, a military leader, and a doctor, participated in writing various parts of the Bible. Time and again, the writers declared that they did not write down their own thoughts but God’s.
That is why in the Bible, we often read sentences such as, “The Spirit of Jehovah spoke through me, and his word was in my tongue” or “Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts;” (2 Samuel 23: 2; Isaiah 22:15). In a letter to a fellow evangelist, the apostle Paul wrote, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for setting up things, for instruction in righteousness; (2 Timothy 3:16, 17, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
What questions does the Bible clarify?
Following the Bible’s claim that the word is God’s and not man’s, it answers questions that only God can answer. It explains, for example, why human governments are unable to establish lasting peace, how people can find the deepest satisfaction in life, and what the future holds for the Earth and humanity. You must have already asked yourself such and similar questions as a thinking person. Why not finally consider the possibility that the Bible is the Word of God and that, as such, it is uniquely able to give authoritative answers?