To my knowledge, it has never made the New York Times bestseller list. Nor has it ever been included in Oprah's book club. And yet no one book has been more widely translated, printed, distributed, studied, read, memorized, and prayed over than has the Bible. The Bible is unique in every way. It belongs on the top shelf all by itself. It is infinitely superior to all other books. It is unrivaled in its influence. It has no equal.
According to publishers, if a book sells over one hundred thousand copies, we are to take notice. If a book sells half a million or a million copies, then it belongs in a class all its own. In 1998 alone, the United Bible Society published over twenty million copies of the Bible. That year they also published another twenty million copies of just the New Testament. That's over forty million copies printed by just one publisher! It is impossible to calculate how many Bibles have been printed and distributed throughout the centuries. But no one would deny that the number of Bibles in print easily exceeds one billion copies. The Bible is the most circulated and celebrated work in history. It is the number one bestseller of all time. But what makes the Bible so unique? Why is it different than other books?
One reason the Bible is so unique is because of its composition.
In The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict Josh McDowell makes several statements about the Bible.
"The Bible was written over a fifteen hundred year span. That's forty plus generations. The Bible was written by more than forty authors from every walk of life, including kings, military leaders, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, tax collectors, poets, musicians, statesmen, scholars and shepherds. The authors of the Bible include Moses, a political leader and judge, trained in the universities of Egypt; David, a king, poet, musician, shepherd and warrior; Amos, a herdsmen; Joshua, a military general; Nehemiah, a cupbearer to a pagan king; Daniel, a prime minister; Solomon, a king and philosopher; Luke, a physician and historian; Peter, a fishermen; Matthew, a tax collector; Paul, a rabbi; Mark, Peter's secretary."
"The Bible was written in different places. It was written by Moses in the wilderness, Jeremiah in a dungeon, Daniel on a hillside and in a palace, Paul inside prison walls, Luke while traveling, and John while in exile on the isle of Patmos, among others."
"The Bible was written at different times. David wrote in times of war and sacrifice and Solomon wrote in times of peace and prosperity."
"The Bible was written during different moods. Some wrote at the heights of joy, others wrote from the depths of sorrow and despair, some wrote during times of certainty and conviction and others during days of confusion and doubt."
"The Bible was written across three continents, Asia, Africa, and Europe."
"The Bible was written in three distinct languages. Hebrew, the language of the Israelites, Aramaic, the common language of the near east until the time of Alexander the Great, and Greek, the international language spoken during the time of Christ."
"The Bible was written in a wide variety of literary styles including poetry, historical narrative, song, romance, didactic treatise, personal correspondence, memoirs, satire, biography, autobiography, law, prophecy, parable and allegory."
"The Bible addresses hundreds of controversial subjects that create opposing opinions when mentioned or discussed. The biblical writers treated hundreds of hot topics like marriage, divorce, remarriage, homosexuality, adultery, obedience to authority, truth-telling and lying, character development, parenting, and the nature and revelation of God. Yet from Genesis through Revelation these writers addressed them with an amazing degree of harmony. In spite of its diversity, the Bible presents a single unfolding story. This story is of God's redemption of human beings."
"Finally, and most important, among all the people described in the Bible, the leading character throughout is the one, true, living God made known through Jesus Christ."
Another reason that the Bible is unique is because it is true.
The Bible has endured criticism of every kind including archaeological, historical, literary, scientific, and philosophical. In terms of history and archaeology, many historians and archaeologists now use the Bible as a reference for fixing the rise and fall of empires, the reign of kings, and the establishment of nations. Noted archaeologist W. F. Albright wrote, "The excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has been progressively discredited. Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the Bible as a source of history."
There are several works available at Christian bookstores, including the book I mentioned earlier, detailing the vast number of discoveries that have been made which substantiate the accuracy of the biblical record in regard to history, archaeology, science, and more.
But more importantly, the Bible is true theologically. It is true in what it says about God and the condition of man. The Bible fits reality. Life makes more sense in light of scripture. The Bible answers all the big questions about life, death, meaning, existence, suffering, sin, eternity, morality, and creation. From a pragmatic standpoint, our lives run like a well-oiled machine when we live by the principles stated in scripture. Our marriages become stronger. Our families grow stronger. Our finances go further. We have less anxiety and stress. We experience joy and peace. Our personalities become more gracious and attractive to others. We experience moral transformation. The fruit of God's Holy Spirit forms in our lives. We become Spirit-filled with love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, and self control. The reason that this happens is because the Bible is God's word to man. His wisdom works. His will guides us through the tumultuous landscape of life. His holiness reshapes our character. His spirit regenerates us. His love compels us.
I like the words of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)."All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." No one who lives by the word of God ever has any regrets. Instead, we want to put our children in the pathway of God's word. We continually experience an ever-deepening closeness with God that's contagious to others. We find deep meaning and value in our lives.
If the Bible weren't true, none of the things I've just described would ever happen. Case in point. Psychology and sociology textbooks don't change lives. Books full of moralisms like Scott M. Peck's The Road Less Traveled or Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People make minimal impact. Most holy books, like the Koran, leave devotees feeling empty and dry. They carry a legalistic yoke of fear for their readers, never knowing if they've done enough to please God and earn their salvation. Other holy books and religions like Hinduism, leave devotees feeling confused and uncertain about God's nature and the purpose of man's existence. The bottom line is that falsehoods leave us empty and unsettled. The truth transforms. The truth liberates. The truth speaks for itself. And the Bible does all these things for us!
Another reason that the Bible is unique is because it is alive.
Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV) says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
What I am about to explain almost defies explanation. It is more experiential. It is subjective. It's something we have to enter into for ourselves to understand. The Bible isn't stagnant history. The Bible isn't the dead words of dead men. It isn't like a dusty book sitting on a dusty shelf in a dusty library. The Bible is alive! It is living and active! It's dynamic. It breathes new life into us.
Every encounter with God's word, no matter how seemingly insignificant, changes us. When you read the Bible you can actually feel it working in your life. It penetrates deep into the heart. It convicts. It rebukes. It admonishes. It teaches. It sifts our motives. It checks our attitudes. It diagnoses. It heals. It restores. It makes us whole.
A while back, I had something called gout in my left toe. This is more than you want to know. But the cause of gout is uric acid buildup. As the uric acid builds, it crystallizes into the form of needles in the left toe joint. If you want to know what it feels like, smash your big toe with a sledgehammer and continue to strike it every ten minutes! Anyhow, after a week of running down rabbit trails, the doctors finally gave me an accurate diagnosis of my problem and prescribed the necessary medicine.
When I took that medicine, it was like there was an army of micro-surgeons working in my toe! I immediately felt the medicine working. It gradually relieved all the pain and restored function in my foot. It was awesome! I was finally able to do chores around the house again. Oh, joy!
This is an apt description of God's word. It is living and active. It penetrates deep into the nitty gritty of our lives and regenerates us. You can feel it working. Through his word, God does surgery on us. He changes us from the inside-out. I believe that encountering God's word is one of the richest spiritual experiences we can have as Christians. And this is by God's design. Through God's living word, we encounter the living God who created us. We encounter God in all his power, majesty, holiness, love, and truth. And that encounter with the living God changes us. And just think, we can have that kind of encounter anytime we want, 24-7, by simply sitting down and opening up the scriptures.
In Isaiah 55:11 (NIV) God has this to say to us, "..so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." No encounter with the word of God is a waste of time. When God's word penetrates our souls, it does not return to God until it accomplishes its purpose. The chief reason the Bible is the number one bestseller of all time is because it transforms lives.
Practical instruction about using God's word.
First, get a translation of the Bible that you can understand. There are dozens of Bible translations circulating in Christian bookstores. You need to know that virtually every Bible translation is sufficient to lead a person to salvation. There isn't any Bible translation at any local Christian bookstore that is so bad as to cause irrevocable harm to your spiritual life. But there are some really clear, fresh, contemporary Bible translations that will rekindle your desire to read God's word devotionally.
Most of the unchurched people I encounter have a King James version of the Bible laying around their house from their childhood. They don't read it because it uses old sixteenth century English. If you cut your teeth on the King James version and understand Old English, have at it! But if you are new to Christ, find a Bible that is clear and understandable. You will get a lot of mileage in your spiritual walk by choosing the New International Version, the Contemporary English Version, the New King James Version, the Living Bible, and more.
Next, once you get an understandable translation, begin reading a little each day. A lot of people set difficult standards for themselves. They declare, "I'm going to read the entire Bible in one year starting with Genesis." Usually when people get into Leviticus and Deuteronomy they get discouraged and quit and then they feel guilty and then their Bibles get dusty.
There is no law that says you have to read the entire Bible in one year or even two years or even in your lifetime. It is more important that you read a little each day and then as your appetite grows, you can launch into a more ambitious plan. If you gleaned just one application a day, out of just one verse of scripture, and spent just five to ten minutes doing so each day, over the course of a year you will have wrestled with three hundred sixty-five applications! Could you even list three hundred sixty-five things you would like to change about your life? I know you wife or husband could list those things about you, but could you?
After you begin reading, get comfortable marking in your Bible. Years ago perhaps people saw it as disrespectful to mark in a Bible. Usually, one family had just one Bible and it was treated with extreme care. We should never disrespect God's word, but nowadays virtually every member of every household hasher own Bible. There is also no law that says you can't highlight or mark things in your Bible.
I have several Bibles. I have one that is all marked up and highlighted. I have one that I use for preaching that I haven't been marked in at all. Get a Bible that you can mark in. Underline key words and phrases. Write down the applications God gives you in the margins. Put dates down showing when you last read a passage. Use colored pencils. Buy special highlighters. The Bible is more than a textbook, but sometimes using it like you use a textbook in high school or college is greatly beneficial to your growth.
Last, if you buy a study Bible, be careful! There are hundreds of study Bibles available today. Study Bibles include the original text of God's word in one column, but add commentary in another. When using a study Bible, make a distinction between God's word and man's. Not every study note is accurate. Not every study note is carefully thought out and researched. Not every study note is consistent with the whole counsel of God. Just be careful. It is best to take the notes with a grain of salt, and not as a definitive, irrefutable interpretation.
In conclusion, a simple reminder is in order. The Bible is your closest connection with God. If you draw near to scripture, you draw near to God. If you forsake God's word, you drift into isolation. Keep God's word close to your heart always and you will never go wrong.