Why Study the Bible?

Why would anyone waste their time studying this book called the "Bible"? After all, it's as old as the hills, difficult to understand, and the source of innumerable controversies and conflicts. Why should I concern myself with its contents?

The Bible, by anyone's account, is a most remarkable book, written over the course of some two thousand years by approximately forty different men. It contains such things as historical narratives (e.g., Exodus, Acts), poetry (e.g., Song of Solomon), music (e.g., Psalms), prophetical writings (e.g., Isaiah, Revelation), and letters (e.g., Romans). The men who penned it were all descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and much of it deals with matters pertaining to the history, laws, culture, and religion of the nation known as Israel. If this were all that the Bible was, it might interest a few "Indiana Jones" types, but would concern the man on the street no more than, say, a book dealing with the history and culture of ancient Phoenicia. But the Bible is far more than that!

The Bible purports itself to be the record which God Almighty has given to man. It offers neither proof for God's existence, nor explanation of where or how He originated. It simply begins with the supposition of His existence, saying, "In the beginning God created." In its pages, He is declared to be the only True God, without rival or peer, Who has created all other things and beings. Thus, the Bible gives answers to man's most fundamental questions, "Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here?"

However, the God of the Bible didn't just create man and then abandon him to himself. He continues to deal with man, revealing Himself and His ways to man, and has spoken to man at various times and various ways (Hebrews 1:1). The Bible is the record of those dealings and that Word. So, whether it is Moses conveying the Law to Israel, or a prophet uttering dark sayings, or an apostle writing to a New Testament church, the Bible claims it is God Who is speaking. These men are simply the instruments God has used in conveying His Word, much as you might use a pen to convey your words (II Peter 1:21; II Timothy 3:16).

This, briefly, is why the Bible is so important: It claims to be the very Word of God to man. In our next article, we'll examine the evidence to see if there is support for such a claim.