My all-time favorite book is the Holy Bible. Actually, it is more than a book. It is an anthology, consisting of a collection of between 66 books (Protestant canon) and 81 books (Ethiopian Orthodox Church canon). The canon of the Roman Catholic Church includes 12 books not found in the Protestant canon. The canons of the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches include these 12, plus another 4 others.
Regardless of the number of books included in their canons, each of these groups traditionally believes that the Bible is the inspired word of God, although there is dispute as to whether the writers recorded God word for word or were inspired to write in their own words the thoughts that God gave them. In any event, the books of the Bible were written by numerous authors over a period of some 15 centuries or more, concluding with the first century A.D. In spite of this, it demonstrates remarkable consistency in the story that it relates.
I have been reading the Bible now for many years, and still find new things every time I open it. It is full of fascinating characters, both heroes and villains, mystery, intrigue, romance, conflicts, conspiracies and mind-blowing visions of the future. Most importantly it records God’s dealings with mankind from before the beginning of time until its ultimate future consummation. It pulls no punches in describing the heights of man’s triumphs and the depths of man’s depravity. It shows men as they really are, warts and all, rather than portraying them as larger than life caricatures. In other words, it tells the stories of people like us, ones that we can relate to. And because God is no respecter of persons, it means that we can expect him to deal with us as he did with them. In short, it provides us with numerous examples of what God can and will do in our lives if we allow him to.
The Bible provides proof that our lives (all of our lives) are meaningful, and it clearly shows us what our God-ordained destiny is depending on the choices that we make. It then teaches us the consequences of our right and wrong choices, always urging us to make the right choice in every situation in which we find ourselves.
Although the Bible is anything but light reading, and requires careful study to differentiate between what should be taken literally and what is meant to be figurative, there is a fantastic learning aid available to assist us. That is the Holy Spirit of God, the One who inspired all the wisdom and knowledge that the Bible contains, and is always willing and able to help us understand what we need to regarding it.
The Bible does not tell us everything about God. But it does tell us all that we need to know, that which our finite minds can understand of an infinite being. And it promises that one day we will know him even as we are known by him. No wonder the Bible has been on the best seller list for thousands of years.