Study 1. What's the Bible?

Welcome to this series of notes and thoughts for you to explore, so let me start by saying, the Bible is incredible. So often I hear guys say that it just isn’t relevant and exciting for their lives. I want to be honest right from start here, there are times when I read the Bible and I am astounded at how it speaks into my life at a particular moment or in a situation, then, at times, I read it and haven’t got a clue what it was I just read! 

So, don’t be discouraged as you approach the Bible, it is seriously profound and has the potential to impact your life today, right now as you are sitting there with a cup of tea and 6 biscuits. Sorry, maybe that’s just me. 

Let me give you some background and foundation to what we have in the Bible. You are looking at 66 books that have been set together into the version we have today, it maybe a printed one or it may even be the digital version in this app. 

The Bible is a collection of various types of written documents, we have; historical documents about kings and queens and the very early foundations of the people of Israel, together with their journey’s, their battles and their life as a nation. The Bible also has poetry, prophetic documents that talk about how God spoke through people to the nation of Israel about lots of things. We also have letters and eye witness accounts to the events and situations of the time mainly centred around Jesus. 

The Bible is divided into two testaments or volumes if you like, the Old and the New. It’s the same God in both but the way in which God is revealed and seen by humanity is shaped and developed during this time, and it all culminates in the revelation of God’s plan in the New Testament to show the world Jesus. 

If you are wondering about how we even got the Bible, then the answer is that this amazing book has been carefully handed down throughout the generations and recorded and stored as eye witnesses and individuals began to die. For example, in the New Testament, the eye witnesses to the life of Jesus started writing their account only about 30 years after all the events had happened. (in the world of historical manuscripts, this is taken as really reliable sources!)

As well as that, the Bible has more manuscripts and ancient material documented than all of the major players like Aristotle’s manuscripts and Plato’s! (Again, this makes the Bible a very reliable source of information when you dig into its historical background)

So, what is the Bible? It is a collection of lots of different books, reliably documented and collected together to tell a consistent theme, story and objective which is incredible. What’s that theme and story? 

Let’s read on. 

(I have included a couple of Bible verses to have a look at, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. The name of the book, the chapters and then the verse helps us to navigate to the right place in the Bible.)

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If you like what you read here in this series, then we have a 4-book set called The Manual Starter Pack that you can get hold of from the CVM shop to drill and mine into this stuff even more. Each book contains a month’s worth of reading notes to explore at your own pace, just go ahead and check out the CVM website