The Bible: Foundation of the Christian Faith

Some people have been familiar with the Bible since attending Sunday school as kids. But many others, including non-believers and new believers, can feel pretty intimidated about reading the Bible.

The Bible is extensive and includes content that’s easy to understand, as well as other material that can appear to be exceptionally challenging. It also has content that can feel a bit boring. The Bible includes stories about people and places we don’t know much about or even how to pronounce their names. So, how should we handle all of this?

Many of us leave the Bible on the shelf, where it sits unused, gathering dust. Yet, this holy book is the foundation of the Christian faith. Reading the Bible is essential to the Christian walk on so many levels. So, in this article, we’ll do an overview of what the Bible is, how it came to be, and much more.

What is the Bible?

The word “bible” comes from the Greek word “biblia,” which means “books” or “scrolls.” The name “Holy Bible” was chosen for this large book because it is a library of 66 books. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. These books were written at different points in history and in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

Christians consider the Bible to be the inspired word of God. It contains sacred texts that are the foundation of Christian theology and faith. These texts teach believers how to worship, about morality & spiritual growth, and other aspects of faith.

Each book of the Bible is different in length and literary style. For instance, the Old Testament (the Jewish Bible, also called the Tanakh) contains poetry, worship, songs, histories, and more. All these books date from before Jesus Christ was born.

On the other hand, the New Testament includes the Gospels (they detail Christ's life, death, and resurrection), early church history (after Christ’s ascension), letters, and more. But what do all of these diverse books have in common?

The books of the Bible all tell us about God. They explain who He is, His attributes, tell us about God’s love for us, explain His character, and His plan for our redemption. The entire Bible explains that God loves us. You could think of the Bible as a love letter from God to each of us.

The Bible is the Inspired Word of God

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV, the Bible says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This verse tells us that God has created all the texts of the Bible. He did this by writing through human authors.

God worked with the authors of the Bible through the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit guided the Bible writers' words and writing styles, using their own words and styles. Even so, these writers wrote what the Holy Spirit showed them to write. 

All parts of scripture have divine authority and are true. The texts were written for our instruction, as Paul says in Romans 15:4 NKJV, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” 

The Bible also helps us understand faith. From Genesis to Revelation, you can read about the faith of real men and women. You can read about this in Hebrews 11, where Paul talks about all the greats of the faith—from Abraham and Sarah to the apostles and others. 

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

Who Wrote the Bible? 

Many people wrote the Bible over centuries. What’s interesting is that God used many different people to write the Bible, including kings, poets, uneducated fishermen, doctors, etc. God didn’t choose writers based on their level in society, their job, or their education. 

Our heavenly Father chose writers He knew would be faithful to Him and what the Holy Spirit wanted them to write. God even used insignificant people (those whom society determined were insignificant or worthless) to write the Bible. 

What are the Old and New Testaments of the Bible? 

When you look at the Bible's Table of Contents, you’ll see it’s divided into two main sections: the Old and New Testaments. Each testament is a library of books, letters, historical documents, etc. 

The Old Testament

The Old Testament comprises books that make up the Jewish Bible (called the Tanakh). The Christian Old Testament includes all the same books as the Tanakh; however, they are arranged differently than in the Jewish Bible. 

The Tanakh has the Old Testament books arranged in the following sections: 

1. Torah (Teaching): these books are called the Pentateuch in the Christian Old Testament and include the same five books.

2. Nevi’im (Prophets): this section includes historical books, such as Joshua and Judges. It also contains the major and minor prophets, such as Isaiah and Ezekiel. 

3. Ketuvim (Writings): this part of the Jewish Bible includes books of poetry, wisdom, literature, and historical writings, such as the Psalms. 

The books of the Christian Old Testament include each of these books, but they are arranged differently. Protestant Bibles arrange the Old Testament in this way: 

The Pentateuch (Torah; the Law): includes the first five books of the Bible:

• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy

Historical Books: include the books from Joshua through Ester, which describe the Israelites’ new life in the Promised Land. 

Writings: this section is further divided into the poetic books and includes Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. Next are the Five Festival Scrolls. These include the Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Ester. Finally, the Writings section ends with the historical books of Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles. 

Major Prophets: the books in this section include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Hosea. 

Minor prophets: these books include Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. 

Differences Between the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Bibles

Here, it’s time to mention that there’s a difference between Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Bibles. These Bibles contain the same books as the Old Testament. However, the Catholic Bible and Orthodox Bible contain additional books. These are called the deuterocanonical books (also called the Apocrypha). The books here are: 

• 1&2 Esdras
• Tobit
• Judith
• Additions to the Book of Esther
• Wisdom
• Sirach
• Baruch
• Epistle of Jeremiah
• Additions to the Book of Daniel
• Prayer of Manasses
• An additional Psalm
• 1,2,3,4 Book of Maccabees

Each book is separate and discusses different stories and characters. For instance, the Maccabees were a family who lived during the 400-year break between the Old Testament and the New Testament. They play an integral role in the Jewish revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria.

Interestingly, these books were included in the Jewish Talmud (different from the Tanakh) and the Greek Septuagint (the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible). 

The deuterocanonical books are valuable; however, in the 4th century, St. Jerome doubted that these books were divinely inspired. He then discouraged them from being included in the Christian Bible. However, these books were affirmed as canonical at the Council of Rome (in 382). 

However, Martin Luther (known for the Reformation) recommended separating the Apocrypha from the rest of the Bible. He believed they were not divinely inspired, though Luther found these books valuable and interesting. 

From that time to now, the Protestant Bible has not included the deuterocanonical books found in the Catholic Bible. Otherwise, the Catholic and Orthodox Bibles and the Protestant Bible use the same Old and New Testament scriptures. 

It’s a little more complicated why the Apocrypha is not included in the Protestant Bible, but this gives you a brief overview of why Catholic and Protestant Bibles differ slightly. However, the Apocrypha does contain some valuable information about the intertestamental period (the 400-year gap between the Old and New Testaments). 

The New Testament

The New Testament books are not found in the Tanakh but in Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic Bibles. The New Testament follows the Old Testament (the Apocrypha in Catholic & Orthodox Bibles). These books primarily discuss the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

The books also discuss early church history (in the Acts), how to live a Christian life (the letters of Paul), and more. The last book of the New Testament, Revelation, was written to seven churches facing persecution and how to maintain their faith in that scenario. Some consider Revelation also to be a prophecy of the end times. 

Concluding Thoughts

The Old and New Testaments of the Bible offer a diverse, multifaceted tapestry of faith. The Holy Bible is the divine revelation of God’s presence and purpose in the world and our lives. Through the Bible, God reaches out to each of us, showing us how to come into right relationship with Him and live a life of service and faith. The Bible is God's Word and the foundation of our faith.

The Bible is a love letter from God, our Father. He wrote the Bible for all the people of the Earth. Every time we read and study the Bible, we can learn more about God and how He works in our lives. 

God bless,

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