Well, we have been here before. This has been an argument since the beginning of time; I have heard disputes like, “The Bible is just another book,” they say. “What makes it any different?” For those who don’t know, the Bible isn’t just a book cover with a bunch of paper. No, the Bible is life.
#The controversy
I’m not puzzled by the statement which says “outdated”. I have heard worse, like “the Bible has been compromised” and “the Bible is a fairy tale”, and I have even heard that “the Bible is a lie”.
#Let’s set the record straight.
The Bible has been the best-selling “book” of all time, with an estimated 6 billion copies; that’s almost enough copies for every one of us to have one of their own. And no other “book” comes close. So, this should prompt you to ask the question, “How come?”
If you think about it, there is no other “book” that can live up to the status of the Bible, not even close. The Bible speaks about parenthood, relationships, the law, rules, old age, manhood, womanhood, children, life and even more. It is relatable, the Bible is convicting, it is challenging, the Bible is life-changing, and the Bible is life. Perhaps that’s why the Bible resonates with so many people from diverse backgrounds.
#Jesus
It wouldn’t make sense for me to engage in this debate without mentioning the “man” himself, Jesus. Jesus used the Bible in his arguments with scriptures which dated back more than thousands of years before he, Jesus himself, was alive. When Jesus was confronted with the Sadducees on a matter of the resurrection, Jesus quoted Exodus 3:6 when, in Matthew 22:31-32, he said, “But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you? ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” And also, previously, when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan after completing his 40-day and 40-night fast, Jesus’s first words were, “It is written,” from of all places, the Bible.
#past, present and future.
Jesus also speaks of future prophecies in the Bible that had not taken place. So Jesus saw the scripture to be relevant before his days, during his days and after his days, meaning the Bible is relevant in the past, present and future.
#The Word
The Bible itself is not just another book; remember, John 1 vs 1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word with God, and the Word was God.” So God himself in all his persons was before time, he is currently in time, and he will always be in eternity, the future, which makes the Bible unable to be outdated or obsolete because, if you can recall, “the word was God”.
How wonderful it is to know that we have been given such a gift, for the Bible isn’t just text. The Bible is God in the form of alphabets, letters and art. And we humans, mankind, have such a privilege to read, understand, and collect history; to meditate; and to apply the word of God.
