2.1 More Than Just a Great Read

How can you know the right way to live? Is there some guidebook to help show the way?

Yes! The Bible is this guide. It has safely endured the ages—passing through many hands, surviving many attacks. And its promises are still in effect for you today. 

What makes the Bible so different from other books? Is it of any use to us, since it mostly tells about events that happened thousands of years ago? People in every generation have found its message fulfilling, and its influence on individuals and society over the centuries has been deep and lasting. But why? What is the Bible?

For one thing, the Bible is a collection of books, written by dozens of authors over many hundreds of years. Some are very brief—less than a page—while others are much longer. But in spite of their diversity, when you examine them, you discover they all have a common theme: God’s relationship with the human race. 

This is one reason why the books of the Bible are just as relevant today as when they were written. For centuries, people have wrestled with the idea of God: Who is He? What is He? Is He interested in me? How can I know Him? These and a thousand other questions about God are answered in this holy book we call the Bible. It also deals with timeless questions about us: Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? How should we live? 

Can you think of any questions more important than these? How can we ignore them?