The Holy Bible. Most people in the United States have heard of this most important book and many have at least one in their home. The question is, what makes this book so important; so special? What makes this book so vital to our lives?

One answer is that the Bible contains the words of God, the words of life. It is through reading, studying and obeying the teachings found in the Bible that we find eternal life in Jesus.

The Bible is easier to understand when we remember the major divisions. The biggest division is the division between the old Testament and the New Testament. The main division in the Old Testament is that of the Patriarchal age where the fathers were the spiritual leaders and the Mosaic age when God’s people lived under the Law of Moses. The New Testament tells of the coming of Jesus into the world, the establishment of his church and how to live the Christian life. Jesus was a Jew and lived under the Law of Moses. He was the only person who ever lived on earth who kept the law perfectly. During this time period the Church of Jesus Christ had not yet been established.

The book Of Acts gives a brief history of the early church. The second chapter tells of the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecosto. Peter taught the people about Jesus and how to become a Christian, Acts 2:42 tells how these very first Christians worshiped. The books of Romans through Revelation were written either to Christians or to Christian Churches, people who had already become Christians according to the conversions to Christianity as found in the book of Acts. In these books we learn a lot about living the Christian life.

As we study God’s word, we need as much as possible to learn the who what why where and when of Scripture. Who wrote the Scripture and to whom was to writtent. What was written, why was it written, where was it written and when was it written. All Scripture is given by the inspired word of God and is true, but not all Scripture pertains to us today.

Before Scripture reading it is always good to clear our minds as much as is possible so that we don’t read our preconceived ideas into Scripture. Then it is good to go to God in prayer asking him to guide us in the proper understanding of his word. The Holy Spirit is our very best teacher.

The Bible is not just another book. It is the word of God.

Our Bibles should be our most important and most valued possessions. The study of and obedience to the words found in our Bibles lead us to Jesus, the forgiveness of our sins, and eternity in heaven. What on earth could be more important than the heavenly messages found in our Bibles.

J.M. Stock

High Hill