Understanding the Bible

Bible Survey: The Bible is comprised of 2 testaments, 66 different books, 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses, and 773,692 words. The different books of the Bible cover different topics and were addressed to different audiences. The books of the Bible were written by approximately 40 different men over a period of approximately 1,500 years. A summary / survey of the entire Bible is therefore a major undertaking.

At the same time, the Holy Spirit was the "inspiring" author of the Bible. God "breathed out" His Word and used the prophets and apostles to write His Word down (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21). Further, all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ have the Holy Spirit indwelling them (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13). The Holy Spirit desires to help us to understand the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:10-16).

The purpose of our Bible survey section is to give a basic background of each book of the Bible. For each book of the Bible, the author, date of writing, purpose of writing, key verses, and a brief summary will be given. We sincerely hope that our Bible summary / survey section will help you to understand the Bible better, and will encourage you to study the Bible in a more in-depth manner.

Bibliology is the study of the Bible, the Word of God. The Bible is the inspired source of knowledge about God, Jesus Christ, salvation, and eternity. Without a proper view of the Bible, our views on these and other issues become clouded and distorted. Bibliology tells us what the Bible is. Common questions in Bibliology are:

Is the Bible truly God's Word? Our answer to this question will not only determine how we view the Bible and its importance to our lives, but also ultimately will have an eternal impact on us.

What is the canon of Scripture? The basis of Christianity is found in the authority of Scripture. If we can't identify what is Scripture, then we can't properly distinguish any theological truth from error.

What does it mean that the Bible is inspired? While there are different views as to what extent the Bible is inspired, there can be no doubt that the Bible itself claims that every word, in every part of the Bible, is inspired by God (1 Corinthians 2:12-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Does the Bible contain errors, contradictions, or discrepancies? If you read the Bible, at face value, without a preconceived bias for finding errors - you will find it to be a coherent, consistent, and relatively easy-to-understand book.