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WHY READ THE BIBLE

Reading the Bible is essential for the Christian. The Bible is not a history book, per se, although it contains history. The Bible is not a collection of wise sayings designed to educate the reader or to reveal some esoteric philosophy. Neither is it mythology or a collection of fun stories. And to your probable surprise, it is not a manual for every day living. No, the Bible is much more than that to the spiritual Christian.

The books contained in the Bible are from God. It is mainly written from God's viewpoint. "Every scripture is divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work" (1 Timothy 3: 16-17). Therefore the scriptures are designed to equip the believer with the tools he needs to fulfill God's will.
The words contained in the Bible are not mere words. Jesus said: "My words are spirit and they are life" (John 6:63). This means that when the words are read with faith, that the spirit and the life of God are imparted to the believer. The spiritual reader actually receives the nature and attributes of God Himself.

The Word actually has gone through three stages. First, before writing was instituted, God revealed Himself either directly to man (Adam, Enoch, Noah etc.) or through His creation. Next, His Word was revealed both orally (passed down through many generations) or through writing. Finally, Jesus Christ appeared and manifested the Word on earth, in the flesh. The Apostle John put it this way: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He [the Word] was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (Gospel of John 1:1-5).
Who is the He/Him John is talking about? The Word of God.

Who was the Word John was speaking of? Jesus Christ was the "Word made flesh". He was the Son of God and He was the Word, the expression of the Father, the second person of the trinity which comprises all of God. Remember how it was that God created the worlds: By a Word; He said "Let it be" and it was. The Word (Christ) was the creative power issuing from God that enabled His heart to be manifested in His creation.

The Bible contains history in that it traces a thread from creation to Christ. It tells of the first man Adam, then Eve, until they

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