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Did you know the Bible is the single most important book of all time? Clearly, the Bible above all others is scrutinized and attacked more than any other book in the world. However, the truth is the Bible is trustworthy and relevant to us today! Moreover, the Bible is so trustworthy that Satan wants to destroy any and all credibility regarding the Bible.
The Bible is God’s Word
The Bible makes bold declarations about its origin and its power. It is alive and powerful. Moreover, the Bible contains the very words of God. God inspired. God breathed. The apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy:
“All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration].”
2 Timothy 3:16 AMP“But know this first of all, that no prophecy of the Scripture
is a matter of one’s own interpretation.
For no prophecy at any time was produced by the will of man,
but holy men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
2 Peter 1:20-21 MEV
In contrast, there are books that change your thinking, but the Bible reveals to all mankind how to be totally transformed from the inside out.
However, no book in the ancient world has been more consistently attacked, yet it stands unscathed by higher or lower criticism, distortions, and outright prejudice. It is still the world’s best-selling book and more importantly the most loved one.
No other book has been copied, quoted, or used as much, to inspire more individuals to greatness or nobility of character. It’s easily the world’s most inspirational and motivational book. Moreover, it’s the best manual on human behavior ever written. In times of need or guidance, more people go to the Bible for help than to any other source.
The Bible is Trustworthy and Relevant
“For the Word of God is alive and active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword,
it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;
it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12
While most literature is passive in nature, God’s Word is alive and active. It penetrates our hearts, assesses our attitudes, and its Words can alter the course of our life.
The Bible is as relevant
today as it was
3,000 years ago.
37 Facts Regarding Our Trustworthy Bible
- The Christian Bible consists of 66 books.
- These 66 books are divided into two sections.
- The Old Testament and New Testament
- The word testament means covenant.
- The Bible was authored by over forty different people.
- It was written over a period of more than 1,500 years.
- Penned from the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa.
- Written in three different languages:
- The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew with some Aramaic.
- The New Testament was written in Koine Greek.
- The earliest portions of the Old Testament were recorded around 1400 BC.
- The Old Testament writings were completed with the book of Malachi, around 400 BC.
- Malachi’s book is followed by a roughly 400-year time gap before the New Testament period begins.
- The books of the New Testament were written between 44 AD and 95 AD.
Printing Facts Concerning the Bible
- 10. Johannes Gutenberg who invented the “type mold” for the printing press printed the Bible in Latin in 1454 A.D.
- 11. On average, there are 100 million Bibles printed each year.
- 12. The US accounts for a quarter of newly printed Bible sales every year.
- 13. It’s projected that there are more than 6 billion Bibles currently in print.
- (140% more than the estimated 2.5 billion copies in print as of 1975.)
Translations of the Bible
- 14. The first English translation of the Bible was in 1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe.
As of September 2022, according to Wycliffe Global Alliance:
- 15. The complete Bible has been translated into 724 languages.
- 16. The New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,617 languages.
- 17. 3,589 languages had access to at least one book of the Bible.
Bible Distribution
- 18. 5 billion copies of the Bible have been distributed worldwide.
- 19. The number of Bibles sold in the US is:
- 20 million each year
- 1.66 million each month
- 384,615 per week
- 54,945 every day
- 20. 92% of all Americans possess at least one Bible or more.
- The average Christian has nine copies.
- 21. 115,055 Bibles are given away or distributed every day
- 22. As of 2015, Gideons International distribution surpassed 2 billion Bibles and New Testaments.
- The first 1 billion spanned 93 years (1908 to 2001).It took less than 14 years (2002 to 2015) to distribute the second.
- The Gideons alone distributed more than 59 million Bibles, free, in 2016.
- 23. There are more than 80,000 different versions of the Bible in the world.
According to Evangelical Focus Europe:
- 24. As of 2015, the Bible Societies have distributed a total of 1.8 billion scriptures,
- including 184 million complete Bibles.
- 25. In 2019, 40 million full Bibles were distributed.
- 26. 15 million New Testaments were distributed.
- 27. In total, more than 315 million scripture items were distributed around the world.
- 28. 3.7 million scriptures specially designed for children, were distributed worldwide.
- 1.27 million went to Africa, where 40% of the population is under 15 years old.
- 29. In 2019, portions of scripture were translated into 29 sign languages used by 5.3 million deaf people.
Technology Used for Reading the Bible
Today, most people searching for a term or phrase can more easily find it by typing a few words into Google or a Bible website. Here in the USA the statistics show:
- 30. 42% of American Bible users now access Scripture through a Bible app.
- 31. 55% of Americans use their smartphones to access Bible content.
- This includes both the Bible and Bible resources.
- 32. In 2012 only 23% of American adults claimed to use a smartphone to access the Bible.
- 33. Approximately 35% listen to teaching via podcast or audio version of the Bible.
- This is up from 30% in 201
- 34. 24 million Bible apps became available between January and June 2020.
- According to EvangelicalFocus.com:
- 35. A quarter of the Bibles distributed in 2019 were in a digital format.
- 36. Ten million copies have been downloaded from the Internet.
- 37. Most downloaded scriptures were in Spanish and Portuguese.
- The leader is Brazil with 1.8 million downloaded Bibles.
Our Trustworthy and Relevant Bible Enables Us to Stand Firm!
In conclusion, the Creator God, Himself declares His Word is True, and there is no higher Authority than He! Even when society changes, the need for truth, wisdom, and direction remains consistent. Truth is always truth. In a world where stability is fleeting, God’s Word, the Bible, is not.
- The Psalmist wrote, “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” – Psalm 119:89
- Isaiah wrote, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”– Isaiah 40:8
In the New Testament, Peter echoes this truth when he quotes Isaiah in 1 Peter 1:25. The unchanging nature of God, and His Word, makes the Bible the single source of faith and practice for everyone throughout the ages.
It is imperative to have a Biblical Worldview and stand firm in the knowledge that the Bible is trustworthy and relevant for us today as it was when written 3000 years ago.
Maranatha! Until next time, I am Passionately Loving Jesus, the Anchor of my Soul.
Sources and Further Reading
For more on this subject, I recommend the following Resources:
- Can We Prove the Bible Is True? – AnswersinGenesis.org
- Seven Compelling Evidences Confirm the Bible Is True –AnswersinGenesis.org
- 2018 The State of the Bible – Barna Research
- The Bible: What Is it, Who Wrote it, and Why it Still Matters Today – by Donna Jones
- Learn the Bible in 24 Hours – by Chuck Missler
- How We Got Our Bible – by Chuck Missler
