Chuck Northrop

There are some amazing books — stories of all kinds both fictional and non-fictional; biographies of great men; encyclopedias of every kind of fact imaginable to men, but there is only one book of all books. It is the book of books, the scriptures, the word of God, the will of God, the BIBLE. It is the book of all books, because it contains three basic things.

The Bible Contains Facts to Believe

Nearly all books have facts, some believable, others not so believable, and still others unbelievable. For years some critics have tried to make the Bible into a book of stories of unbelievable facts. The fact is, however, all the accounts of the Bible are true. We know they are true, because God is its author (2 Timothy 3:16), and “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

The one greatest fact to believe is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. It is upon this fact, that Christianity has its basis. Paul proclaimed, “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Emphasizing the point even further Paul said, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). God does not expect us to believe facts without evidence and proof. The proof of the resurrection of Jesus is the empty tomb. Some have tried to empty the tomb by every lie imaginable but, God emptied the tomb by the resurrection! The changed lives of the apostles are a second proof. Men do not die for a lie. All the apostles save one, John, went to the grave violently because of their belief in the resurrection of Jesus. A third proof is the establishment of the church consisting of countless thousands who have given their lives in service to the resurrected Christ.

The Bible is not a book filled with hoaxes. It is a book of the fact that God worked in the lives of men to bring about the Messiah to die for the sins of this world. It is a book that all can believe.

The Bible Contains Commands to Obey

Not only does the Bible have believable facts, it also contains commandments that must be obeyed. Every person is accountable to God for deeds done in the flesh. Most people realize the need for guidance. The Psalmist exclaimed, “I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments” (Psalm 119:131). Earlier in the same Psalm he said, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Certainly, the word of God offers direction in life. When a person fails to comprehend man’s purpose to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13), he has little purpose in life. The commandments of the Lord, then, offers purpose and direction to life.

The Lords commands are not something that should just be heard. We should be as the Psalmist who said, “Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes” (Psalm 119:33a). But we should also seek to “keep it unto the end” (Psalm 119:33b). James proclaimed, “But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). God’s Word is of little effect until man makes the necessary application and changes his life in accordance to it.

There is one other aspect we must consider in reference to keeping God’s commandments which is our attitude in obeying Him. The apostle John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and His commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). Therefore, our attitude of motivation is love and our attitude toward His commandments is that they are not burdensome.

The Bible Contains Promises to Enjoy

Peter exclaimed, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4a). Those promises are for this life and the life to come (Luke 18:30). They are promises from God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). So then they are real, and they will be fulfilled. They are promises of what life really is. That is, not the tangible things of this world, but the intangible things such as joy, peace, and hope. Also the promise concerns eternal life — not mere existence throughout eternity, but a quality of more than existence in fellowship and praise of God with all the saints of all ages.

Now we see how precious is this book divine. It is not just another book, but it is the book of all books, because it contains facts to believe, commands to obey, and promises to enjoy.