What is the Bible?

“If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31b-32). 

I went to a Christian elementary school and my favorite year was third grade. You remember third grade, right? My kids are around that age now and man, do they love to learn. My third- grade memories include being in a Bible Bowl. Very few people got to represent our class for this prestigious event, and I was one of them. I had my Bible books memorized and I knew fact after fact about the Bible. I practiced and practiced until I was sure I was ready. I honestly don’t remember if we won so that makes me think we didn’t, but what I do remember was the thrill and honor of being on that team.  

Because of this you will not be shocked that I love Bible trivia. So, humor me and let me share a couple of fun Bible facts with you. The Bible has 66 books and 1,189 chapters. The Bible was written in three different languages over the course of 1,500 years. You probably knew those facts, but I think those are pretty neat ones.  

What is the Bible?

The Bible, though, is about so much more than numbers and facts. The Bible is God breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), tells us about God and His love, and serves as a guide for our lives. It is truth to live by in a world that surrounds us with anything but. But we can’t use the Bible for any of these things if we don’t take time to open it up and study it. My pastor says the Bible is not a lazy person’s book. It takes focus and study to truly get it seeping down in your bones.  

God’s Word is truth because God is truth. Therefore, we can also trust that God’s Word helps us know what is true.  

God’s Word Helps Us Know What’s True

My kids love to go to an arcade that has virtual reality games. They put on a headset and have a controller in their hand, and they are off to the races in a world that looks very real. They know it isn’t real, but it seems that way in the moment. Shrieks and high-pitched squealing ensue as they navigate a pretend world for a few minutes. Then, they take off the VR headset, give back the controller, and come back to real reality with their family and friends in the same town they were in before. Sometimes it can feel like we are living in a different world with people telling us things that sound nice and seem true. But we can’t know for sure unless we square up that nicety with Scripture. For example, “Follow your heart” seems like a nice enough idea, but we know Scripture tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9) so I would venture to say following our heart is maybe not the best plan for life.  

Not only does God’s Word help us to know what is true, it also helps us in difficult times. Sometimes the world can get me down. People seem to be spinning out of control, but God’s Word always grounds me and reminds me of the reality I cannot see. My favorite verse in all of Scripture is Isaiah 55:9 and reads, “for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans.” This verse always reminds me to look at the bigger picture and helps me trust that God knows what He is doing even though I may not see it from my vantage point.  

 John 8 tells us the truth can set us free. The freedom that God’s truth can give us is unlike what we can get anywhere else. I am thankful God’s truth isn’t restrictive and isn’t meant to hold us back. Rather, it helps us live the best life we can here and gives us hope for what is ahead when we leave.  

Amy Lowe

Amy Lowe is the Director of WinShape Camp for Girls—a summer camp for girls from 1st grade to 12th grade. She lives with her husband Matt and two kids just outside Atlanta, Georgia. Like most other moms, her hobbies include laundry, running the robot vacuum, and unloading the dishwasher