The Bible

A library of many kinds of writing

The Bible is a collection of writings produced over many centuries by many authors in different historical settings.

It includes history, law, poetry, songs, wisdom, prophecy, letters and accounts of the life of Jesus. These different kinds of writing do not all communicate in the same way.

A poem may use imagery, a proverb may express a general principle, a letter addresses particular readers, and a historical account describes events. Responsible reading therefore pays attention to the type of writing and the setting in which it was written.

The Old Testament

The Old Testament begins with creation and humanity’s turning away from God. It then follows God’s covenant with Abraham and the story of the people of Israel through figures such as Moses, David and the prophets.

Its books contain law, history, worship, wisdom, human failure, judgement and repeated promises that God will rescue, forgive and restore.

Christians share these Scriptures with Judaism, although Jewish and Christian traditions arrange some of the books differently and do not interpret every passage in the same way.

The New Testament

The New Testament begins with the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They tell of Jesus’s life, teaching, death and resurrection.

The book of Acts describes the spread of the early Church after Jesus’s death and resurrection. The letters explain the meaning of Jesus’s life and guide Christian communities in their belief and conduct.

The final book, Revelation, uses powerful symbolic imagery to encourage Christians with the hope that God will finally defeat evil, judge injustice and renew creation.

One unfolding story centred on Jesus

Although the Bible contains many books, Christians understand them as parts of one connected story. God creates, humanity turns away, God begins his work of rescue, Jesus accomplishes that rescue, the Holy Spirit forms the Church, and God promises to renew all things.

Christians believe this story reaches its centre in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prepares for God’s rescue, while the New Testament tells how Jesus came, died for human sin, rose from the dead and offers forgiveness and eternal life.

The Bible’s central message is therefore not that people can earn acceptance with God through perfect obedience. It announces that God saves by his grace through Jesus.

Why Christians trust the Bible

Christians believe the Bible is inspired by God. This means that God worked through its human authors, their languages, personalities and historical circumstances to give the Church writings that truthfully reveal his character, purposes and saving work.

Inspiration does not mean that every book has the same style or that its human authors played no real part in writing it. Their different voices and circumstances remain visible throughout the Bible.

Christians differ over exactly how inspiration, authority and interpretation should be explained. They are nevertheless united in treating the Bible as the foundational written witness to God’s revelation and to Jesus Christ.

How Christians read and use the Bible

Christians read the Bible privately, study it together and hear it read and explained in church. It shapes Christian belief, worship, prayer, moral teaching and daily life.

Because Jesus is the centre of Christianity, Christians seek to understand the whole Bible in relation to him. His life, teaching, death and resurrection provide the clearest revelation of God’s character and rescue.

Reading through Jesus does not mean ignoring the original meaning of a passage. Christians seek to understand its historical setting, the kind of writing it is, its place within the wider biblical story and how it relates to Jesus and his teaching.

Christians also believe that reading the Bible is not merely an academic exercise. They read it in order to know God more deeply, understand his will and allow its message to shape the way they live.

Where a beginner can start

A beginner does not need to begin at the first page and read straight through. One of the Gospels is usually the clearest place to start because the Gospels introduce Jesus directly.

Mark is the shortest and moves quickly through the main events of Jesus’s ministry. Luke gives a fuller and carefully ordered account. John is more reflective and speaks especially clearly about Jesus’s identity as God the Son and the eternal life he gives.

It can help to read a short section at a time and ask simple questions: What does this show about God? What does it show about people? What is happening in the wider passage? What response does it invite?

When a passage is difficult

Some passages are unfamiliar, disturbing or difficult to understand. Christians do not always agree about their meaning, and questions should not be treated as a failure of faith.

It is often helpful to read the surrounding passage, identify the kind of writing, compare a clear translation and learn about the historical setting. Trustworthy teachers, study Bibles and commentaries can also provide useful guidance.

A difficult passage should be taken seriously, but it need not obscure the Bible’s central message or prevent someone from continuing to explore Jesus.