What is the Bible?

The Bible is one of the most influential books ever written. It has shaped law, culture, art, and ethics across the world for thousands of years. For countless people, the Bible is a source of meaning and hope because of the life-changing news it contains.

So what actually is it?

The word “Bible” simply means “book,” but when people talk about the Bible, they are not referring to a single book at all. It is is a collection of 66 books written by dozens of authors over more than a thousand years.

And yet, despite that diversity, Christians believe these books tell one unified story—the story of God and his world. At the centre of that story is Jesus Christ.

The Bible is traditionally divided into two main parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Old Testament was written before the time of Jesus. It contains poetry, history, law, wise sayings, and more. It tells the story of how God rescued and sustained a nation of people for centuries, and it anticipates the arrival of a saviour for the whole world.

The New Testament focuses on the life, death, and resurrection of the saviour of the whole world: Jesus. It then follows the growth of the early Christian church as the news about Jesus spreads. The authors of the New Testament include some of Jesus’ close disciples who write about what they heard Jesus say and what they saw him do.

Together, these writings aim to help us understand who God is, who we are, and what life is for.

Christians believe the Bible is more than just human reflection on God. They believe it is also God’s word, written through human authors, in different times and styles, but ultimately carrying God’s own message to the world.

That is why Christians don’t read the Bible only as information about God, but as something through which God speaks and transforms lives.

One helpful way to think about the Bible is like the ocean. A child can play safely in the shallows and enjoy it, while the most experienced scholar can spend a lifetime exploring its depths and never reach the bottom.

To read the Bible is to begin a lifelong journey of discovery.

If you’re curious and want to begin exploring it for yourself, a good place to start is one of the “Gospels”—accounts of Jesus’ life. Mark’s Gospel is a great starting point. It’s short, fast-moving, and gets straight to the heart of who Jesus is.

Even better: don’t explore it alone. Read it with others. Ask questions. Talk about it at church or with someone who knows it well.

The Bible is not just a book to be studied. It is a story to be entered.