Friday, October 28, 2016
Off The Charts
Guinness Book of World Records reported that, “Although it is impossible
to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the Bible is the world’s best-selling and most widely distributed book. A survey by
the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between
1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 5 billion.
It goes on to say that by 1995, “the whole Bible had been translated into 349
languages; 2123 languages have at least one book of the Bible in that language.”
(http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/best-selling-book-of-non-fiction/)
Why has the Bible
endured? Why do people love it so dearly
and hate it so vehemently? Why has it
been a world-wide best seller for so long?
Why is it translated so widely?
Why do governments often ban it? Why are schools so paranoid concerning
a book that has so profoundly shaped our own nation?
The Bible, itself, gives
some insight into to why it is so loved and hated when it talks about people’s
reactions to “the cross” which is the central idea of the Bible:
“The message of the
cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being
saved know it is the very power of God.
As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and
discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s
brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the
world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish
preaching to save those who believe. It
is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the
Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when
we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say
it’s all nonsense. But to those called
by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the
wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God
is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than
the greatest of human strength.” (1
Corinthians 1:18-25 NLT)
You could say that God designed
the Bible to be misunderstood by those who do not seek truth with a pure motive,
but understood by sincere seekers of truth.
If you are interested in discovering its power, you will need to read it
with an open mind and a tender heart.
For starters, if you read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John you will discover
the extraordinary life of Jesus. You
will understand how he was different than any other religious leader and why
his life and death changed the world. If
you will read the book of Acts, you will be amazed at the historical record of
how believers repented, were baptized in Jesus name and received the baptism of
the Holy Spirit. You read about ordinary
people whose lives were transformed and who experienced an abundant life that
included many miraculous events.
The Bible is a living
book. If you will read it with faith and
respect, God will prove it to you and you will experience the same wonderful
results the first century Christians did.
If you will open your heart, you will fall in love with it and begin to
understand why it has been off the charts for centuries.
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