The Bible, in simple terms, is a collection of sixty-six books written by more than three dozen authors over about 1,500 years.[1] Divided into two parts—historically called the Old Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures (thirty-nine books) and the New Testament (twenty-seven books)—it is the sacred writings for the Christian faith. Not merely the words of the human authors, the Bible is the very word of God in some mysterious sense. According to the apostle Paul, “All Scripture is breathed out by God.” But what’s all that breath about, really? 

To frame the question another way, how should it be read? 

Common Views of the Bible

Is the Bible a book of rules?

Of course, the Bible does include rules, like “Love one another” and “Give to the one who begs from you,” but there are so many questions the Bible does not explicitly address. Where would I turn in the Bible to discern whom to marry, or what kind of car to buy, or whether to have BBQ or salad for lunch?

Perhaps more problematic is how to apply some of what the Bible explicitly does address. For example, how should we understand Leviticus 11:5–6, which forbids the eating of rabbits and pigs, especially since Jesus declared all foods clean? And surely I cannot justify owning slaves today on the basis of Exodus 21?

Is it a love letter?

Others describe the Bible as a love letter, God’s message to humanity that he loves us and has a plan for us. Of course, the Bible does attest that God is love and that God loves us. John 3:16 famously asserts, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

But the Bible also declares, “Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” and “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.” 

Is it a book of potions?

Some view the Bible as a book of potions, a collection of short sayings designed to provide the solution or remedy to every need. For example, when sad, turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice always.” When angry, see Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger do not sin.” When afraid, remember Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not for I am with you.”

This approach destroys the integrity of the literary structure of the writing. The Bible is not a compilation of pithy sayings; each verse has a literary, cultural, and canonical context.

A form of this approach encourages people to choose a “life verse.” For example, one might choose the promise in Jeremiah 29:11: “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” We want this for our life now, but this is a future assurance given to the Israelites. Their condition was radically different: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I am sending on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten” (Jeremiah 29:17).

American Christians sometimes claim this promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” But that is a covenantal promise God made to Israel, not a guarantee that can be claimed by other nations.

Is it a science or history textbook?

It does record historical events accurately and its treatment of scientific subjects is true, but the Bible is an ancient book. It is not written according to modern historical and scientific standards. When we go to the Bible with modern questions, or with the demand that it meet modern criteria for precision, we often place it in an untenable position.

There is an element of truth in each of these metaphors, but none of them captures the heart of what the Bible is and how it should be read. None of them is sufficient to include the entire biblical text.

So, what is it?

The Bible is a story.

The Bible is the greatest story ever told. It includes narrative, poetry, wisdom, legal, apocalyptic, and other genres of literature in a narrative arc of redemption. The opening two chapters declare that God is the Creator of heaven and earth; everything that is has come from him. His creation was good, everything was in order, and everything functioned as intended. But we no longer live in that world.

The third chapter records how this good world became corrupted, how death entered into the world through sin, how everything that God made good is now perverted, decaying, dying, and doomed to destruction.

The fallen world is full of beauty, however, from the grandeur of creation to the artistic contributions of creative people, gracious gifts from the gracious hand of God. Yet even the beauty of art is easily destroyed, and technology that enhances our lives can be used by evil people in a destructive way. Creation itself is beautiful, but when the river overflows its banks, it is a potent force of devastation.

But thanks be to God, Genesis 3 is not the end of the story. From then until the end of Revelation 20, the Bible reveals how God is acting redemptively in that world, bringing light out of darkness, good over evil, life from death, and worship out of rebellion.

At the center of this second act of the story, God himself, in Jesus of Nazareth, takes on humanity, becomes a creature, enters into the world that had been corrupted, submits himself to death, and comes back from the dead to bring hope. His resurrection is not merely good news for humanity but for creation itself.

The biblical story begins with two stories of creation, and it ends with two stories of a new creation (Revelation 21–22). In this new world, there is no darkness, no death, no curse, no sin, and no possibility that it will ever be perverted. God will make his dwelling on the earth with us forever. The final act is much better than the first.

The story is true.

God will complete what he has started. Our own stories have meaning and find their significance in this grand story.

The Bible does give good advice, but its purpose is much bigger than telling us how to live. It tells us that we will live forever with God in a beautiful new creation. The Bible declares that God loves us and that he demonstrated the extent of that love in Jesus, and it promises us that we will experience his love forever. The Bible provides comfort in the midst of sorrow, hope in the midst of hopelessness, light in the midst of darkness, and peace in the midst of conflict because God has a purpose and a plan to redeem his creation.

The biblical story of redemption transcends the historical and scientific questions of this and every other age. Our lives have meaning and purpose because of the story God has written and is writing. Our stories are not merely our individual stories—they are part of something much bigger, the greatest story ever told.