As Christians we put our confidence and faith in what God says. Yet we grossly neglect the primary source of that very information.
The two primary means of revelation from God are Jesus Christ and the Bible. They both work hand in hand with each other to form God’s message to us, His saving message. So many of us in the church know so little of what the Bible says.
In the book of Acts the Bereans were considered noble because they examined the scriptures everyday. We struggle through life, experiencing difficulties with decisions and challenges that greet us almost everyday, all the while ignoring the treasure of help that is available to us in the Bible. We talk about wanting to be closer to God, yet we do not take the time or effort to listen to what He says to us. What kind of relationship can be had when one party does not listen to what the other says? Married couples, would you like to take a shot at answering that one.
Here are some interesting facts about the Bible. Â
– The first translation of the English Bible was initiated by John Wycliffe and completed by John Purvey in 1388.
– The first American edition of the Bible was published some time before 1752.
– The Bible has been translated in part or in whole in over 1,200 different languages or dialects.
– The Bible was divided into chapters by Stephen Langton about 1228.
– The Old Testament was divided into verses by R. Nathan in 1448 and the New Testament by Robert Stephanus in 1551.
– There are 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the OT and 27 in the New.
– The OT has 929 chapters and 23,214 verses. The NT has 260 chapters and 7,959 verses.
– In the OT, the longest book is Psalms. The shortest book is Obadiah.
– In the NT, the longest book is Acts. The shortest is 3 John.
– The word “God” occurs 4,379 times. The word “Lord” occurs 7,738 times.
– Isaiah is referenced 419 times in 23 NT books; Psalms 414 times in 23 books; Genesis 260 times in 21 books