The name Bible comes from two separate origins, English and French. Just to show its miraculous nature both names ended up the same. The English came up with the name because of the place, Byblos, Phoenicia, where the papyrus paper was made in ancient times to make paper books. The French derived “biblio” from their word for ‘book’. Therefore the Bible is aptly titled the ‘Book of books’. The word “Scripture”, which the Bible uses when talking about itself, means “writings”. The Bible, therefore, is often and quite rightly referred to as the Holy Scriptures, or holy and divinely inspired word of God. The Bible is the infallible Word of God, which means it cannot be wrong and is perfect. It is also immutable, which means it is constant, incorruptible, unchanging, and everlasting. In all the world, there is no other book like the Bible, nor will there ever be. There is the Bible, and there are all the other books ever written. The Bible, though scribed by inspired servants of God, is written by the finger of God himself, just as His finger wrote the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and gave them to Moses, so God wrote every word in the Bible. All true Christians believe the Bible is the Sacred and Holy Writing of God given to aid man in his salvation and in his relationship with his Creator.

The Bible is far and away the most published book in the history of man and became the first book ever printed on a printing press when Johann Gutenberg published the Mazarin Bible in 1437. Today it is published on every continent, and in every language and dialect, and is distributed by huge organizations such as the American Bible and the Gideon Bible Societies. The oldest known manuscript of any book of the Bible is of the book of Isaiah, dating back to the first century A.D., which was found in Qumran, Jordan in 1947. It is part of the archeological find known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Bible has also been paraphrased, or loosely translated into vernacular languages which are not strict translations and should be read with that in mind. There are 66 books of the Bible, each being broken down into chapters and verses for ease of understanding and reference. It is subdivided into two ‘parts; the Old Testament and the New Testament, or the law and the prophets before Christ and the law of liberty after Christ. There are 39 books of the Old Testament which are divided into three main divisions: 1) The Law (Torah, as the Jews call it) which are the five books of Moses at the beginning of the Bible. 2) The Historical books and writings (Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 1 Kings, etc., and the Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, etc.); and, 3) the prophets, which subsist of the four Major Prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel and the so-called 12 Minor Prophets, which end the Old Testament Scriptures. The Old Testament was added upon over the centuries as God inspired his servants to write the sacred writings and ‘canonized’ (i.e. declared official) by Jewish rabbinical authorities around the year 297 B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt. From there it was handed down over the centuries in a preserved pristine state by Hebrew scribes who meticulously copied each and every parchment for use in their synagogues.

By about A.D. 150 the New Testament canon had been established but it was not formally accepted and recognized until the councils of Laodicea and Carthage in the second half of the fourth century (363 and 397 A.D. respectively). The New Testament has 27 books and can be seen in the light of four categories: 1) Four Gospels (the ministry of Jesus on earth). 2) The Historical book of Acts of the Apostles. 3) Twenty-one epistles (or letters) written to seven churches, various believers and special households of faith. (These letters were written by the Apostles Paul, Peter, John, Jude and James, the brother of Our Lord.) and, 4) Revelation: the only exclusively prophetic book of the New Testament.

The Bible is written in Hebrew (in the O.T.) and Greek (in the N.T.). A small portion is written in Aramaic (a related Semitic dialect, which after the captivity of the Jews in 600 B.C. replaced Hebrew as the common language of the Jews) The parts written in Aramaic are the book of Matthew, Dan.2:4 & 7:28; Ezra 4:8, 6:18,7:12-26; and Jeremiah 10:11. The use of common Greek, which was the universal and common language of the world at the time, in the New Testament shows that after the coming of Jesus the Gospel was opened to the whole world and to every man without restriction.

The Bible is not organized in a strict chronological order, which can make it hard to get a sense of the order of man’s history as seen from God’s point of view. But God’s plan of redemption, which has always had a beginning and an end, is revealed in His Word. God is the great architect. He does nothing by the seat of His pants. He has a plan. But to understand this plan we have to be willing to dig into His Word and ask Him to personally show us what it is all about. Just as Jesus taught His disciples in parables, so the Bible is laid out in such a way that we must go to Him to get the meaning and have it put in perspective and order. (There is a story about one of the great antichrist figures of all time, named Alexander the Great, who solved the riddle and prophecy of something called the Gordian Knot. The Gordian Knot was a huge rope tied together in the most intricate fashion so that no man could untie it. A prophecy had said that a man would come along who would solve the riddle and go on to rule the world. Many had tried before but, of course, none could even begin to solve its riddle. Alexander, after his father’s death in Greece, came to the Gordian Knot and promptly took his legendary sword out and with one swoop cut the knot apart. Alexander went on to fulfill the prophecy but died at the age of 33 for his trouble. The point is that many people try to handle the Word of God in the same manner. They cut into it and try to solve its riddles. But God will unravel the word for us.) The Scriptures say of themselves that they are a sword sharper than any sword of man, able to pierce and divide asunder the soul from the spirit. We must not take the Word of God into our own hands and handle it the way the antichrist figure of Alexander the Great handled the Gordian Knot; we must let God unravel the Word for us through communion with His Spirit.

The Bible is infallible, immutable and perfect. It shall last forever. It must be interpreted by the Holy Ghost for it is he that is our guide into all Truth. The Bible is the revelation of the Truth – the Truth is Jesus, Son of man/son of God. The Bible is not a member of the Trinity per se’. The Bible is not a person, it is a perfect expression of the persons of God and particularly THE WORD – even Jesus Himself. The Bible is about the persons of God, His oneness in three persons. The Trinity should never be confused; it is not the Father, the Son, and the Holy Bible. The Trinity is the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The Holy Scriptures reveal God and His plan for our redemption. It is truly, “The Book of Books” about the Triune God and his character and love for man.

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The Holy Bible is The WORD OF GOD
and is good for…

DOCTRINE

 REPROOF

 CORRECTION

 INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

The EOE stands dedicated to bringing forth God’s Word. The commendations handed out by Christ to his faithful people were given partly because they had always kept the word of His patience and not denying His name. We shall continue to promote this wonderful truth and keep His Word in our hearts. It is paramount to faith that we always study the WORD. We should believe the Bible above all things ever written or said. The Bible provides all spiritual knowledge and understanding when taught to us under the direction of the Holy Spirit; that one and only Holy Spirit who is freely given to all those that ask the Father – to have Jesus baptize them in the Spirit.

   “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” 2 Ti 3:16

4 Ways—

With prayer and godly labor it is a fundamental of the Christian faith to bring forth teachings, testimonies, lessons, and exhortations; all carefully laid on a Scriptural foundation, which will minister in health and welfare and faith in these four direct ways:

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1. DOCTRINE- The Bible contains all of the fundamental teachings of Christ.  We are taught the basics of being a disciple of God, walking in the spirit, the doctrine of baptisms, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment and the world to come.

2. REPROOF- Scripture, received with godly fear, turns us around and leads us on a path of righteousness.  God’s Word will discipline us so we can grow in the light of its truth.

3. CORRECTION – The study of God’s Word has the power to make human beings correct.  It shows us a correct way of faith, correct thoughts and attitudes, and correct actions.  If we take the Scriptures to heart they will cleanse our minds of all presumptuous ways and the wrong teachings which oppose the declared ways and doctrines of God and Jesus Christ.

4. INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS – The Bible teaches us the difference between right and wrong. It shows us how to put off sin and put on love. The Bible shows us what we must do to live a pleasing life to God. Heb 6:12