“He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain–first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’“ (Mark 4:26-29)
“I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once a year. My custom is to read four or five chapters every morning after rising from my bed. It employs about an hour of my time and seems to me the most suitable manner of beginning the day.”
— John Quincy Adams
19th century agnostic Robert Ingersoll crisscrossed the United States ridiculing the Bible. He predicted that in 25 years, the Bible would become a forgotten book.[1]
[Tweet “The Bible lives on as the best-selling book of all-time”]We see today that the Bible lives on as the best-selling book of all-time. Guinness World Records estimates that over 5 billion copies of the Bible have been sold.[2]
Why such staying power for an old book?
The Bible is the only book through which God speaks. This book is important to God, because without it, we would be ignorant of His plan of salvation – a plan in which He invested the life of His only Son!
Without the indispensable Word of God, we would know nothing of Bethlehem’s manger or Calvary’s cross. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,” Paul wrote in Romans 10:17. The Bible is indispensable to salvation!
Martin Luther was a pious priest, trying to earn forgiveness by penance and pain— all to no avail. One day in a letter he exclaimed in despair, “Oh my sin, my sin, my sin!”
Not until he read the Bible in the tower of the Wittenberg monastery did Luther suddenly and fully realize, “the just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17. Luther was dramatically changed by God’s Word — and he went on to change the world forever.
[Tweet “God’s Word is indispensable and He will not let it die!”]Accordingly, He has filled his Word with a power unlike anything else we see in the universe … a power that transcends natural law, a power that transforms the destinies of men.
“Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven,” Psalm 119:89
Many throughout history have tried to destroy God’s Word. Jehoiakim took a penknife to Jeremiah’s inspired scroll, then cast the shredded pages into the fire. But he could not blot out God’s message Jeremiah 26:23. Voltaire boasted, “Another century and there will not be a Bible on earth.” Voltaire is gone, and his books are found mostly in libraries and second-hand bookstores. Not only does the Bible continue to gain popularity—just look at digital Bible YouVersion app approaching 200M downloads worldwide—but Voltaire’s own house is now the home of a Bible society!
It has been one of the greatest joys of my life to see the Bible return to the center of culture. In the fall of 2017, the Museum of the Bible will open its doors in Washington, D.C.
This Word exists eternally. And wherever the Bible goes, it lives and it changes lives miraculously. As my dear friend Mart Green says, “This Book is alive!”
[Tweet “The Scriptures continue to transform lives to this day — no matter how they are delivered.”]The Scriptures continue to transform lives to this day — no matter how they are delivered.
This is why we are committed to getting the Scripture to every youth, boy and girl, worldwide. Our vision: God’s Word. Every Child.
Related:
- What Millennials really think about the Bible
- The Bible: Gaining popularity or losing ground?
- Not just another storybook Bible