What Is the Bible and What Is Its Main Message?
The Bible is the sacred book of Christianity: a collection of writings that Christians believe God inspired to tell the story of his relationship with humanity. Its main message is that God created the world, that people turned away from him, and that God has acted to rescue them, above all through Jesus Christ. This article explains what the Bible is, how it is organized, what the Old and New Testaments are about, how they fit together, and why the Bible was written.
The Bible is a collection of sacred books, divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament, which Christians believe is the word of God. Its central message is the story of God's plan to rescue humanity from sin and death, a plan that runs from creation to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- What Is the Bible?
- What Are the Old Testament and the New Testament?
- How Is the Bible Organized?
- What Is the Main Message of the Bible?
- What Is the Old Testament About?
- What Is the New Testament About?
- How Do the Old and New Testaments Fit Together?
- Is Jesus Christ the Central Message of the Bible?
- Why Was the Bible Written?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Bible?
The Bible is the holy book of Christianity, a collection of writings that Christians believe God inspired and that reveal who God is, what he has done and how people can know him. Christians often call it Scripture, the Holy Scriptures or the word of God.
The Bible is not only a book about religion. It contains history, laws, poetry, wise sayings, prophecies, biographies of Jesus and letters to early Christian communities. Yet all these different kinds of writing tell one connected story: the story of God and the people he created.
For Christians, the Bible is more than an ancient text to be studied. It is a guide for life and faith. The psalmist describes it this way: "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105, NIV). Just as a lamp does not show the whole road at once but lights the next step, the Bible gives people guidance for daily life as well as for the big questions of meaning and purpose.
Is the Bible One Book or a Collection of Books?
The Bible is both. It is a collection of many separate books, written by different people over many centuries, and it is also one book, because Christians believe all its parts tell one story with one divine author behind them.
A helpful comparison is a library. A library holds history books, poetry, law books and letters, each written by different people for different reasons. The Bible is like a small library bound into a single volume.
Catholic Bibles contain 73 books, and Protestant Bibles contain 66. The difference is not that Catholics added books. Seven Old Testament books were part of the Christian Bible for many centuries before the Reformation. Martin Luther placed them in a separate section, which he called the Apocrypha, and later Protestant Bibles removed them. Orthodox Bibles contain a few more books still. The New Testament has the same 27 books in almost all Christian Bibles, so the difference lies only in the Old Testament.
Although the books are different in style and setting, they share the same themes: God as Creator, human sin, God's faithfulness to his promises, and his plan to rescue people. This unity is one of the reasons Christians see the Bible as one book rather than simply a collection.
What Are the Old Testament and the New Testament?
The Old Testament is the first part of the Bible, written before the birth of Jesus, and the New Testament is the second part, written after his death and resurrection. Together, they make up the Christian Bible.
The word "testament" is an older English word for covenant. A covenant is a solemn agreement that creates a lasting relationship, somewhat like a marriage vow. The two parts of the Bible are named after the two great covenants between God and his people.
The Old Testament tells the story of God's covenant with the people of Israel. It covers creation, the early history of humanity, the call of Abraham, the escape from slavery in Egypt, the giving of the law to Moses, the kingdom of Israel, and the messages of the prophets. It closes with God's people still waiting for his promises to be fulfilled.
The New Testament tells the story of the new covenant that God made through Jesus Christ. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20). The New Testament records Jesus' life and teaching, the beginning of the Church, and the letters that guided the first Christians.
"Old" here does not mean out of date. Christians believe the Old Testament remains the word of God. It is called "old" because it came first and prepared the way for what came next.
How Is the Bible Organized?
The Bible is organized into two main parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament, and each part is arranged in groups of books of a similar type rather than in the order in which they were written.
The table below shows the main sections of the Bible and what each contains.
| Section | Examples of books | What these books contain |
|---|---|---|
| Old Testament | ||
| The Law (the first five books) | Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy | Creation, the early history of humanity, the founding of Israel and the law God gave through Moses |
| History | Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings | The story of Israel in the Promised Land, its kings, its exile and its return |
| Wisdom and poetry | Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs | Prayers, songs, wise sayings and reflections on suffering, love and the meaning of life |
| Prophets | Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Jonah, Micah | Messages from God calling his people back to him, warning of judgment and promising a future Savior |
| Old Testament total | 46 books in Catholic Bibles; 39 in Protestant Bibles, which removed seven | |
| New Testament | ||
| The Gospels | Matthew, Mark, Luke, John | The life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus |
| History | Acts of the Apostles | The spread of the early Church after Jesus returned to heaven |
| Letters | Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 1 John | Teaching and guidance for Christian communities and individuals |
| Prophecy | Revelation | A vision of the final victory of God over evil and the renewal of all things |
| New Testament total | 27 books in all Christian Bibles | |
What Kinds of Writing Are Found in the Bible?
The Bible contains many kinds of writing, including history, law, poetry, wisdom sayings, prophecy, Gospels, letters and visions. Recognizing the kind of writing helps a reader understand what a passage is saying.
A simple comparison is a newspaper. A reader does not read the news report, the editorial, the comic strip and the weather forecast in the same way. Each has its own purpose. In the same way:
- History tells what happened to God's people, such as the kings of Israel in 1 and 2 Kings.
- Law sets out God's commands for his people, such as the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20.
- Poetry and songs express praise, sorrow, trust and longing, as in the Psalms.
- Wisdom writing gives practical advice for daily life, as in Proverbs.
- Prophecy delivers God's messages through his prophets, often calling people to change their ways and pointing to the future.
- Gospels tell the life and teaching of Jesus.
- Letters answer the questions and problems of early Christian communities.
- Visions use vivid symbols to reveal spiritual truths, as in the Book of Revelation.
Reading a poem as if it were a list of instructions, or a vision as if it were a news report, can lead to misunderstanding.
Why Does the Bible Have Books, Chapters and Verses?
The Bible is divided into books because it is a collection of separate writings, and into chapters and verses so that readers can find and refer to any passage quickly and precisely.
The books were written as separate works. The chapter and verse numbers, however, were not part of the original writings. They were added many centuries later to make the Bible easier to use, in the same way that page numbers and an index make a large book easier to use.
This is why a Bible reference has three parts. In "John 3:16," "John" is the book, "3" is the chapter, and "16" is the verse. With this system, people anywhere in the world can open their Bibles to exactly the same place.
Because the chapter and verse divisions were added later, they sometimes break a passage in an unusual place. It is often helpful to read the verses before and after a single verse to understand it in its full setting.
What Is the Main Message of the Bible?
The main message of the Bible is that God created the world good, that humanity turned away from him through sin, and that God has acted, above all in Jesus Christ, to rescue people and one day to renew all creation. This message is often summarized in four parts: creation, fall, rescue and restoration.
Creation. The Bible opens with God as Creator: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). God made the world good, and he made human beings in his own image to know him and to care for his creation (Genesis 1:26–31).
The fall. The first human beings chose to disobey God (Genesis 3). This choice brought sin, suffering and death into the world, and it damaged humanity's relationship with God, with one another and with creation. The rest of the Bible shows how deeply sin affects every human life.
Rescue. God did not abandon humanity. He made promises and covenants, first with Abraham and then with the people of Israel, and he promised to send a Savior. Christians believe these promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Restoration. The Bible ends with the promise that God will make all things new. In the final chapters of Revelation, God dwells with his people, and "he will wipe every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 21:4). The story that began in a garden ends in a renewed creation.
Put simply, the Bible is the story of God's love for a world that turned away from him, and of the lengths he went to in order to bring it back.
What Is the Old Testament About?
The Old Testament is about God's creation of the world, humanity's turning away from him, and God's covenant with the people of Israel, through whom he promised to bless all nations and prepare the way for a Savior.
The Old Testament story can be followed in a few main stages:
- Beginnings (Genesis 1–11): creation, the first sin, the flood and the spread of humanity.
- The patriarchs (Genesis 12–50): God calls Abraham and promises that "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3). The story continues with Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
- The escape from Egypt (Exodus): God frees the Israelites from slavery through Moses and gives them his law at Mount Sinai.
- The Promised Land and the kings: Israel settles in the land, is led by judges, and then by kings such as David and Solomon.
- Division and exile: the kingdom splits in two, both parts turn away from God, and both are eventually conquered. Many of the people are taken into exile.
- Return and waiting: some of the people return to their land and rebuild, still waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises.
Running through the whole Old Testament are the messages of the prophets. They warned God's people when they turned to other gods or treated the poor unjustly, and they promised that God would one day send a chosen King and make a new covenant with his people (Jeremiah 31:31–34).
The Old Testament also gives voice to the full range of human experience. The Psalms contain joy, grief, anger and hope. Job wrestles with suffering. Ecclesiastes asks whether life has meaning. These books show that the Bible does not avoid hard questions.
What Is the New Testament About?
The New Testament is about Jesus Christ: his life, teaching, death and resurrection, the beginning and spread of the Church, and the hope of his return.
The New Testament can be understood in four parts:
- The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) tell the story of Jesus. They record his birth, his teaching, his miracles, his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.
- Acts of the Apostles tells how the Holy Spirit came upon the first disciples and how the message about Jesus spread from Jerusalem to many parts of the Roman world.
- The letters were written by apostles and other early Christian leaders to churches and individuals. They explain what Jesus' life, death and resurrection mean, and how Christians should live.
- Revelation is a book of prophecy and visions that looks ahead to the final victory of God over evil and the renewal of all things.
The New Testament presents Jesus as the one the Old Testament was waiting for. The letter to the Hebrews begins by saying that God spoke in the past "through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:1–2).
How Do the Old and New Testaments Fit Together?
The Old and New Testaments fit together as promise and fulfillment: the Old Testament makes promises and prepares the way, and the New Testament shows how those promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Jesus himself taught this connection. He said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17). St. Augustine expressed the same idea in a well-known saying: the New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is made clear in the New.
Here are a few examples of how the two parts connect:
- The promise to Abraham. God promised that all nations would be blessed through Abraham's family (Genesis 12:3). The New Testament presents Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, as the one through whom that blessing reaches the whole world (Galatians 3:8, 14).
- The Passover lamb. In Exodus, the blood of a lamb protected the Israelites on the night God freed them from Egypt (Exodus 12). In the New Testament, John the Baptist calls Jesus "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
- The suffering servant. Isaiah describes a servant of God who would suffer for others: "he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5). Christians see this fulfilled in the death of Jesus.
- The new covenant. Jeremiah promised a new covenant written on people's hearts (Jeremiah 31:31–34). Jesus announced that new covenant at the Last Supper (Luke 22:20).
A helpful comparison is a two-part story. The first part introduces the characters, the problem and the promises. The second part brings the story to its climax. Reading only the second part leaves many questions unanswered, and reading only the first leaves the story unfinished. The two belong together.
Is Jesus Christ the Central Message of the Bible?
Yes. From a Christian perspective, Jesus Christ is the center of the whole Bible. The Old Testament prepares for him, the Gospels tell his story, and the rest of the New Testament explains what his life, death and resurrection mean.
Jesus made this claim about himself. He told the religious leaders of his day, "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me" (John 5:39). After his resurrection, he walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24:27).
Why Was the Bible Written?
The Bible was written so that people could know God, understand his plan for the world, believe in Jesus Christ and receive eternal life, and live in a way that pleases God.
The Bible states its own purpose in several places:
- To lead people to faith in Jesus. John explains why he wrote his Gospel: "these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31).
- To teach and guide. Paul writes that Scripture is "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).
- To give hope. "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope" (Romans 15:4).
- To remember what God has done. Many parts of the Bible record God's acts so that future generations would not forget them and would trust him.
In short, the Bible was written not only to give information about God but to bring people into a relationship with him.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Bible the best-selling book in the world? The Bible is widely regarded as the best-selling and most widely distributed book in history. It has been translated, in whole or in part, into thousands of languages, more than any other book. Exact sales figures are impossible to know, because many copies are given away free and many have been printed over many centuries.
What are the first and last words of the Bible? The Bible begins with "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) and, in the NIV, ends with "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen" (Revelation 22:21). The Bible opens with God creating the world and closes with a blessing of grace, which reflects its whole message.
Is the word of God the same as the Bible? Christians call the Bible the word of God, but the Bible also uses "the Word" as a name for Jesus himself. John's Gospel says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1), and "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14). Christians believe that God speaks through the written Scriptures and that he has revealed himself most fully in the person of Jesus.
Do Christians and Jews have the same Old Testament? Largely, yes. The Jewish Scriptures contain the same books as the Protestant Old Testament, but they are arranged in a different order and grouped into three sections: the Law, the Prophets and the Writings. Catholic and Orthodox Old Testaments also contain books that later Protestant Bibles removed. The main difference is not the text but the way it is read: Christians read the Old Testament as pointing to Jesus Christ.
Is the Bible still relevant today? Christians believe it is, because the Bible speaks to questions that never go out of date: Who made us? Why is there suffering? What is right and wrong? Is there hope beyond death? Its teaching on love, forgiveness, justice and the value of every human life continues to guide millions of people. Paul wrote that the Scriptures were written "to teach us" (Romans 15:4), and Christians believe that includes readers today.
- More "Bible and Biblical Teachings"
- The Catholic Ten Commandments: List, Order, and Biblical Verses
- What Does Each of the Ten Commandments Mean? A Catholic Explanation
- Do Christians Still Have to Keep the Ten Commandments? What Jesus Taught
- The Book of Genesis Summary: Chapters, Author, and Key Themes
