Introduction:
The Bible is the Word of God.  It is a collection of sacred writings.  It is the account of God’s dealing with the human race.  The Bible unfolds of truth.  It is the objective truth, meaning it stands alone in its facts.  Throughout the Bible, God makes himself known to us.  To know God we must study the Bible.  The Bible answers man's basic questions. From beginning to the end the Bible has one great theme, the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It reveals that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. In the Old Testament Jesus is predicted, in the Gospels Jesus is revealed, in the book of Acts Jesus is preached, in the Epistles Jesus is explained and in Revelation Jesus is anticipated.

The Bible:
"Bible" comes from the Greek word "Biblio" which means "Book'".  Bible is also known as the ‘Divine Library’ because it is composed of sixty-six books. It is mainly divided into two, the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT).

Old Testament:
The First thirty-nine books of the Bible are known as the Old Testament. The Old Testament is made up of the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the book of Psalms (Luke 24:44). It covers the books from Genesis to Malachi. The Old Testament is mainly describes the work and dealings of God with the people of Israel. The redemption of Israel is the general theme of the Old Testament. It has five main divisions. The law, History, Poetry and Wisdom Books and Prophecy The major theme of OT is the about the Messiah (Jesus Christ) who is yet to come. The person of Christ is pictured through out the Old Testament. In Genesis 3:15 we see the first  prophecy about the coming of Christ.  This prophecy was made four thousand years before the birth of Jesus Christ.  The first five books of the Bible is known as "pentateuch" and were written by Moses.

New Testament:
The last twenty-seven books in the Bible is known as the New Testament. It tells the wonderful story of Jesus Christ, His manifestation, His rejection, His crucifixion, His resurrection and His ascension. Christ is the fulfillment of the OT prophecies. The four Gospels portray the various aspects of the person and works of Christ. The book of Acts is the Early church history. The Epistles are letters that explain the New Testament doctrines. The book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ unfolds the bringing of history into consummation.

The Authorship of the Bible:
The message and the words of the Bible did not originate in human mind but men inspired by God.  Men  wrote down the message at different times and in different places as they were inspired of God. So Bible is 'God inspired' or 'God breathed' Word of God (2 Peter 1:21, 22; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17). It is the product of the creative breath of Almighty God. It was written by over 40 different men over a period of 1500 years as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Though these writers did not obviously consult each other the Bible still has a profound unity and there is no contradiction in it. In one sense God Himself is the author of the Bible. The Bible is the Word of God and it is incorrect to say that the Bible has the Word of God.

Date of writing:
The books of the Bible were written between BC 1500 and AD 100 . Moses the prophet wrote the first books of the Bible and John the Apostle wrote the last book . The Bible is complete and no one should add anything to it or remove any thing from it. The root languages of the Bible are: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.

The Message of the Bible:
The Bible is the revelation of God. It is the source of Truth. Only through the Bible we can gain the knowledge of truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Jesus is the truth. Truth is the fact about the reality of God. Jesus Said “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free”(John 8:32). It reveals the heart of God. In nutshell John 3:16 is the message of the Bible. ”For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. The Bible reveals the plan of salvation (2 Timothy 3:14). It gives understanding and wisdom. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts. We can get information from internet and understanding from teachers. But Wisdom only comes from God (James 1:5) The wisdom from God is different from the wisdom from the world. God’s wisdom enables us to use facts to live a life that pleases God. The Bible reveals the will of God (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The Bible is our sure foundation for faith and practice (2 Timothy 2:19). The Word of God is powerful to convict us of our sins and unbelief ( Hebrews 4:12). It teaches what is right, what is not right , how to get right and how to stay right. It makes us spiritually mature and equips us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).

The influencing power of the Bible:
The world is changing yet the Bible and it's message remains same.  The Bible is the time tested and verifiable truth. The Bible is trustworthy because of the testimony of Christ, the fulfillment of it’s prophecies, it’s preservation, it’s amazing unity, it’s historical accuracy, it’s absolute honesty, it’s amazing circulation, it’s universal influence and it’s life transforming power. So believe it, study it, honor it, obey it, preach it and be blessed by it (2 Tim 2:15; 4:2). Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28, 29).