Why Do So Many People Still Read the Bible?
According to the Internet, every year 20 million Bibles are sold in the United States. The number of novels sold (or non-fiction books) is difficult to determine due to bits of conflicting data, but usually they seem to be only in the hundreds of thousands of copies. Gone With the Wind sold 28 million—in 50 years! Why is the Bible a perennial best-seller? It is not as though new information surfaces in the Holy Scriptures every few years that was not there before; it has the same material in it that it did last year and the year before.
Okay. So, it sells well. But does anyone read it? They must, or they would never wear out. At least some—but not all of them—each year must be for replacements. Some (perhaps received as gifts) probably are never read—but not 20 million of them a year. No; people are buying and reading the Bible. But why, when so many efforts have been put forth to try and destroy it, as the front-page poem calls attention to? While opponents of the Scriptures would be thrilled if sales dropped very low, that goal is not succeeding.
Many "scholars" (who are in abundance on the History Channel) do their best to discredit even historical facts, but they have, by and large, failed. These folks tried to persuade the audience that they are not biased when they assert that Moses may not have ever lived or that David could not have written the psalms. They base their conclusions on a hypothetical framework that was discredited years ago, evidently hoping that no one will notice.
Atheists continue to hammer away with theories and human reasoning, which suffers greatly in their hands. Most of their arguments were answered decades ago—a fact which they either don't know or conveniently ignore. Anyone who doubts this claim should watch or read the Warren-Flew Debate that occurred in 1976 and then decide who made the best case that was rooted in logic. That same Thomas B. Warren was invited to debate the famous Carl Sagan. Warren, who had debated three atheists by this time, accepted; Sagan did not reply to the invitation, even though he had been issuing challenges to theists. Despite letters being sent to encourage the world-renowned Sagan to accept the challenge, he remained eerily silent.
Many philosophers and educators have done their best to mock and belittle the Bible and Christians, but despite all of these efforts, 20 million Bibles a year continue to be sold. Why is it that the general population keeps buying them and, for the most part (we assume) reading them? What is the attraction? Is it just ignorance and superstition? Hardly! Thomas B. Warren had a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. Had he not, Flew and Matson would probably never have debated him. Many preachers and members of the church today have Bachelor degrees or beyond. Following are a few reasons explaining the Bible's popularity.
Recognition of the Spiritual
One cannot ignore the fact that our bodies are physical and that we live in a material universe. However, it is just as obvious that more exists than only what we perceive with our five senses. Where do the concepts of love, compassion, forgiveness, mercy, and sacrifice come from? In fact, where did we get rational thought and logical principles? These are not qualities of a random physical universe. As Paul writes,
what may be known of God is manifest in them [that is, us—human beings, GWS], for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse (Rom. 1:19-20).
The universe was created by someone with more power than we can imagine. We see it in the great design that exists—and the order that allows us (with precision) to send people (and safely return them) to a manned space station, the moon, and maybe even Mars. Order allows these conditions to occur—not chaos. Even our bodies are wonderfully made. We seldom think about it until something goes wrong with our own or one of our loved ones.
The evidence leads us to the conclusion of a Creator. We probably sense that we have a spiritual side with needs that wealth and entertainment cannot provide for us. The Bible defines these things for us and informs us about the One Who made us. We not only learn what He is like; we learn what we are like. Some of this news about us is bad, but the good news is that we can be better. The only source of accurate information is the Bible, which explains why many people, sooner or later, turn to it.
Concrete, Authoritative Answers
Anyone who reads the Bible will notice a vast difference between the experts in and of equivocation today and the way information is communicated in the Scriptures. As has often been pointed out, God did not give to Israel the Ten Suggestions. They were not presented with a wishy-washy, "I can't guarantee these are always correct" attitude. Prior to giving them, God commanded through Moses that, first of all, they wash their clothes (Ex. 19:10). They had to refrain from legitimate marital privileges for three days (v. 15). Then "Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace and the whole mountain quaked greatly" (v. 18). A trumpet sounded, becoming louder and louder. Moses and God had a conversation, and then God spoke to the people directly (Ex. 20:1).
They did not hear a voice of uncertainty or one unsure of what He was saying. When the people saw the lightning flashing and the mountain smoking, God had their attention. No one fell asleep during this sermon! They also heard the sound of the trumpet and the thunderings (Ex. 20:18). The voice of God was so overpowering that the people told Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (v. 19). Those commandments were spoken with authority. No amount of uncertainty emanated from the Divine Creator.
One will search in vain to find something along the order of, "You shall not commit adultery unless…." Nowhere is a command open-ended, such as, "You shall not murder except…." Sometimes, every base is covered, as in the command not to covet—which includes a neighbor's house, his wife, his servants, his animals, or anything else (v. 17). God left no ambiguity in His commandments.
Likewise, Jesus stated the facts of the matter. After presenting the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, the text states that "the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matt. 7:28-29). In fact, authority is a key issue all the way through the Bible. Nadab and Abihu were destroyed by fire for failing to use the fire God had authorized for their worship (Lev. 10:1-2). In the New Testament, everything we teach or practice must be by the authority of Jesus (Col. 3:17). He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). We must recognize that God says what He means and means what He says.
What the Bible Teaches About Itself
Many books containing religious teachings are designed to help people, but few of them claim to be from God. Of the ones that do, the evidence for inspiration is slim or non-existent. However, the Bible presents itself from God consistently all the way through. The Old Testament reader often finds the expression, "Thus saith the Lord," or, "The Word of the Lord came to…." Peter writes the following concerning the Old Testament that it was not of private origin, "for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). Paul also taught:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Jesus also stated that heaven and earth would pass away—but not His words (Matt. 24:35). Furthermore, the Word of God is the standard by which all mankind shall be judged (John 12:48). But what proof is there that the Bible is from God? Many evidences could be cited, but here we just mention one that provides more than sufficient proof—fulfilled prophecies.
The first prophecy occurred in the Garden of Eden—at the very time man sinned (Gen. 3:15). Through the centuries many more were added to the list, including where Jesus would be born and several conditions of His death—as well as His resurrection. These were recorded in Hebrew but were translated into Greek about 250 B.C. Thus, all of the predictions that came to pass concerning Jesus had been recorded into the Greek language nearly three centuries in advance. No one human being could have predicted five of these—let alone fifty. The Bible is the Word of God.
Reasonable Answers to Difficult Questions
Every serious question that man has ever asked has been answered in the Bible. Some of these follow:
1. What is the origin of mankind and the universe? This question is answered in the first verse of Genesis.
2. For what purpose are we created? In a nutshell, the answer is to worship and serve our Creator (Rev. 4:10; 14:7).
3. What is the future of mankind after death (Matt. 25:41, 46)?
4. Why do pain and suffering exist? The answer involves several principles (the Book of Job; Gen. 6:5).
These are the most common questions people would like to have answers to, but the Bible deals with every important question that mankind has ever asked.
Truth in the Midst of Chaos
The fact is that the world faces one crisis after another; truth has suffered greatly. Some thrive on chaos because it keeps people off-balance. In our day, few know what to believe. Some currently engage in censorship of thoughts and ideas, thus attempting to keep things from a certain segment of society. Others spin things so that what they say may have some truth in it, but they give a false interpretation of the facts. Many have difficulty in knowing whom they can trust, but this problem does not exist in the Scriptures. As Jesus said, God's Word is truth (John 17:17). We may never know what to believe about things relating to secular data, but we can know and understand the Bible.
Jesus said that if a person continues in His Word (the New Testament, which God has revealed to us), we will be His disciples indeed; we shall also know the truth, which sets us free (John 8:31-32). When man declares something, well, maybe it is so; when God declares it, we can all count on it. Jesus further claimed, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). The Bible deals with reality rather than speculation. What was revealed by Jesus and His apostles in the first century remains true. It may be relied on. For this reason, we study continuously God's holy Word rather than the thoughts, wisdom, or traditions of men. Please join us.