The Bible is the written Word of God, a holy revelation to humankind from the Creator, written by individuals who were inspired to accurately communicate God's will for us.

The Bible is a collection of sacred books written by a variety of authors over a period of more than a thousand years. The books of the Bible convey the continuing story of God, the merciful Creator, and humankind, with whom God interacts and to whom God offers grace and redemption.

The Bible is the most read, circulated, cherished, copied, printed, translated, quoted, studied, referenced, influential, criticized, and burned book in human history.

A Hebrew scroll from about 100 B.C.

The Old Covenant - The Hebrew Scriptures
The Hebrew Scriptures were written over a period of many hundreds of years, with the last text being authored about 400 B.C. The books that make up the Hebrew Scriptures contain different writing styles and many different topics, but all the scriptures convey the importance of a proper relationship between God and His people. The first book, Genesis, explains how God created the heaven and the earth. It also gives an account of how God created the first man and woman, how they chose to disobey one of God's commands (a sinful act), and the consequences of that disobedience (God's judgment). The second book, Exodus, describes the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, and the covenant made between God and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. The books following Exodus focus upon the Israelites, and how they interact with God and with neighboring peoples. The Hebrew Scriptures list many laws given by God to guide His people. The scriptures also have many references to a coming Messiah (savior) and a new covenant.

A second-century Gospel fragment, written in Greek on papyrus.

The New Covenant - The Christian Scriptures
The Christian Scriptures were written over a comparatively short period of time, between about 50 A.D. and 100 A.D. The first four books, the Gospels, tell the earthly life story of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah. The Gospels tell of Christ's birth, temptations, teachings, miracles, death on a cross, and resurrection. The books following the four Gospels tell the continuing story of Christ's disciples, as they interact with the Holy Spirit, with each other and with the world around them in the years following Christ's time on earth. The Christian Scriptures reveal that salvation (deliverance from sin) is offered by God, through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, to all who repent and follow Christ (the New Covenant).