Bible - [日本語]
The Bible is a collection of 66 books written over many centuries by about 40 authors. Every book of the Bible was written by men who were inspired by God. The Bible is inerrant, perfectly delivering to us what God wants us to know about him. As such, it is the only authoritative rule of faith and practice for Christians. The Bible is a source of hope for millions of Christians around the world and is the only book that contains the Word of God.
God gave men and women the Bible in order to reveal His plan and good news for all of humankind. The Bible tells us how God created the universe and created us as humans to be in relationship with Him. We, however, rebelled against God and destroyed the relationship with Him. Despite our disobedience, God was merciful and forgiving and sent his only Son Jesus Christ to earth, who became the mediator between absolutely perfect God and sinful humankind. By living in God’s Spirit of love and trust, those of us who decide to follow Jesus and place our trust in him can begin to live as children of God, instead of living the lives characterized of sin, disobedience, and immorality.
The Bible is divided into two sections called the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament books were written by Jewish kings, prophets, and other historical figures before the birth of Jesus Christ. The New Testament books were written by followers of Jesus after his death and resurrection. Together they form a book that brings joy and salvation to all those who believe in God.
Throughout the rest of this site, you may see something like this: (John 3:16). This is a verse number or reference, which is the indexing system that many people use when referring to a part of the Bible. Each book of the Bible is broken up into chapters and verses. (John 3:16) refers to the 16th verse of the 3rd chapter in the book of John in the New Testament. Christians use verse references to refer to a particular part of the Bible, to show that what they are talking about has an actual foundation in God’s Word.