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The Bible is one collection made up of many books. Most Protestant Bibles contain 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.

These books include history, poetry, letters, and teachings written by different people over many centuries. Together, they tell one connected story of God’s love and His plan to bring us into a relationship with Him through Jesus.

Kings, prophets, fishermen, and others wrote the words we have, spanning about 1,500 years across three continents—Asia, Africa, and Europe. Nearly forty persons authored the Bible, including Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, Peter, and Jude, along with unknown human authors of Job, Esther, and Hebrews.

“Inspired by God” means that God guided the people who wrote the Bible through His Holy Spirit. They wrote using their own personalities, experiences, and styles, while God worked through them to communicate His message. The Bible is more than a collection of human thoughts about God—it is God’s Word to us.

No. Bible translations use different approaches to bring the original languages into English. Some, like the ESV and NASB, stay closer to the original wording. Others, like the NLT, focus more on expressing the meaning in clear, everyday language.

Many translations blend both approaches. Comparing translations can help you understand a passage more clearly.

No single person or council decided which books belong in the Bible. Over centuries, Jewish and Christian communities recognized certain writings as sacred and authoritative because they believed God had inspired them.

From this faith perspective, God inspired the books, and His people recognized their authority. Church councils later formally affirmed collections already widely accepted, though Christian traditions still differ on some books.

“Canon” originally referred to a reed or measuring rod and came to mean a standard or authoritative list.

The biblical canon is the collection of books recognized as God’s Word—the standard for faith and practice. Different religious traditions recognize slightly different collections of books, but Protestant Bibles contain sixty-six books: thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament.

Biblical writings were preserved by generations of scribes who copied them by hand, replacing worn manuscripts with new copies. Jewish scribes followed strict copying rules, while Christian scribes and monks collected, copied, and protected manuscripts in churches and monasteries.

Although copying mistakes occurred, thousands of surviving manuscripts allow scholars to compare copies, identify differences, and work to establish the original wording.

The Bible has been preserved with remarkable consistency, though differences exist among ancient copies. Most are minor, such as spelling differences, while some involve whole verses or passages. Modern Bibles often flag these in footnotes.

Most modern translations work from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts informed by ancient manuscripts—not a chain of previous translations. Differences in English wording often reflect translation choices rather than changes to the underlying text.

Different Bible versions exist because translators balance staying close to the original wording with making the meaning clear in English. Some follow the Hebrew and Greek wording closely; others focus on expressing the meaning in natural, everyday language.

New translations also reflect changes in English, helping readers understand words and expressions that have become unfamiliar.

“Gospel” means “good news.” It is the message that Jesus died for our sins and rose again, offering forgiveness and new life to those who believe in Him.

The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are the Bible’s accounts of Jesus’s life, teachings, death, and resurrection.

An epistle is a letter. The New Testament contains 21 epistles written to churches, groups of believers, or individuals to explain Christian teachings, address problems, and encourage faithful living.

Although written for specific people and situations, they continue to guide Christians in understanding and living out our faith.

Creation → Fall → Redemption → Restoration

The Bible tells the story of God creating the world, humanity turning away from Him, and His plan to rescue and restore what was broken.

That story centers on Jesus, whose life, death, and resurrection bring salvation, and looks forward to His return, when believers will live forever with God in His restored creation (referred to as heaven).

Each smaller story in the Bible fits within this larger story of God’s love and redemption.

There are many opinions about the best place to begin reading Scripture, but most would agree the gospels are the best starting point. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are all good options. Then move on to the book of Acts.

John is also a wonderful gospel, but John leans heavily into the spiritual part of the story, which may be a little confusing until you’re more familiar with the other gospels.

All of the gospels tell the story of Jesus, and Acts continues with His followers, showing how the Holy Spirit helped them share the good news and build the early church.

No. Different parts of the Bible should be read according to their style and purpose. History tells what happened, poetry uses imagery, and letters offer teaching and guidance.

Understanding the type of writing and its context helps us recognize what is literal or figurative and understand the intended meaning.

Each gospel is written from the perspective of a different writer. This gives us a more complete description of Jesus’ life and ministry, and the accounts also overlap in important ways. This, along with other factors, means by the standards applied to ancient writings, the gospel stories are considered extremely trustworthy.

As for the writers of each gospel:

Matthew writes to an audience of Jewish Christians and emphasizes things that would be most important to that group, considering their cultural heritage and knowledge of the Old Testament.

Mark’s gospel is to the point, focusing on Jesus’ actions and suffering. Most likely written for non-Jewish readers who were unfamiliar with Jewish customs and history.

Luke, being a doctor, is very detail oriented. His carefully researched account of Jesus as the Savior of all humanity is the longest of all the gospels. His account would have been of the most interest to educated Greek readers.

John focuses on Jesus’ identity and divinity, illustrating theological truths and unpacking why who He is matters when it comes to the statements He makes about Himself and His relationship to God the Father.

There are at least eight authors who are connected to the writings found in the New Testament. The writer of the Book of Hebrews has not been decisively identified.

Those writers are, of course, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as Paul, Peter, and two of Jesus’ brothers, James and Jude.

All except Luke were Jewish, and their backgrounds were very different. As mentioned, Luke was a physician, while John and Peter were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector (a very unpopular position to hold among the Jewish people). Paul was a Pharisee (a member of a Jewish religious group), and tentmaker while the occupations of Jesus’ half-brothers are unknown.

When someone refers to “the Church” rather than “a church”, they’re most likely referring to the entire community of Christians as a whole.

Another term that refers to this group is “the body of Christ”, which the apostle Paul used very effectively as a metaphor to describe how every believer is connected to Christ and how, like the members of a body, we all serve different functions.

Being part of a local church body is actually so important in the life of a believer that it is hard to overstate.

Maybe most importantly, it’s what God models for us in the Trinity. God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have existed for eternity in a loving relationship that is so good, God decided He wanted more beings to experience it, and that’s why we exist!

Also, in a healthy church, believers can experience the love of Christ, given by the Holy Spirit, through other church members. That might sound corny or uncomfortable, but just for a minute, think about what it would be like for you to be loved. I don’t mean a superficial feeling; I mean a love that looks past all of your sin, your fears, your past…I mean really sees all of you and loves you anyway. To be completely seen, and still loved? That is worth the price of admission friend!

It’s a place where we can start to practice what it means to be a Christian. As we learn more about God and the example Jesus lived for us on the earth, we begin serving. Joining the rest of the body (the church) in practicing the things Jesus told us to do and having others there to help guide us when we have questions is so helpful!

Church is where we can practice being the people Jesus tells us to be to the rest of the world.

Well, it looks a little different for everyone, but there are some foundational things all believers should be doing that will help them be a whole lot more successful trying to imitate Jesus.

Most importantly, spend time with God. That includes reading and studying the Bible and just spending time listening to God. These are the things that will start to transform a person, and I can speak from experience, both my own and that of people I have interviewed: the transformation can be quick and extensive. The Bible has the power to radically change people’s hearts and minds!

If you have no idea how to study the Bible or listen to God, that’s another great reason to find a church that teaches those things. Learning together with others is very successful.

Discipleship is the lifelong process of being a student and follower of Jesus, learning to live like Him, and helping others do the same.

If this sounds relational, it’s because it is.

One of the best ways I’ve heard discipleship described is for me as a believer to find someone who is a little further along in their Christian walk than I am to help me identify the areas I need to grow in and offer biblical guidance.

The other half of the description is for me to do the same for someone who is not as far along in their Christian walk as I am.