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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev. Graham: Isn’t the Bible really just a book of history of the world, and a biography of God and His claims? — T.T.

Dear T.T.: When we approach the Bible as history and biography, we approach the Bible in the wrong spirit. Those who read the Scriptures as magnificent literature and breathtaking poetry but overlook the story of salvation miss the Bible’s real meaning and message. We must read and study the Bible, not primarily as historians seeking information, but as men and women seeking God.
The Old Testament predicted Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection, and the New Testament documents the fulfillment of these prophecies, yet many people reject its truth. God has revealed Himself in the pages of Scripture, yet the truth about God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit are often debated and disbelieved.
While the Bible is much more than a book of history, it’s interesting to go back through the centuries and consider what others have said about Jesus. Skeptics claim that the Scriptures are not believable, yet testimonies about Jesus’ life and resurrection come from historians, philosophers, scientists, churchmen, and yes, even atheists. Evidence is substantiated in scrolls of antiquity, quill-stained parchments, and modern communications. But the most compelling evidence is seen in those whose lives have been transformed by Christ! This is the greatest of all miracles.
God gave the books of the Bible to us because He wants us to know Him and to love and serve Him. Most of all, He gave us His Word with a command to obey it so that we can become more like Christ. The Bible is trustworthy because it points man to the most important events in human history: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)