How valuable is your Bible?
The title of this blog post might seem a little odd. After all, you might think, I bought my Bible for $9.99. Or perhaps it was free – it came with an app on your phone. Most people don’t own old Bibles or illuminated ones worth millions; the paper or the software is pretty inexpensive. So much so that we often have a number of Bibles available to us within easy reach.
The problem with the availability and lack of expense is that we might not value our Bibles as we should. Let me give you a few reasons why the Bible is worth more than you think.
- The Bible is valuable because it is the very word of God
There are those who say that if God himself only came down to them and spoke to them, then they would believe in him. The truth is that we do have God’s words. God has revealed himself at many times and in various ways through history, climaxing in the sending of his Son Jesus (Heb 1:1-4). He spoke to prophets like Moses and Isaiah, acted in wonderful ways like the plagues and the parting of the sea which are recorded for us, and made promises and gave commandments that are recorded for us. God himself has spoken to us and told us what he is like and what he has done and how we can respond to him. That is an incredible thing; if God speaks, we need to listen.
- The Bible is valuable because it keeps us on track
The Bible is God’s word and is perfect in every way, but we are not. The history of the church reveals that it is so easy to move away from the clear instructions in God’s word to our own patterns and traditions. At the time of the Protestant Reformation, the majority church had introduced many practices that directly contradicted the simple message of grace. We too can make the same mistake. If we are not being exposed to the Bible, reflecting on it often (Psalm 1), and being equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:15), we will probably stray into what we think is best. A simple pattern of daily Bible reading, prayer, and reflection on what we have read, is a time-honoured way to make sure we stay on track with how God would have us act and think.
- The Bible is valuable because we have such easy access to it now
Due to the work of Bible translators, printers, and mass production, we can purchase Bibles cheaply or even have access for free via apps or the internet. For most of us, access to the Bible is easy. That doesn’t mean it has always been this way. Even a few hundred years ago, most Christians could not afford a Bible and would never be able to read one. They relied upon their priest to explain the Bible to them, and he often had no training and couldn’t do it either. The Bible was restricted to the incredibly wealthy. As an example, in 1309 the nuns of Wasserler in what we now call Germany sold a complete Bible they had for 16 pieces of silver. For 5 pieces of the silver they were paid, they bought 180 acres of land, two farmhouses and a farm with two acres of woodland and another wood.
In the Reformation, many worked to translate the Bible into common languages and distribute it using the newly developed printing press. Many in authority tried to stop this translation work, wanting to keep power in the hands of one class rather than the common people being able to read it. People like Tyndale died for his translation work.
How valuable is your Bible to you?
We know how valuable something is by how we treat it. Our Bibles might not cost us much financially. Do they feature significantly in your life, or do they lie dusty between church outings? Do you feel you know the storyline of the Bible and are growing in your understanding each year? Don’t take it for granted.
The Bible is a wonderful gift from God. It is worth more than we often imagine. Let’s use it well.