Does everyone have a Bible?

I can remember a couple things that stood out in my grandparent's house. One was a picture of Jesus on the wall and the other was a thick black bonded leather KJV Bible that sat on the coffee table. As a young person, I assumed that everyone had at least one Bible in their home. Over the years, I have accumulated many Bibles. I do not know the total number. I have several different English translations, and I have copies of the Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek.

How many Bibles do you own? If you have a smartphone, you can get the Bible for free. You can read it or listen to an audio version of the Bible. We often refer to "books of the Bible." In the Old Testament there are 39 books and 27 in the New Testament. The Bible was written by 44 authors over a period of about 1,500 years. These are just a few facts we should know about the Bible according to an article published by the Gospel Coalition -- "Why we need to know facts about the Bible." November 24, 2015.

Did you know the Bible is self-referencing? All the books of the Old Testament, except Esther, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon, are quoted or referenced in the New Testament. Jesus referred to Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, 1 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, Jonah, Micah, Zechariah, and Malachi.

We get the word "Bible" from the Greek word for "books". The Christian use of the term, "Bible" can be traced to around AD 223. When we speak of the testaments, we are referring to the covenant God entered with Abraham and the people of Israel in the Old Testament. The New Testament is the covenant God has entered with believers through Christ.

Did you know that chapters and verses were not originally part of the Scriptures? The division of chapters began with Stephen Langton, an archbishop of Canterbury in the early 13th century. Robert Estienne, a 16th-century printer and classical scholar in Paris, was the first to print the Bible divided into standard numbered verses.

Do you remember when the Davinci Code came out people were obsessed with books that did not make it into the Bible? Why are some books excluded? When we refer to the "canon" of Scripture, we are referring to the measure of what is to be included in the Bible. This is based on authorship, date and historical usage by the early church. Norman Geisler gives a list of questions that guide which books are included:

Was a book (1) written by a spokesperson for God, (2) who was confirmed by an act of God, (3) told the truth (4) in the power of God and (5) was accepted by the people of God? If a book clearly had the first mark canonicity was often assumed. Contemporaries of a prophet or apostle made the initial confirmation. Later church Fathers sorted out the profusion of religious literature to officially recognize what books were divinely inspired in the manner of which Paul speaks in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."

Did you know that 1 in 5, or around 1.5 billion people do not have a copy of the Bible in the language they know best according to Wycliffe Bible Translators.

As of September 2022, the complete Bible has been translated into 724 languages, the New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,617 languages, and smaller portions of the Bible have been translated into 1,248 other languages according to Wycliffe Global Alliance.

There are 52 countries where we could say the Bible is "illegal." In these countries Bibles are difficult to obtain and people are punished for possessing them.

We should be thankful to own a copy of the Bible. Take time to read it, and if you are able, give someone a Bible. Prayerfully consider supporting the work of Bible translation throughout the world. Speak up for religious freedom for all people.