About the Bible

About the Bible:

Q. What is the Bible?
A. The Bible is the whole, inerrant (without error), Word of God. The Bible cannot be improved upon because it is God's Word, and trying to improve on God's Word would be like saying you know better than God does.

Q. Who wrote the Bible?
A. The Bible was written by over 40 authors! Not only is it written by over 40 authors, but it is written over a period of 1,600 years! Each author agreed on: history of the world, their idea of what God is like, their rules for living, prophecies for the future, and man's sinfulness. Because there are so many authors and the books were written over such a vast amount of time, there is no possible way that all of these authors could have gotten together and talked about writing the same thing over and over and over again. I like to think about it this way: If you look at a painting by Divinci, you can tell that he did it. If you look at another one of his paintings, you can still tell by the style of painting that Divinci painted it, and not another artist. We're supposed to compare spiritual things to spiritual things in the same way. In each book of the Bible, we can see God's brush strokes. Yes, he used men to write and preserve the Bible, but He (God) is still the author. He inspired the men he used to write what he needed them to write, and promised us that He would preserve His word for all time.

Q. How was the Bible made?
A. The church founders got together and collected all of the writings and scriptures concerning God. They compared them to each other (comparing spiritual things with spiritual), and included the books that were found to meet the standards set for the Bible. Books that did not meet the standards were found to be scripturally inaccurate and were not included. To read more about the history of the Bible, please click here.

Q. What is the difference between the King James Version (KJV) Bible and other versions of the Bible?
A. The King James Bible (KJV) is translated from a different manuscript than other versions of the Bible. The KJV is translated from the Textus Receptus ("received text") while other versions of the Bible are translated from the Critical Text. The Textus Receptus is the oldest manuscript. A man named Origen took the Textus Receptus and changed it around to meet his views of the world and religion, and this "revised" manuscript became known as the "Critical Text". Please click here for a more detailed overview of the differences between the KJV and other versions of the Bible.

Q. Where can I get a free version of the KJV Bible?
A. Click here if you are a US resident (not the state of California).
Click here to read the KJV Bible for free online.

Q. Is there a place I can read the KJV Bible online?
A. There sure is! http://etext.virginia.edu/kjv.browse.html. You can click on the book, and then the chapter of the book. This is the King James Version of the Bible.

Q. Are there books to help me read and learn the Bible?
A. There are many books available to help you learn about the Bible, but be careful about which books you lead, because some of them can lead you astray. The best way to learn about the Bible is to read it for yourself, and decide for yourself what it says.

The main type of book there is to help you learn the Bible is called a Commentary. J. Vernon McGee's commentaries are some of the best. Basically a Bible commentary will take you through the Bible verse by verse with a detailed explanation.

Q. Are there any websites that can help me learn the Bible?
A. Of course! We hope that you will find lots of useful information on CBSB (this site). On the right hand side of this page there are many links under the title "Bible Study Links" that are there specifically to help you learn and understand the Bible.

Q. Are there any tips for reading the Bible?
A. Of course! One thing I always like to have handy when reading the Bible is a Bible highlighter... these are highlighters made specially for Bibles so that they don't soak through the thin pages. As I'm reading the Bible, I like to highlight passages that are meaningful to me, and sometimes I also write notes with a ball point pen or pencil in the margins of the Bible so that when I read through it again I will remember what I learned about.

It's a good idea to read the Bible with other people, in a type of study group, but it is also a good idea to read your bible in a quiet place where you feel comfortable, and will be able to concentrate on God's Word.

Another good thing to do before reading your Bible is to pray to God to give you wisdom while reading His Word, and to open your heart and mind to His Word, and help you understand. Ask Him in prayer to reveal things to you.