The Bible is a unique book.  There is simply no other book like it in all the world.  Of the innumerable volumes that have been printed throughout man's history, none can begin to compare to the Bible.  The word "unique" carries with it the idea of being "one of a kind," or "unequaled."  The Bible is precisely that.  It is unequaled in all of literature.  It is unique in that it is the very word of God to man.  It is unique in the way that it has survived through the centuries, as well as in the way it has been transmitted to man.  Also, it is unique in its teaching and influence.

The Bible is the very word of God to man.  It is the mind of God revealed to man.  The writers of this book spoke "as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Pet. 1:21).  The Bible claims inspiration for itself (2 Tim. 3:16), and evidence abounds from science, history and archaeology to prove it.  No other book can rightfully make such a claim.  Many have tried, but none have succeeded.

The Bible was written over a sixteen hundred year span, over sixty generations, by over forty authors from various walks of life.  The Bible was written on perishable materials and had to be copied and recopied before the invention of the printing press, yet its existence, style and accuracy has not diminished.  The Bible, compared with other ancient writings, has more manuscript evidence than any ten pieces of classical literature combined.  The Greek manuscripts of portions of the New Testament number about five thousand.  Beside this, much of the New Testament can be reproduced from the quotations of the early Christian writers.

The Jews preserved the Old Testament as no other manuscript has ever been preserved.  With their "massora" (a special class of men within their culture whose duty it was to preserve and transmit these documents with perfect fidelity), they kept tabs on every letter, syllable, word and paragraph.  The text of Shakespeare, around 400 years old, has far more disputed readings than the New Testament, which is over 1900 years old.

After nearly two thousand years of being handed down, and being translated and retranslated, many wonder how reliable the Bible is.  Can man still trust it after all it has gone through?  How accurate is it?  Has it lost anything through the years?  How did we get the books of the Bible that we have today?  These are just a few of the questions that many have asked.

Athanasius of Alexandria (A.D. 367) gives the earliest list of New Testament books which is exactly like the present New Testament.  Shortly thereafter, two writers, Jerome and Augustine, defined the canon of twenty-seven books.  Irenaeus, who was brought up in Asia Minor at the feet of Polycarp, the disciple of John, attested the canonical recognition of the four gospel accounts, Acts, all of Paul's epistles except Philemon, Hebrews, 1 Peter, 1 John and Revelation.  This was in A.D. 190.  Since the latter part of the fourth century, there has been no serious questioning by scholars of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament.

There are variations to be found in the texts; however, most are mechanical matters such as spelling or style.  On the whole, only about one out of sixty variations rise above trivialities, and not one article of faith or precept of duty has been altered that is not abundantly sustained by other undoubted passages.  Richard Bentley said, "The real text of the sacred writers is competently exact...nor is one article of faith or moral precept either perverted or lost...choose as awkwardly as you will, choose the worst by design, out of the whole lump of readings."  F.F. Bruce states:

It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain; especially is this the case with the New Testament.  The number of manuscripts of the New Testament, of early translations from it, and of quotations from it in the oldest writers of the church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or other of these ancient authorities.  This can be said of no other ancient book in the world.

The Christian can take the whole Bible in his hand and say without a doubt that he holds in it the true word of God, handed down without essential loss from generations to generations throughout the centuries.

The Bible is God's word to man.  God reveals himself to man, his purpose for man, and his plan to accomplish that purpose.  There have been many textbooks written for the purpose of instructing man in nearly every aspect of life.  However, no book but the bible can tell man where he came from, how to live, and hwere he is going.  The teaching of God's word plumbs the depths of all that man desires to know.  It reaches heights that none has ever attained.  Its wisdom and knowledge proclaim the unsearchable riches of God.  It reveals the truth, which can save man and set him free from sin and death.  The sum of all the world's learning cannot compare to the teaching to be found in the Bible.

The historian Philip Schaff once said:

This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on thigns human and divine, than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished more themes for sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art,a nd songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.

It is impossible to know the impact the Bible has had on the lives of men.  Countless lives have been changed for the better.  Thousands have been saved from their sins.  It has literally changed the course of humanity.  The Bible continues to be the number one best seller every year and affects more lives than any book ever has or will.

The Bible is the perfect, complete, final revelation of God's word to man, accomplished by the providence of God and the work of the Holy Spirit.  There has not been, nor will there be, any new revelation added (Gal. 1:6-10; 2 Tim 3:16-17; Rev. 22:18).  The Bible is God's authority for man, both in what it says and also in its silence.

The Bible is intelligible.  Many have deluded themseelves into thinking that man cannot understand the Bible, or that men cannot understand it alike.  Such thinking questions either the power or the goodness of God.  Either He could not make it intelligible or He would not.  Nothing is more urgent than to know and do God's will.  For the Christian who desires to grow spiritually, the Bible is food for the soul.  Man needs this spiritual nourishment every day and he never outgrows his need for it.  To neglect it diminishes his possibilities for growth and increases the likelihood of sin in his life.

While many read the Bible like a newspaper, it should be read and studied like a textbook.  It should be read and reread, memorized, researched and reviewed.  Bible study is demanding and tedious.  There are many things that will help in studying the Bible.  It is best to set aside a set time and place.  Select a good, readable translation.  A good Bible dictionary and concordance are also musts.

A young lady picked up a book and began to read it, soon laying it aside because it seemed too dull and difficult.  Later, she dated a man, fell in love and married him.  She learned that he was the author of that book.  She then reread it from cover to cover without stopping.  Why the difference?  She knew and loved the author.  If one knows and loves Christ, he cannot but want to devote himself to this book, the Bible.