Other

---

Is this the answer?
by Evelyn Alexander, 4/7/2020 (1189 Words)

The Bible is an enigma. To many it’s nothing special. It’s simply a compilation of various ancient writings that are a part of the world’s history.

Yes, like other ancient documents it includes writings about the Creation… stories of glorious (and not so glorious) battles in our past… genealogies. Writings that give us snap shots of the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms, and of idol worship… warnings and wise sayings of Sages from the distant past… prophesies that tell us of what to expect in the future; all revealing the good and the evils that dwells in the heart of man since the beginning of time.

But unlike all other ancient writings, there seems to be something about the Bible that make sizable groups from each passing generation believe it’s much more than what we see on the surface, and live out that belief by continuing to use it as the ultimate Guide for living life to its fullest, much like our close and distant ancestors did.

So what makes this compilation of ancient writings so uniquely different it remains a vital part of some societies, directing and guiding many from generation to generation?

We also need to consider that if the Bible’s writings truly were like other relics of the past (as some claim) if they had not already decayed over time into nothingness, they would still lie hidden covered with dust while lying in long forgotten vaults, just waiting to be rediscovered by illegal tomb-raiders or dedicated archaeologists; or they would have been stored away in modern vaults or museums like other found relics of the past.

And they would have long passed from our minds and into the annals of history similarly to other ancient writings.

| But they haven’t. Why?

What is there about this particular collection of ancient writings that makes it stand out from all the rest? And why is it so widely read and valued throughout each following generation through millennia many deem it,“The greatest book ever written”?

I would like to propose we have a hint of the answer in Genesis 2:7. At first you might wonder what a story in Genesis has to do with it, but bear with me as we discover a connection.

We read there that, “…God breathed into him (Adam) the breath of life, and man became a living Soul.” There in the beginning chapters of Genesis we also see that God made many living creatures, but this is the only time we’re told God himself breathed his own breath into a physical body, “and man became a LIVING soul.”

Many of us have read the creation story so many times we tend to unthinkingly gloss over what we just read. But let’s stop a minute and think about it. Every other creature God created before He created Adam was clearly physically alive and thriving. But this pointedly tells us that this time God gave Adam a different type of “life”. That’s important.

I believe the Amplified Bible, which gives its readers more detail about certain words or phrases, can help us understand a bit better that important difference. It reads like this: “(God) breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body AND spirit].” The emphasis is mine of course. But that’s it; He became alive in two ways! Physically AND spiritually. Bible translators seem to use “spirit” and “soul” interchangeably. But I believe the dictionary’s definition of “soul” drives the thought home of what must have happened to Adam when God breathed into him.

The “Soul” is defined as, “…the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being… regarded as immortal.” In other words it’s the non-physical part of us that never dies. In these words we also see what made Adam “different”.

Just think. The very breath of God put it (a soul like described here) into Adam! He then was not only alive to this physical world… he was also made alive to God’s spiritual, everlasting one too! Let that sink in folks. God took something that was a part of Himself and passed it on to Adam: Spiritual Life. We might say God gave Adam dual citizenship of this physical world AND of His presently unseen-to-us spiritual one.

That’s powerful! By becoming part of God’s Spiritual Kingdom, Adam was also given a never-ending spiritual LIFE that never dies.

| Are you beginning to see how this ties in to the Bible?

Let’s carry what we’ve just seen in Genesis, about God breathing into Adam, over to the Bible, which is also known by many as God’s Word.

I believe a familiar scripture that we find in 2 Timothy just might bring us to an, “Ah-ha!” moment. Are you ready?

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

I hope you caught it: “All Scripture is God-breathed…”. Five amazing, insightful words. It sounds like something we just read in Genesis, doesn’t it?

In the Old Testament we see God breathed into Adam, and in the New Testament we see Scripture is God-breathed. And for you word-study buffs, the word used in Old Testament Hebrew (in Genesis), and New Testament Greek (in 2 Timothy) are very similar in meaning.

With the help of a Concordance, we can see that in Hebrew the word “breath” or “breathe” means to puff, inflate, kindle, expire (to exhale). While in Greek it means “given by inspiration of God”, and comes from a root word that means, “divinely breathed in”. That sounds just like what we find in Genesis.

A little side note; this also shows us why we find some Bible translators use the words, “God-breathed” in 2 Timothy, while others use the words, “Inspired by God.” It’s because both are correct!

We now can better understand too why the Bible is rightfully called, “The INSPIRED Word of God”.

But back to the original question of what makes the Bible different. I believe we have our answer.

It’s uniquely different because the same all-powerful God, whose very exhale of breath could instill a supernatural Spiritual Life into Adam, did the same to the words he had his chosen servants write. It instilled a spiritual form of life that’s beyond our current understanding that continues to bring life to those who hear and receive them for all future generations.

He breathed Life into them… just like he did Adam.

We cannot physically see that life, just like we cannot physically see the wind. But we can certainly see the powerful effect of both, which assures us they both are there. Just think, a simple breath of wind so powerful it continues to blow Spiritual Life into His Words and message of Hope to all who receive it! That boggles the mind!

Despite what man has done through the centuries to try and remove His Word from our midst, His powerful Word continues to live on, changing hearts and lives… and nations. What other ancient texts can do that?

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR