Word of God

The purpose of this website is to discover the Word of God.

Many Christians refer to the Bible as "the Word of God" and while the Bible does contain the Word of God, they are different concepts.

Defining the Word of God

The Word of God is God's own words, which include God's personal commands, promises, laws, revelations, and teachings. While the Bible includes these inspired texts, it also contains non-inspired texts, such as historical records, witness accounts, and teachings from human commentators, which are technically not God's own words.

In addition, many people tend to confuse "the Word of God" with the pre-incarnated form of Jesus Christ. While Jesus Christ taught "the Word of God" and the Bible contains Jesus' commands, promises, laws, revelations, and teachings, Jesus is not technically the Bible itself. The Christian term "preaching Christ" means to preach the message of Christ.

Defining the Bible

The Bible is considered by many Christians to be the most authoritative book in Christianity. It is a collection of many books that were historically written by many authors over centuries.

The Bible contains diverse literary forms including historical narratives, laws, poetry, wisdom literature, apocalyptic writings, epistles, and the gospels. Many biblical concepts are expressed through metaphors and symbolism.

The Authenticity of the Bible

The formation of the biblical canon was a gradual process that took several centuries: important milestones include Athanasius' 367 CE Festal Letter (which lists the 27 New Testament books) and the regional councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) that affirmed similar lists.

The books of the Bible themselves were not invented out of later human creativity but were drawn from earlier writings and traditions—especially the Hebrew scriptures (the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings), collections of prophetic oracles, historical records, liturgical texts, and letters.

Textual Variants

A textual variant is any difference in wording between manuscript copies of biblical texts. When ancient scribes hand-copied Scripture, they occasionally made changes—whether intentional (clarifications, harmonizations) or unintentional (spelling errors, skipped words, word order changes). Textual criticism is the scholarly discipline that compares these manuscripts to reconstruct the most likely original wording.

The text of New Testament books exists in thousands of manuscript copies containing variations arising from scribal transmission over centuries.

Modern critical editions such as Nestle-Aland 28th edition (NA28) and United Bible Societies 5th edition (UBS5) present the same reconstructed Greek text with critical apparatuses documenting significant variants. While the UBS apparatus focuses on variants important for translation, the NA28 apparatus provides comprehensive documentation for scholarly study.

Though textual scholars estimate between 200,000 and 400,000 total textual variants exist across all New Testament manuscripts, the vast majority represent minor spelling differences, word order variations, or copyist errors that do not affect doctrine or meaning. Less than 1% of variants are both "meaningful" and "viable" in terms of affecting interpretation.

Bible Translations

Bible translations differ not only in language style and translation philosophy, but also in how they handle textual variants. Different Bible translations make different decisions about which manuscript readings to include—some follow earlier manuscript traditions (like the critical text used in modern versions), while others follow later Byzantine manuscripts (like the Textus Receptus used in the King James Version).

Church history shows that the Reformation era particularly produced many different translations as scholars gained access to earlier Greek and Hebrew manuscripts and debated which textual traditions to follow.

Evaluating the Bible

This, however, does not make the original "Word of God" invalid. The early believers did not even have a Bible and relied on the guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).

The purpose of this website is to critically look at the Christian Bible by exploring different text variants, interpretations, and secular evidence with the goal of discovering what was written about the true Word of God.

How to Read the Bible

The Bible is not a textbook written for Christians in the twenty-first century. Instead, it is a collection of earlier believers' writings that we should explore with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which is only possible with a personal relationship with God.

If the Bible were a simple textbook, we would not need a personal relationship with God. We would only need to follow a set of instructions in our textbooks and then we would have our ticket to heaven. But that is not how it works. God is seeking believers who will voluntarily seek His presence (Psalm 63:1; Jeremiah 29:13; James 4:8) by worshipping Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

However, we should not discard our Bibles. Instead, here are some practical guidelines on how to make sense of the Bible and common pitfalls for new believers who are not familiar with the structure of the Bible.

Understanding the Original Languages

Unlike English, both Hebrew and Greek do not have lowercase letters. In both languages, the same word can have multiple meanings depending on context.

Therefore, it is up to the translator's interpretation to decide how a scripture should be translated. This is often influenced by the church denomination that sponsored the translation. Thankfully, the repetitive Hebrew style of writing and different witnesses from Bible times provide ways to cross-check important concepts.

The Importance of Personal Study

Commentaries, creeds, sermons, Christian books, apps, videos, and websites (including this one) are all based on human interpretations. They should encourage you to study the Bible, but these materials cannot replace the Bible itself.

It is your own responsibility to search the scriptures and ask God to guide and reveal the truth. Jesus said, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13).

Tips for Bible Study

Ignore Later Additions

The Bible was divided into testaments, chapters, verses, and titles. None of these divisions were part of the original manuscripts, and sometimes they may interrupt the flow of the original message or change the intended subject.

The original Hebrew and Greek texts were all written in capital letters without quotes or punctuation marks, as we find in modern English. Modern translators introduce this formatting to the best of their knowledge and capabilities, but even a small mistake may inadvertently change the meaning of the text.

Most modern Bibles are not arranged in chronological order. Bible translators chose to group similar books together rather than maintain chronological sequence.

Therefore:

Ignore title, chapter, and verse divisions as they did not exist in the original manuscripts.
Ignore capital letters, quotes, and punctuation marks (or the lack thereof) as these did not exist in the original manuscripts.
Realize that Bible books are not ordered chronologically like a history textbook.

Consider the Context

The original Bible authors did not write indices or lookup books. They assumed readers would read the entire message from the beginning to the end. When studying a passage, ask:

Who wrote the scripture? (For example: an unknown author, a respected prophet, or an apostle?)
Who was the intended audience? (For example: ancient Israelites, Romans, believers facing specific issues, non-believers receiving testimony?)
When was it written? (Chronological order often explains why people behaved certain ways)
What was the culture? (This explains "unusual" idioms or reactions)
Whose words are these? (Some recorded arguments or accusations may contain false statements so we can learn from their errors)
Should this be understood literally? (Usually yes, unless the context clearly indicates a poem, song, vision, prophecy, parable, metaphor, or idiom)

Understand Translation Choices

Unlike the English word "God", the Greek and Hebrew equivalents can also mean an important person. Translators usually render this as "lord" when referring to a human, but there are cases where they incorrectly translated it to "God" when the Almighty God was not referenced. Context is crucial for determining which "god" is addressed.
God's identifying name was replaced with "Lord" in most English Bibles. This can cause confusion since important humans or angelic beings are also called "lords." However, some translations use the uppercase "LORD" to mark this change.
Some Hebrew names have been replaced with English names in the KJV. For example, the Hebrew name Ya'akov (יַעֲקֹב) was transliterated to Koine Greek as Iákōbos (Ἰάκωβος), to Latin as Iacomus, to Old French as Jaimes, and finally to the English "James." While the correct pronunciation of names has little impact on the Bible's message, the meanings of names often get lost in translation. For example, the prophecy about "Immanuel" focuses on the meaning of the name (Matthew 1:22-23).

Avoid Bible Tales

Avoid relying on "bible" tales written to entertain children. These are often shortened and oversimplified versions that can be deceiving.

For example, to mention just a few:

Some artworks depict Noah's Ark as a large ship with Noah's family and animals on deck. This is not how the ark or the flood experience was described in the Bible.
People commonly assume a whale swallowed Jonah, which makes his story seem unbelievable. While the Bible does not state exactly what happened to Jonah, these assumptions tend to make the account seem like an unbelievable fable for children.
Jesus is often depicted as a tall, skinny Catholic priest in a white robe. While we do not have a photo of Jesus, the chances that he could have obtained such clothes in his lifetime are very low, and he would not have stood out in the crowd. It would not have been necessary for Judas Iscariot to point him out if he had looked different from the ordinary Jew of his time.
Angels are often drawn with white robes and large bird-like wings, while Satan is drawn as a red, smiling devil with two horns and a pitchfork. This is not how the Bible describes angelic beings.
Heaven is often pictured as a magical place on clouds with golden gates, and Hell is often portrayed as an underground prison ruled by Satan as a god-like character. These images are based on ancient artwork inspired by Greek mythology and are not drawn from Biblical descriptions.

Modern Study Tools

Today there are many modern interlinear Bible study tools available that provide word-by-word translations of the original Hebrew or Greek manuscripts. These can be used by anyone, regardless of theological background, to validate Bible text with concordances or gain a better understanding of passages.

Your Next Steps

Now that you understand how to approach Bible study with proper context and tools, the question is: what will you do with this knowledge? Reading the Bible is not merely an academic exercise. It is meant to transform how you live.

Some cite 2 Peter 3:16 ("ignorant and unstable people distort Paul's letters") as a warning against studying Scripture alone. However, Peter is not condemning personal study. He's warning against unstable people who twist Scripture to fit their desires. The solution is not to avoid studying, but to study carefully using the principles above and comparing Scripture with Scripture.

Some may worry that individual Bible study leads to conflicting interpretations. However, disagreements often arise from ignoring the basic principles above. Reading out of context, imposing modern ideas onto ancient texts, or following traditions instead of Scripture creates confusion. When we let Scripture interpret itself and compare spiritual things with spiritual (1 Corinthians 2:13), the truth becomes clear.

As you begin your study journey, remember that the goal is not just to accumulate information, but to seek truth and allow God's Spirit to guide you into understanding. Will you commit to personal study rather than relying solely on others' interpretations? Will you approach Scripture with humility, acknowledging that some passages require careful examination of context, culture, and language?

Consider downloading a Bible study app that suits your needs and choose the tools that will help you dig deeper into God's Word.