Why Did The Bible Become So Popular?

Why did the Bible become the most well-read, popular book in human history?

Unstoppable

The Bible has been banned, burned, and banished from so many places in the world that we can’t even count them all, but the Bible has never been able to be muted, muffled, thwarted or suppressed. Why? It is God’s Word and no human can stop what God has sent out. The Apostle Paul wrote about the power that’s in the Word of God in Romans 1:16 where he wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” and in 1st Corinthians 1:18 Paul again writes, “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Isaiah the Prophet wrote about the Word of God and the power that comes with it in Isaiah 55:11 where he wrote “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” The Word of God has power, it is the very power of God to save, and it always affects those who hear it and God’s Word never returns empty once He sends it out because it succeeds in accomplishing “the thing for which [God] sent it” out to do.

Bestseller of all Time

According to Guinness World Records, the Bible is the best-selling book of all time in all of human history. With over 5 billion copies sold and distributed, there is no book that even comes close, even in regards to the number of books sold from anyone else who’s ever written a book. The nearest book approaching the bestselling Bible is The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien which has sold just over 150 million copies, so compare over 5 billion to 150 million and it is not even close. Clearly we can say with authority that the Bible is overwhelming the bestselling book of all time and nothing will ever outstrip its ranking in human history. Why is the Bible so popular and continues to be? It is the only book ever written by God and it is God Himself speaking. The Apostle Peter said of Jesus, “You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69) and the words of life are only found in the Word of God. There is no other book like it because it has the ability to bring eternal life, but only through trusting in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

Hope for the Hopeless

When people lose hope, they lose about everything because when a person’s hope is dried up, so is their life, typically. The interesting thing about the Bible is that it lifts up the downtrodden, the despised, the disenfranchised, the poor, the broken, the weak, and the sick. These are the very ones who God calls and saves. What other book offers such hope beyond this life? There are none! The Apostle Paul contrasts todays troubles with the glory that’s coming and says, it’s no contest (Rom 8:18), and the person who trusts in Christ can know that whatever happens in this life, all things, good or bad, will work out for the ultimate best for those who love God (Rom 8:28), even if it’s something evil (Gen 50:20; John 3:16). What human book could ever bring hope beyond this life and into the next, promising eternal life and being in the presence of God someday (Rev 21:3; 22:4)? The answer is overwhelmingly obvious. Only the Bible can give hope to the hopeless, a future for the lost, and salvation to the weak without having to work for it (Eph 2:8-9).

A Transforming Book

The Bible doesn’t only transform lives, it saves souls. The Bible has transformed people into Christ-likeness but has also transformed nations. It was the first book ever printed, it is in every corner and continent in the world, it is the most frequently held book, it is the bestselling book, and people so believed in this book as the very Word of God that they were willing to die for possessing one (and millions have). It is the most beloved book yet the most despised. People either hate it or love it. The Word of God also sets people free from a life of bondage from other religions of which almost all of them require the person to do good works as a way to gain their salvation but the problem is how many good works does it take? How will a person ever know they’ve done enough? The truth is they won’t. The world’s religions, for the most part, are “do, do, do” but only in Christ, it’s “done” and that is so liberating.

Conclusion

The Bible cannot be stopped because it’s like trying to stop God and that’s humanly impossible. It cannot be done because you cannot separate the Word of God from the God of the Word and when you disparage the Word of God, you are insulting God Himself and God takes that very personally as a personal affront to Him. The Word of God comforts us but it also convicts us and it cuts but it cuts in order to heal. The author of Hebrews wrote, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb 4:12-13).  Name another book that does that!

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.