What sets the Bible apart from all other literary works in the world? It is that God is the author of the Bible. He is not its writer, mind you, but its author. He used holy men as His writers. During Jesus’ public ministry, He said something powerful about His teachings: “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). 

So what activates this kind of power in the Word of God? It is our faith. You see, when we read the Bible and mix what we read with our faith, the Word of God becomes a living Word. This happens in at least two ways. One, God brings the promises of His Word to pass in our lives when we obey Him and exercise faith in what He says. Two, God’s Word imparts truth and life that take root in our inner being, edifying and changing us within.

On the other hand, if we read the Bible but fail to believe, it will profit us little if anything. It will be no more than just another literary work. Throughout Jesus’ public ministry, we see how it was because of a person’s faith that he experienced God’s power and it was unbelief that had the opposite effect. That’s why Jesus taught so much about the importance of having faith in God. He says when we do that, nothing will be impossible to us.

Countless books are written each and every year. But the Bible is in a class all by itself. No other book can impart life to us and edify our spirit as the Bible can. Relatively speaking, every other book written is just another literary work. Many of these books can and do serve good purposes in our lives as well. But they pale in comparison to what reading and studying the Bible will do for us—when we do so with faith. 

Confidence in this truth about the uniqueness of the Bible is fundamental to being an effective servant of Christ. Whether you are a pastor, youth leader, a missionary, one who ministers to those in prison, etc.; you must have this core conviction about the Bible. No one in ministry should expect to see the life-changing power of God at work in the lives of others if he or she fails to have a solid faith in the power of God’s Word. 

Pastor Frank King is pastor of the English-speaking congregation at the Hinesville Korean Full Gospel Church on Tupelo Trail.