A Better Plan for You

The Bible is not just a single book; it’s a library of 66 of them. They were written by kings, priests, farmers and prisoners. Some famous and wealthy; others obscure slaves. From the Genesis to Revelation, it may have taken as much as 2,100 years to complete.

The self-revelation of God

Jesus chose to reveal Himself and the salvation He would bring through people especially close to Him. The book of 1 Peter explains it this way:

"This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.

They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.” (1 Peter 1:10-12)

God-breathed, perfect and predictive

Is it surprising that the Bible’s writers didn’t even fully understand? That’s the kind of writing partnership they had with the Holy Spirit. God’s role was so thorough that another writer says all Scripture is literally “God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16) 

God says His Word, the Bible, is perfect. (Psalm 19:7) It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than the smallest stroke of a letter to disappear from it. (Matthew 5:18) “The Scriptures cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Most importantly for us, Jesus said everything was about Him. (Luke 24:44, John 5:39, Hebrews 10:9)

Hundreds of years before it happened, the Bible predicted Jesus would be:

• the offspring of a virgin (Gen. 3:15, Isaiah 7:14),

• in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2),

• preceded by a forerunner (Isaiah 40:3),

• a healer and liberator (Isaiah 43:7),

• identified by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9),

• betrayed by a close friend (Psalm 41:19),

• for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13),

• killed for the sins of others (Daniel 9:26),

• raised to life again (Psalm 16:10).

What it does to those who take it to heart

Hebrews 11 lists people who had remarkable trust in God. This life had little hold on them because they anticipated a better country and hoped for a better resurrection, and knew Jesus is better than anything offered by the world. Like the writing prophets, they waited, not seeing it all fulfilled. As verse 40 says, "God had planned something better for us, so that they would not be perfected without us.” How blessed we are to be living on the other side of Jesus' coming and to have the completed Bible available to us!

Someone is waiting to help you explore the better plan of God for you.

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