The word of the Scriptures is also our spiritual bread of life (Matt. 4:4). Just as our physical life needs nourishment, so also our spiritual life needs nourishment. The nourishment of our spiritual life can only be supplied by the word of the Bible. In order to be living and strong before God, we cannot depend on bread alone, but on every word, that is, the word of the Bible, that proceeds out through the mouth of God. We must take the word of God as food and eat it (Jer. 15:16), even regarding the word of the Bible as more important than our food (Job 23:12b). Otherwise, our spiritual life cannot grow. We must practice to have our faculties exercised in apprehending the word of the Bible so that we may be able to understand the words that are hard to interpret; that is, like those who are mature, we can eat the solid food (Heb. 5:13-14). Otherwise, our spiritual life cannot be strong.
The teachings of the Bible can give us endurance, encouragement, and hope (Rom. 15:4). Many Christians have fallen into tribulation and sickness. Being unable to bear it, they feel sorrowful and hopeless, but when they read a portion or a sentence of the Bible, they have the enduring strength in their hearts, or they receive unspeakable comfort, and thus obtain hope that is beyond their expectation. The Bible also records many things as warnings to us that we may be admonished, be on the alert, and not repeat the former mistakes (1 Cor. 10:11). Hence, after our regeneration, the Bible is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that we, the men of God, may be complete (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
The Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi, is composed of thirty-nine books. The writers included Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Ezra, Nehemiah, David, Asaph, Heman, Ethan, the sons of Korah, Solomon, Agur, Lemuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, etc., at least thirty-two people. Among them there were men of letters, statesmen, and military men; there were priests, kings, and prophets; and there were common people, shepherds, and farmers.
The books of the Old Testament were written in various places; some were written on Mount Sinai, some in the wilderness, some in the land of Canaan, some in Jerusalem, and some in Gentile lands.
The New Testament, from the Gospel of Matthew to Revelation, is composed of twenty-seven books.
The Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew. Matthew was a tax collector of low estate, yet he was called by the Lord to be one of His twelve apostles. His Gospel was probably written in the land of Judea.
The Gospel of Mark was written by Mark. Mark was a very ordinary disciple. His Gospel was probably written in Rome.
The Gospel of Luke was written by Luke. Luke was a Gentile physician. His Gospel was probably written in a Gentile land.
The Gospel of John was written by John. John was a Galilean fisherman with little education, yet he was called by the Lord to be one of His twelve apostles. His Gospel was probably written also in a place of the Gentiles.
The Acts was also written by Luke the physician. This book was probably written also in a Gentile place.
From Romans to Hebrews there are altogether fourteen books; they were all written by Paul. Paul was a radical member of the Judaic religion. Moreover, he was a man of great learning; he was talented, competent, aggressive, and capable of outstanding achievements. He was especially called by the Lord in his early years to be the apostle to the Gentiles. All his books were written in Gentile places; some were written in prison at Rome.
The Epistle of James was written by James. James was a flesh brother of the Lord Jesus (Gal. 1:19); he was also a devout Christian who became a pillar of the church (Gal. 2:9), but retained a great deal of the background of Judaism. His Epistle was probably written in Jerusalem.
The First and Second Epistles of Peter were written by Peter. Peter was also a Galilean fisherman with limited education, but he was called by the Lord to be the first of His twelve apostles. Both of his Epistles were probably written in Gentile lands.
The First, Second, and Third Epistles of John were also written by John. They were all written in Gentile places.
The Epistle of Jude was written by Jude. He was also a flesh brother of the Lord (Jude 1; cf. Gal. 1:19). His Epistle was probably written in the land of Judea.
Revelation was also written by the Apostle John. This book was written in a Gentile place, probably on the island of Patmos.
The first few books of the Old Testament—the Pentateuch—were written approximately in 1500 B.C.; the last book, Malachi, was written about 400 B.C. Therefore, the entire Old Testament of thirty-nine books took 1,100 years to complete.
The first book of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew, was written around A.D. 37-40; the last book, Revelation, was written around A.D. 94-96. Therefore, the New Testament was completed in over fifty years. Thus, in the completion of the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, there was a time separation of 1500-1600 years.