The Bible is a collection of books that men wrote under the divine inspiration of God. Whilst all 66 books are important, some texts are more read than others. So, I’ll be counting down the top 10 books of the Bible (according to yours truly).
#10 – Revelation. We kick off this list with the most complexed and dissected book of the Bible. The Revelation of John, the Apostle, chronicles the visions that he had whilst being exiled on the island of Patmos. He saw many wonders and images of future events. Though many might not fully understand what he is trying to portray, it is obvious that he intends to tell everyone that God would be triumphant over the enemy in the end and that He is coming back for His people to live with him forever. Isn’t that wonderful?
#9 – Isaiah. Isaiah was a great prophet who not only foretold the captivity of the God’s chosen people, the Jews, at the hands of the Romans as judgement for their sins but also told of the kindness and grace that God would give to them during these times. He also made numerous prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah. Jesus often quoted Isaiah when he revealed himself to be the fulfilment of these prophecies.
#8 – Exodus. Exodus tell the story of a captured people, the Jews by the Egyptians and their liberator, Moses on their many adventures as they worked for, was freed by and fled from their enslavers to journey to the Promised Land. It also shows typical human behaviour of people, even after witnessing the awesome power of God on many occasions. If you think about it, this book is a screenplay just waiting to be on Netflix as a hit series. Sorry, Ten Commandments.
#7 – James. It’s the text that encourages us to making practical actions based on faith instead of just giving lip service by being doers of the Word and not hearers only (James 1:22). In just five chapters, it gives sound advice on how we should live out our lives as Christians and about how we should treat each other. We also learn about using our works to complement our faith in God. It is extraordinarily helpful to those young in the Christian walk and a reminder for the seasoned ones also.
#6 – 1 John. Besides the infamous 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John is a reminder of how much God truly loves us. It encourages us with its many declarations of His amazing and unfailing love. It brings such comfort to know of the victory we have in Christ, the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of life eternal. It also shows us how to recognize the true children of God. By His love.
#5 – Romans. The Apostle, Paul, wrote this as a convincing argument as to why we need a Saviour. It speaks of how God saves us and His justification of us through Christ by faith. It tells us of our freedom from our past and encourages us to live a transformed life with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is also the text used by many evangelists to tell of God’s salvation plan for us sinners.
#4 – Proverbs. If you want to be as wise as King Solomon or just need some advice on how to manage your relationships, family, work, money or marriage, Proverbs is here for you. It will help you to make sensible decision from sound counsel. Also, you can do like what Solomon did. Just ask God for wisdom.
#3 – John. This beloved text is usually recommended to introduce new believers to Jesus. It tells why He came to earth and how that has an eternal effect on all of us. We learn of His many attributes like being the Bread of Life” (John 6:35), “I am the Light of the World” (John 8:12), “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11), “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25), and “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). It also got the most famous and cherished verse of all (John 3:16). John the Disciple, wrote this book “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name” (John 20:31).
#2 – Genesis. The book that started it all. The first line is one of the most well-known verses in the world (Genesis 1:1). Written mostly by Moses, Genesis reads like an action packed series of numerous stories and adventures, with such classics like Legend of the Fall (Adam and Eve), Water World (Noah and the Flood), A Tale of a Two Cities (Sodom & Gomorrah) and The Dreamer (Joseph). But more importantly, it tells of creation of the Universe and the template which God uses to bless His people and keep His promises.
Before we hit that number one spot, let’s look at some Honourable mentions.
1 & 2 Samuel – Chronicles the life, adventures and shortcomings of the person after God’s own heart, David.
Job – The remarkable and inspirational story of a guy who lost everything and suffered rejection and bodily affliction, yet still praise God in the midst of it all.
Acts – Depicts the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that empowers the early missionary lives of Peter, Paul and others.
#1 – Psalms. This is a beautiful collection of songs and poems mostly written by the giant slayer, himself, David. It is emotional and expressive, written in times of happiness, sadness, depression, fear and unbridled joy that we can all relate to. Many of words are used as templates for numerous prayers and a source of encouragement. It is also the holder of the most chapters (150), longest chapter (Psalms 119), the shortest chapter (Psalms 117), and probably the most recited chapter of all times (Psalms 23). Its texts have produced a plethora of praise and worship tunes that we Christians know and love today. No wonder it’s the most read book of the bible.
Do you agree with this list? Comment below and tell me what is your favourite book of the Bible and why.
Be blessed!!!
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