Ballard - The Miracle of the Holy Bible - April 2007

Elder Ballard speaks of the great things that are contained in the bible, the way it miraculously came into existence, and the converting power it contains to bring people to Christ.  He begins by talking about the name and how "Holy" is a fitting word for its title.

• The Holy Bible is well named. It is holy because it teaches truth, holy because it warms us with its spirit, holy because it teaches us to know God and understand His dealings with men, and holy because it testifies throughout its pages of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He speaks of the faith building power of the Bible and how millions have used it to build and strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ and His mission.

• Tens of millions of individuals have come to a faith in God and in Jesus Christ through seeking truth in the Holy Bible. Countless numbers of them had nothing but the Bible to feed and guide their faith.

Elder Ballard says that much of the church organization is found in the Bible and we know how to organize and run the church today because of the Bible.

• How grateful we should be for the Holy Bible. In it we learn not only of the life and teachings and doctrines of Christ, we learn of His Church and of His priesthood and of the organization which He established and named the Church of Jesus Christ in those former days. We believe in that Church, and we believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that same Church, restored to earth, complete, with the same organization and the same priesthood.
  
• Without the Bible, we would not know of His Church then, nor would we have the fulness of His gospel now.

As members of the church, we tend to emphasize the Book of Mormon in our studying.  But Elder Ballard says that we might need to balance our studying so that we can know and understand all scriptures that are available to us.

• The more we read and study the Bible and its teachings, the more clearly we see the doctrinal underpinnings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We tend to love the scriptures that we spend time with. We may need to balance our study in order to love and understand all scripture.

As people discover and learn about the church, their are people who think we discount the need for the Bible because we have additional scripture in the Book of Mormon.  Elder Ballard says that we need both and just because we have additional scripture, doesn't mean we don't appreciate the importance of the Bible.

• Those who join this Church do not give up their faith in the Bible—they strengthen it. The Book of Mormon does not dilute nor diminish nor de-emphasize the Bible. On the contrary, it expands, extends, and exalts it. The Book of Mormon testifies of the Bible, and both testify of Christ.

Elder Ballard eloquently explains the purpose of each of the books of scripture that we believe in and their purpose in strengthening our faith in the Savior.

• The first testament of Christ is the Bible’s Old Testament, which predicted and prophesied of the coming of the Savior, His transcendent life, and His liberating Atonement.
  
• The second Bible testament of Christ is the New Testament, which records His birth, His life, His ministry, His gospel, His Church, His Atonement, and His Resurrection, as well as the testimonies of His Apostles.
  
• The third testament of Christ is the Book of Mormon, which also foretells Christ’s coming, confirms the Bible’s account of His saving Atonement, and then reveals the resurrected Lord’s visit to the earth’s other hemisphere. The subtitle of the Book of Mormon, the clarifying purpose statement printed on the cover of every copy, is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.”
  
• Each of these three testaments is a part of the great, indivisible whole of the Lord’s revealed word to His children. They contain the words of Christ, which we have been admonished to feast upon as a means of qualifying for eternal life. Those who think that one part is more important or more true than the other parts are missing some of the beauty and completeness of the canon of ancient scripture.

I think we tend to spend more time studying the Book of Mormon and less time with the Bible.  In the past couple years, I have been seeking to gain a better understanding of the Bible in an effort to increase my faith.  I have my daily scripture study in the Book of Mormon but I desire to learn and read the amazing stories of the Savior that are found in the Bible.  I have taught Sunday School over the years and my favorite book of scripture to teach is the Old Testament.  It is so full of stories that inspire, build faith, build character, and truly previews the miraculous things that the Lord will do in His life.  There are many things we can learn from the Bible and would encourage everyone to include the Bible more in your scripture study time.