Explanations – Introduction
If you are new to the Bible and look for only a minute, you will find that there are libraries of books and even more articles about the Bible and what it says. You will also learn that there are many translations of the ancient Scriptures. Scriptures are sacred writings. Some of our Bible Scriptures are more than 3,000 years old.
Do not let the volume of information discourage you. With study and prayer, the Bible alone contains everything you need. If you engage deeply in Bible study, the additional material can energize you to investigate and learn more. Despite differences in translations and a few well-debated interpretations, the message and intent remain remarkably consistent. For more, refer to the Bible section on this site.
There are many tools available to help you in your search for understanding. A helpful one is Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, published by James Strong in 1890. It lists every word in the Bible and every verse where it appears. It also includes two dictionaries, one Hebrew for the Old Testament and one Greek for the New Testament. These dictionaries cover every word. You can easily find them online by searching for “Strong’s Dictionaries.” Some Bible apps include the King James translation with Strong’s reference numbers. It includes Strong’s definition for every word.
Using your own Bible and Strong’s Concordance, you can take a deep dive into the Word of God. If you know what rabbit holes are, you stand on the edge of an infinite number of them. If you dive into them, you will find that some are not too deep, while others are very deep and complex. Each one yields something precious and leads to even more treasure. Libraries are full of books that contain troves of information and insights to help you. Internet searches will flood you with ideas. AI will give you information and analysis.
A word of caution. Search for books and authors recognized and recommended by the mainstream Christian community; vetted, if you will. Internet searches will send you to treasure and trash. Your challenge is to figure out which is which. AI is still somewhat of an unknown. Take its answers with a bag of salt, not just a grain. AI is new. You don’t know where it gets its information or what biases it has. Know that it sometimes has a propensity to hallucinate. That is a nice way of saying it makes stuff up.
These problems are easy to solve. Use the Bible itself as your source. It is complete, consistent, and correct. It is your north star, your foundation, and your ground. All of these other resources are wonderful, but in the end, you have to do the work to figure out if something from outside the Bible is true and correct.
The links below lead to some things that I believe are important for a non-believer, skeptic, or seeker to have an introduction. The letters at the end of the verses indicate the translation I used. They are different because one or the other sounded clearer to me. That, and to avoid copyright issues, I tried to use translations in the public domain as much as I could. Recall what I mentioned earlier about the internet. My intent is to help you build a lasting relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I did my best to share some introductory truths, but don’t