BY

SHELBY G. FLOYD

The Bible is the greatest book this world has ever known. Like the sun, it outshines all the books that have ever been written by man. Every virtue known to the human race has either come directly or indirectly from the influence and teaching of the Bible.

N. B. Hardeman, one of the greatest preachers of my father’s generation, paid this lofty and elegant tribute to the Bible:

“I think of once lordly Egypt that has been forced to pass under the dominion of foreign foe. The orators, the poets, the painters, the sculptors, and the architects of once glorious Greece have long since passed away, and their works have slowly, but surely, yielded to the mutations of time. Imperial Rome raised her head sublime, and from the seven-hilled city spread abroad her power and her influence over all the nations of the earth, then humbly bowed her head and ceased to be. Desolation marks the site of old Carthage. Tyre and Sidon no longer send their ships to distant ports. The proud fleets of Spain, laden with the rich treasures of the Aztecs and of the Incas, have long since ceased to sail the seas. The picture of the worldwide dominions painted by the ambitious schemes of Napoleon has long since faded, and the “man of destiny” died amid the lonely scenes of St. Helena. Empires have been overthrown, dynasties have fallen, and the meteoric light of the would-be reformers has flashed across the arched sky, only to be swept into oblivion and forgetfulness; while the Bible, a divine product, woven into the texture of human thought and history by the gradual unfolding of the ages, still stands, bidding defiance to every wave of infidelity, giving comfort and hope to Christians, and pointing sinners to the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. It is the Book of books, that book that outshines all other books in the literary firmament, as the sun outshines the splendid planets that in their orbits revolve around him.

It is, indeed, the mariner’s north star. It is the compass of every Christian to guide his frail bark across the tempestuous sea of life and finally induct him into those scenes that we expect to burst upon our enraptured visions over there. It is, indeed a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It lives and abides forever, and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. If you will believe it and obey it, the promises are yours.”
-(Hardeman’s Tabernacle Sermons, Volume 1, Gospel Advocate Company, Copyrighted 1922, pages 25-26).

It is doubtful that one could find a better statement expressing the attitude that everyone should hold toward the Bible, than the one just quoted above. However, some of the greatest men outside of the church have also held lofty ideals concerning the Bible.

Please observe that some of our greatest Presidents were greatly influenced by the Bible. Also other great world leaders held loftY views concerning the Book of God:

1. George Washington: “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible… he is worse than an infidel who does not read his Bible and acknowledge his obligation to God.”

2. John Adams: “the Bible is the best book in the world.”

3. Thomas Jefferson: “I have always said and always will say that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better fathers, better husbands…The Bible makes the best people in the world.”

4. John Quincy Adams: “My custom is to read four or five chapters of the Bible every morning immediately after rising…it seems to me the most suitable manner of beginning the day…it is an invaluable an inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue.”

5 Abraham Lincoln: “I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this book upon reason that you can, and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man.”

6. Theodore Roosevelt: “To every man who faces a life with real desire to do his part in everything, I appeal for a study of the Bible.”

7. Woodrow Wilson: “I have a very simple thing to ask of you. I ask every man and woman in this audience that from this day on they will realize that part of the destiny of America lies in their daily perusal of this great book.”

8. Martin Luther: “Holy Scripture is a sweet-scented herb, and the more your rub it, the more it emits its fragrance.”

9. John Wesley: “Oh give me that book! At any price, give me that book of God. Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be a man of one book.”

10. Sir Isaac Newton: “I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.”

11. William Wilberforce: “Let no religious book take its place. People do not read the Bible enough.”

12. William Penn: “The Scriptures contain a declaration of the mind and will of God… They ought also to be read, believed, and fulfilled in our day. We accept them as the words of God himself.”

13. Daniel Webster: “From the time that, at mother’s feet or on my father’s knee, I first learned to lisp the verses from the sacred writings, they have been my daily study and vigilant contemplation.”

14. William A. Gladstone: “I have known ninety-five great men of the world in my time, and of these, eighty-seven were all followers of the Bible.”

15. John Wanamaker: “I cannot too greatly emphasize the importance and value of Bible study—more important than ever before in these days of uncertainties, when men and women are apt to decide questions from the standpoint of expediency rather than upon the principles laid down by God himself.”

16. Douglas MacArthur: “Believe me, sir, never a night goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the word of God before I go to bed.”

17. Benjamin Franklin: “Cultivate an acquaintance with and a firm belief in the Holy Scriptures. This is your certain interest.”

We can observe from these great leaders that a large part of their greatness was from their knowledge and application of biblical principles. The following verse, in my judgment summarizes the value of the most amazing book ever given to man—the amazing Bible:

My Bible is a source of surprising wealth:
A storehouse of food for the Spirit’s health;
A refuge apiece from a world and strife;
A place of surcease from the storms of life;
A firm foundation beneath my feet;
The shelter and shield from the noonday heat;
An unfailing help in the time of need;
A joy and comfort to all who read;
A book that presents, as I read it more,
A friendly face, an open door;
A plan for the man who is down and out;
A goal for the soul that is torn by doubt;
A chart for the heart that has lost its way;
A light in the night, and a guide by day;
A cure that is sure for the sin-sick soul;
A calm and a balm that can make men whole;
So planned and so grand that it stands alone,
The greatest book that the world has known!
–Joseph Baldwin Haston

Truly, the Bible is an amazing book. Let us study it to find its rich resources. Let us bring our children to Sunday school for the Bible classes that they might grow up to be children of God and useful citizens in his kingdom. Let us make the Bible our constant companion for,

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Copyright © 2011 2017 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved

Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142