The Bible has survived. As a result, you can obtain and read a copy of it today. And when you choose a good translation of the Scriptures, you can be certain that you are reading a dependable copy of the original writings. * But why has the Bible endured despite natural decay, fierce opposition, and deliberate tampering with its message, often with astounding accounts of survival? What is so special about that book?

Many students of the Bible have come to the same conclusion as the apostle Paul, who wrote: “All Scripture is inspired of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16) They believe that the Bible has survived because it is the unique Word of God and because God has preserved it until today. Faizal, quoted in the opening article of this series, eventually decided to investigate those claims for himself by studying the Bible. What he discovered surprised him. He soon learned that many of the teachings that are prevalent in Christendom are not found in the Bible. Furthermore, he was touched by God’s purpose for the earth as revealed in His Word.

“I am now convinced that the Bible that I have is a gift from God,” he says. “After all, if God can make the universe, wouldn’t he have the power to give us a book and preserve it for us? To say otherwise would be to limit God’s power. To limit the power of the Almighty​—who am I to do that?”​—Isaiah 40:8.