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Verse:“What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia.” —Revelation 1:11
The Bible is God’s Word written in human language. In ancient times, God asked Moses (Exodus 17:14) and other Bible prophets to write and send those inspired messages to their respective recipients. The apostle John was commissioned, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia” (Revelation 1:11).
But since that time, the process of publishing and spreading the Bible has improved dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg (ca. 1398–1468) was a German blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher. In 1439, he used movable-type printing in Europe for the first time in history. The Bible was not his first published work, but it was unquestionably his most important one. Gutenberg died on February 3, 1468, in his hometown of Mainz, Germany, leaving a grand legacy for humanity.
His invention started the printing revolution, and the printing press is widely regarded as the most important invention of the second millennium, helping spread the writings of the Protestant Reformers. Since Gutenberg’s day, many things have changed. The twentieth-century communication theorist Marshall McLuhan stated, “Gutenberg made everybody a reader. Xerox made everybody a publisher.” Recent authors have added that personal computers have made everybody an author, and the internet has made everyone an editor and critic. In other words, today we can be almost everything at the same time—reader, publisher, author, editor, and critic. In our globalized world, the content of the Bible is available in a countless number of languages and translations. Meanwhile, sound interpretations and many misleading distortions of the Bible are both available. Spreading God’s Word means making its content available, whether in printed, electronic, or audio format. But more importantly, spreading God’s Word implies allowing the Word to speak for itself, free from human distortion and biases.
This means people must know the basic principles of sound biblical interpretation. As Philip helped the Ethiopian eunuch to understand Scripture (Acts 8:26–40), we are directed to “preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season.
Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2).