40 Questions - Discussion Part 1 - What Is the Bible?

Kelly Ann Marino

Hey everyone, and welcome back to Family Church's Residency channel on Hermeneutics. I’m Kelly Ann Marino, and with me—as always—is Paul Sheffield. Today, we’re getting into a pretty foundational question: What is the Bible, anyway? This discussion is based on Part 1 of Robert Plummer's book, "40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible." I realize, you know, some folks listening might have grown up with a Bible always on the table, while others—maybe you’ve barely cracked one open except at, like, weddings or the occasional hotel room. And honestly, even if you grew up reading it, hitting “reset” on the basics can be really grounding. So, the Bible isn’t just one book—it’s actually this whole library of sixty-six books, written by people across centuries and cultures. But what sets it apart is, Christians would say, it's uniquely ‘inspired’—it’s not just wise or historic, but it’s understood as God communicating directly to people. The story it tells? It’s big: the creation of everything, the mess humanity gets into, God’s plan for rescue, and this hope for a full restoration of the world. And one thing that stands out to me—Paul, I always remember this, growing up in a blended family, with all these different backgrounds and stories coming together under one roof. It sometimes made me think about how, in the Bible, there’s this thread of God gathering people from every tribe, every family, every background, knitting them into his family. That image is still so, like, moving for me.

Paul Sheffield

That’s a beautiful way to put it, Kelly. You know, coming from Kansas, I always found comfort in big family gatherings—the mishmash of stories, right? It reminds me a lot of the Bible’s own, well, “family reunion” narrative. Like you said, it kicks off with creation—Genesis gives us that grand opening. But then, sure enough, there's the fall: humanity turning away from God, and all this brokenness entering the picture. What really gives the whole collection cohesion is the message of redemption—God working, sometimes through the least likely people, to set things right. And the hope isn’t just wishful thinking; it’s grounded in Jesus Christ. The Bible says, in pretty clear terms, everything points toward him—all the promises get this big “yes” in Christ. I’ll admit, after years in ministry, I’m still struck that this book’s ultimate aim is to draw people to that message of salvation, to bring folks into relationship with God. Like, it’s not an end in itself—the story’s always pushing you back to the person of Christ.

Kelly Ann Marino

Yeah, and I think sometimes we underestimate just how layered and intentional that is. For me, finding my place in a blended family wasn’t always easy, but the Bible’s idea—that God gathers people up, not because they’re perfect, but just out of his desire to love and heal and reunite—honestly, it helped me see my own story differently. So as we move into the next part of our conversation, keep that “big picture” in mind: a book that’s trying to introduce us to, not just a set of rules or ideas, but a living relationship and hope.

Paul Sheffield

That brings us to, well, how this book—better, these books—are actually put together. The Bible’s got two main sections: Old Testament and New Testament. If you’ve ever noticed, the Old Testament starts off with Law—those first five books, Genesis to Deuteronomy—then shifts into history, wisdom writings, and prophecy. The New Testament begins with the four Gospels, then there’s Acts, a bunch of letters, and finally Revelation tying things up at the end. But here’s the interesting bit: the chapters and verses? Those weren’t there in the original. They were added much later—Stephen Langton split up the chapters in the 1200s, and verse numbers got sprinkled in by a Paris printer in the 1500s. Sometimes, I’ve gotta chuckle; those divisions are sometimes in odd places—makes you wonder if Langton was just tired that day or, I don’t know, maybe the horse he was riding hit a bump! But, you know, they’re practical for finding your place—just not “divinely inspired” themselves.

Kelly Ann Marino

Totally, and it’s easy to forget about the human side of that organization. There are these layers of history and culture, and then you have all these voices—prophets, poets, storytellers, and letter-writers. But here’s where things get kind of, well, mysterious: Christians talk about “dual authorship.” Every word is written in a human context, with all the quirks and feelings that come with that, but it’s also, somehow, God guiding those words. The term Paul and I both hear tossed around is “verbal plenary inspiration”—big term, I know. But it just means every part, and every word, is inspired. It’s not like the people writing went into some kind of trance; they used their real personalities and local color, but God superintended the whole process. Paul, you’ve got a story about how that plays out when it comes to actual Bibles people read today, don’t you?

Paul Sheffield

Oh, I do. So, back when I was pastoring in a small town—picture about thirty folks, farming families, and every Bible translation under the sun at the Wednesday night study. At one point, someone asked, “Which version is right?” And let me tell you, it almost started a civil war in the church basement—had the ESV folks on one side, the NIV crew in the middle, and one lady with her battered King James, bless her. But what it really did was push us to dig into why the words might differ a little, and how, across centuries, faithful copying and translating has kept the message stable. I came out with more trust in the reliability of Scripture—sure, there are textual variants, but none of them touch on core Christian beliefs. And the deeper takeaway? Sometimes, those different renderings open up new angles of understanding, instead of closing things off.

Kelly Ann Marino

Yeah—I love that. It’s less about which translation has the last word, and more about realizing the original message is resilient, and, well, able to show up in people’s lives in all sorts of ways. The whole structure and flow, the way the Bible’s been passed down, it’s part of what makes it such a living, breathing library of voices. We’re gonna dig into that a little bit more in a minute, when we get into how the books were chosen and why certain translations exist. So, let’s head in that direction.

Kelly Ann Marino

Okay, so, here’s the big question—who decided what belongs in the Bible in the first place? It wasn’t some secret group meeting in candlelight and choosing their favorite books, right? Actually, what happened was, the earliest faith communities recognized certain writings as inspired and authoritative—they didn’t invent the canon, they witnessed to it. The Old Testament—thirty-nine books—was largely agreed upon even in Jesus’s day, matching what we’d find in a modern synagogue, though the order is different. And for the New Testament, early Christians looked for things like: Was it written by or connected to an apostle? Was it accepted widely across the church? Was it consistent with what they already understood about Jesus? That’s how the core twenty-seven books landed in the New Testament. Now, people start to ask about the Apocrypha—the extra books you might see in Catholic Bibles. Protestants don’t include them, mainly because they weren’t in the Hebrew canon and, frankly, because they don’t claim to be inspired in themselves and sometimes even contradict the rest.

Paul Sheffield

That’s right, and, Kelly, it’s no small feat that, across vast distances and huge cultural differences, those early communities came to recognize the same core Scriptures. You know, a lot of folks hear ‘canon’ and imagine, like, a church enforcing this static list, but it was much more organic—a collection that kept demonstrating itself to be trustworthy and in line with the story God was telling. Now, about the translations: it’s a real gift, and sometimes a challenge, that the Bible’s available in so many forms. Bible translation isn’t just about swapping words; you’ve got two main approaches. First, there’s “formal equivalence”—word for word, as close to the original as you can get. Think ESV, or NASB. It’s great for studying details. Then there’s “functional equivalence”—thought for thought. Less rigid, more like conversational English—NLT’s a good example, and it really helps with longer reading sessions or for younger folks. The NIV kind of splits the difference. But, like you said earlier, none of these is perfect. There’s always this balancing act, trying to be honest to the text while making it accessible for readers today.

Kelly Ann Marino

And we always get, “Which translation should I use?” But honestly, it depends on what you want. If I’m studying a hard-to-understand passage with my small group, I might reach for the ESV. If I’m reading with my nieces and nephews before bed, it’ll probably be the NLT. Sometimes, reading the same story in two translations gives me a whole new perspective—I realize something new or notice a detail that was buried before. Paul, do you ever switch it up?

Paul Sheffield

Absolutely. Some mornings I’ll pray with a more literal translation, other days I want something with a bit more narrative flow for my own reflection. And if you’re just starting out, don’t let anyone say there’s only one “real” Bible. I’d say pick up a couple, see which one speaks to you—and above all, don’t get caught up in the idea that the “right” translation is going to unlock every mystery. Sometimes, the questions that come up are just as important as the answers.

Kelly Ann Marino

Let’s break this down a little bit more. Even with the right translation, it’s easy to pull a verse out of context and misread what it’s getting at. Understanding the Bible today—it really hinges on knowing the background. Historical, cultural, literary… context matters so much. Sometimes I’ll read a passage and, at first glance, think it sounds strange or even harsh—but then, when I dig a little into what was happening back then or what the original audience might have felt, things soften or take on new meaning. I guess one of my favorite habits, especially in my letter-writing, is to journal about a passage, jotting down questions and what jumps out to me. It slows me down and makes it personal.

Paul Sheffield

I’m with you, Kelly. I find it helps to picture myself in those stories, to ask what the message meant to them—and then to prayerfully consider, “What does this mean for us, here and now?” There’s a phrase you’ll hear in church sometimes—“illumination of the Holy Spirit.” It’s, well, this idea that God’s Spirit helps us understand and apply truth from Scripture, so we’re not left just guessing or relying on our own smarts. But it’s not magic—you’ve still got to read, reflect, sometimes wrestle a bit. Honestly, some of my richest conversations have come from group discussions, where I hear other people’s questions and, together, we end up seeing the text in a fresh light. I’d say, get in the habit of sharing your insights, praying through what you’re reading, and just letting the Bible work on you over time. It’s a journey, not a quick fix.

Kelly Ann Marino

For sure. And not every passage is going to hit you the same way every time. Sometimes I need correction, sometimes encouragement, or just a reminder to persevere. The more I invite others into the conversation, the less likely I am to twist a verse to just fit, like, whatever mood I’m in that day. So, ask questions, do your homework on context, lean on a community, and trust that, over time, wisdom grows. Let’s look at what shapes how we even approach the text in the first place, especially when it comes to our own cultural baggage. Because, let’s be honest—we all bring it.

Paul Sheffield

Yeah, we really do. You know, I didn’t realize for years that my own Midwest upbringing shaped the way I saw certain stories in the Bible—I mean, I’d read about shepherds and think cows, not sheep, right? But our languages and cultures just sneak into the way we read things. The Bible was written in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world; its authors, and first readers, saw things through their own lenses, just like we do today. Kelly, you’ve had pretty direct experience with how people’s backgrounds tweak how they understand, well… everything.

Kelly Ann Marino

Oh, big time. I’ve seen families misread each other just by not having the same reference points—so, imagine translating ideas across, I don’t know, two or three thousand years and half a dozen languages! That’s why, if we just read the Bible like it was written for modern Americans, we’re bound to miss a lot or misinterpret passages. Instead, if you slow down and ask, “Who was this written to originally? What would this have sounded like to them?”—suddenly, a parable or letter opens up in new ways. I always encourage folks, if you come across something confusing or odd, don’t just gloss over it. Use a good study Bible or look up some background info. Tiny shifts in language or custom can make a huge difference.

Paul Sheffield

Absolutely—I’d go so far as to say that learning the cultural setting is vital to faithful reading and, honestly, to applying the Bible’s wisdom well. It keeps us from turning the Bible into just a big fortune cookie—or, on the flip side, missing out on its depth because we assumed we already understood everything. The more we learn about the world behind the Bible, the richer our reading becomes. One of my favorite parts of the journey is realizing how God’s Word speaks across every era, but you gotta do a bit of digging to hear it clearly.

Kelly Ann Marino

That’s such an encouraging place to end, actually. I hope today’s conversation reminds everyone—whether you’re brand new to the Bible or, like Paul, have spent decades with it—that it’s a lifelong adventure, questioning, learning, letting your assumptions be challenged, and letting God shape you through it. We’ll keep exploring these ideas, chapter by chapter and question by question, as our series goes on. Paul, thanks for sharing your wisdom, as always.

Paul Sheffield

Thank you, Kelly, and thank you all for joining us today. We hope the conversation sparks some curiosity and maybe invites you to pick up the Bible and read with a fresh perspective. Until next time, take care, everyone.

Kelly Ann Marino

See you next episode, friends. Bye, Paul!

Paul Sheffield

Bye, Kelly. Bye, everyone.