Louie Giglio - The Most Precious Thing You Could Ever Hold in Your Hands
This collection is called «Breath on a Page,» and what we want to do over the next few weeks is combine our brains and our hearts to examine and study the Word of God. When I say «examine and study,» I don’t mean we’re going to bring our opinions and tell the Word of God what we think; rather, we want to look carefully and intently at the Scripture. We want to engage with our brains, not just our faith. We also want to approach it with our hearts, but we desire to come with our minds as well. We’re going to treat this like a core class in the morning. We will learn some things together today, but the end goal is not just information. The aim is to immerse ourselves in the Word of God and find breath for our lives from the very breath of God. Amen.
Today we’re looking at the uniqueness of Scripture, which I love. When we say «Scripture,» we mean the Bible. Just to be clear, the Bible never calls itself «the Bible»; it refers to itself as «Scripture» or «the Word of God.» So, most often, I like to call it «Scripture,» as that is its own designation. There’s nothing wrong with calling it «the Bible"—my Scripture is called the NIV Bible—but I just want to note that the text refers to itself as Scripture. Even though it doesn’t label itself as the Bible, it tells us just how unique it is, and I pray that when you leave today, you will fall in love with the miracle of the Word of God all over again.
Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3 that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. The key phrase here is that all of it is God-breathed. It’s not ink on a page; it’s breath on a page. It’s not simply the product of a printing process; it is the product of the exhale of Almighty God Himself onto the page that you hold in your hand. It’s not given so we can be smarter; it’s given so we can be equipped for every good work. The ultimate prize is not merely knowing Scripture; the true prize is that Scripture would move in us in such a way that it results in a life of doing the things Jesus would do on this Earth.
Here we are today, lifting up the most attacked book in history. Yet, even today, we claim it is the most unique book, not only in history but also in eternity. If you received a university education in America and weren’t at a really amazing Christian school, someone might have told you that it’s just another book. Someone might have told you that it’s a story concocted by men over time for specific religious ends and purposes. You may have heard that you can’t trust it and that you can’t verify it. Today, we’re not offering the church response of «Forget about all that; you just have to believe.» No, we are saying come with your mind and your heart, and let’s examine this Scripture together to see what it teaches us about itself.
So, what makes Scripture so unique? A few things I’d love for you to write down and take notes on today since we are, after all, in a core morning class. First, Scripture is not a book; it’s 66 books. Maybe you thought this was just a single narrative from beginning to end. No, this one book comprises 66 unique books. The powerful aspect of these 66 unique books is that they were not written by one person; they were written by over 40 authors over a span of 1,500 years, not in someone’s basement but on three different continents and in three different languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
Of these 40-plus authors, there were all kinds of different people. There was a wise king, Solomon, who wrote Scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit; a fisherman, Peter, who was inspired by the Holy Spirit; a herdsman, Moses; a Jewish scholar and teacher who wrote many of the 66 books; a prophet, Isaiah; poets in the Psalms; a doctor, Luke; a shepherd, King David; and even a tax collector or IRS guy, Matthew, who was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write one of those 66 books. Yet, despite the diversity of backgrounds, the symmetry of the story and the theme is astounding.
When you see the graph of the cross-references of the Word of God, it absolutely blows your mind. We brought this into worship a couple of years ago, but I want us to see it again today. It’s a chart of the cross-references in Scripture. What is a cross-reference? It’s where in one book, perhaps in the Old Testament, a prophet says something and then, in the New Testament, someone quotes what the prophet has said, or the prophecy comes true. All this happens centuries later, connecting two places in Scripture.
We see the books of the Bible starting with Genesis to Revelation, and you can see the links between the chapters. You can spot Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, along with the color coding showing how closely the cross-references correlate. Some references span all the way from Genesis to Revelation, and in this graph, we see the 63,000 cross-references in the Word of God. Forty-plus authors, a 1,500-year span, three different continents, three different languages, and over 63,000 connections in this Scripture. I’m telling you, it’s impossible that a group of individuals got together and decided to create a religion and concoct such a story as this.
The second thing that makes Scripture unique is that it provides us with eyewitness accounts of the acts of God throughout history. In other words, it’s not just someone sitting alone under a tree thinking, «This would be a really good religious story.» Scripture is filled with people who tell us what they saw and what they heard. It’s like Eyewitness News at 6—this concept exists because at some point, people didn’t want just two news anchors behind a desk reading off a teleprompter about what happened yesterday at 4:30 in the afternoon. Now, we have field reporters who go to where the events unfolded. They find someone who actually witnessed something, and we get to hear the account firsthand.
Scripture is filled with eyewitness accounts of God’s acts. Peter, the fisherman, tells us he saw something amazing on the Mount of Transfiguration. In 2 Peter 1:16, he says, «For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.» He describes what happened when Jesus went up on the mountain with Peter, James, and John, where Elijah and Moses appeared, and the glory of God shone. Peter says they heard the voice from The Majestic Glory, declaring, «This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.» They heard this voice when they were with him on the sacred mountain.
We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and we would do well to pay attention to it as to a light shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. Prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Peter is emphasizing that they were there, that they were eyewitnesses. What I love about this is that not just one, but three of them—Peter, James, and John—witnessed it together.
Now, let’s consider another sacred text that many people look to as their guide on Earth. It came about because the prophet Muhammad received personal and private revelations from God over a 23-year period. He taught what was revealed privately to him, but he never wrote down any of the revelations. After his death, a small group of scribes began gathering these teachings—someone heard this, someone remembered that—and they compiled all the retellings and created the Quran. None of the scribes directly heard the revelations, but still, here’s a book followed today by one in five people on Earth, compiled over a relatively short timeframe in a small geographic area.
Comparatively, Moses, who was writing, saw the sea part along with millions of people who walked through it. He met with God on the holy mountain. Not only did his testimony include meeting with God, but all the people saw his face glowing when he came down from that encounter with the holy God. Joshua and the people saw the Jordan River held still, witnessed the walls of Jericho fall down, and confirmed the account of David killing Goliath. A Roman soldier on crucifixion duty the day Jesus died proclaimed, «Surely this man must be the Son of God.» Peter and John ran to the tomb after Mary reported it was empty, saying, «We saw it with our own eyes; we were there. The tomb is empty; the cloth is folded; Jesus is not in the tomb.»
A healed man was presented before the religious authorities trying to shut down the resurrection story. He said, «I don’t know who he is; all I can tell you is I was blind, and now I see.» Likewise, Paul, headed to persecute Christians, encountered Jesus, blinded by the glory of God, and fell off his horse. Ultimately, he was converted to faith in the Jesus he met on that road. John claimed, «I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven,» and at the end of his account, he recorded, «I heard Him say, speaking of the coming King, 'I am coming soon.'» This Scripture is filled with eyewitness accounts of God’s work throughout history.
The third aspect that makes Scripture unique is that it is the Living Word. It is not static or one-dimensional. It’s not just a book that you read; it’s alive. The writer of Hebrews said that «the Word of God is alive.» Can you say alive? This book is alive! You’ll know it’s alive when it gets inside you and stirs something up. That’s why many of us hesitate to delve into it; we might not like what happens when we do. It’s smarter than we are; it trumps all arguments and debates, reaching the heart of the matter while uncovering who we really are.
Moreover, it is also active, meaning it has a purpose. As the prophet Isaiah put it, «God sends this word forth, and it has assignments.» In other words, it is not merely a person speaking and exchanging information; God has specific tasks for this word today. The prophet declared that the word never returns without accomplishing its purpose. It’s sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. That’s what we mean when we say it’s God-breathed—this breath is living and active. When you open the pages of this most unique book of books in history and eternity, it moves, stirs, upends, heals, and restores because it is alive.
The fourth aspect that makes Scripture unique is that it has a clear and compelling central character. In other words, it’s not just a jumble of ideas. If you’re new to church and faith, you might find it difficult to fully understand. The Lord is my shepherd—sure, that’s clear—but there’s much in here you may not know what to do with. The bottom line is this: it’s not just a big collection of information; this Scripture has a clear central character. It is all about one thing—not a something, but a someone.
Many people think it’s just a set of rules, but it’s not; it’s about a ruler. Others might consider it a series of dos and don’ts, but it’s about what this central character has done and continues to do. Some may think it’s just teaching. No, it’s about a teacher who gives life. This Scripture is not information; it’s an introduction. If you open it and give it time, it will introduce you to its central character, whose name is Jesus.
We shouldn’t downplay the Trinity; they are all present in Scripture: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all working together. However, Scripture is referred to as the Word of God, and the Word of God we know is the person of Jesus. When we were invited to collaborate on creating the Jesus Bible, we were thrilled. We had turned down offers in the past because we believed we already had the Scripture provided, but this idea of helping create a resource that allows people to see Jesus on every page deeply resonated with us.
Our team worked to produce a resource that is easy to open and see: Genesis is about Jesus, Exodus is about Jesus, Leviticus is about Jesus, Numbers is about Jesus, Deuteronomy is about Jesus—all of Scripture points to a central character, and his name is Jesus. We called it the tagline: «66 books, one story, all about one name—the Jesus Bible.» You might say that sounds like a neat marketing tagline; it actually didn’t come from us but from Jesus himself. In John 5, he says, «You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.»
After the resurrection, he walked on the road to Emmaus with some followers who didn’t recognize him in his glorified state. They unfolded the story, sharing what they had witnessed, but they didn’t realize it had to happen that way. Jesus rebuked them, saying, «How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?» Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. It’s all about Jesus. He is the Word of God, which is what it states in John’s gospel, chapter one.
In John 1:1, it says: «In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.» There’s your Trinity in action. Verse 2 states, «He was with God in the beginning.» So, we have a Word in the beginning that was both with God and was God. Verse 3 adds: «Through him, all things were made.» So, how did the Trinity affect the creation of the cosmos? Through the Word, who is also the agent of creation.
Our resident astronaut Shane Kimbro, many of you recall, went into space a few years ago on a SpaceX rocket. He asked me if he could take a small item into space to the International Space Station for me. I immediately thought, «What would that item be?» I decided I wanted to send the Word of God. So, I tore out John 1 from my Bible, sent it to Shane, and he was kind enough to verify it with a photograph of the very page I hold here. It spent 199 days, 230 miles above the Earth, circling our planet 3,194 times with the Word of God on board.
If you haven’t seen the space station, get a tracker. It’s an app you can use to see where it is at any moment as it circles the Earth 16 times a day. During those 199 days, it passed directly over where I stand right now. We would watch it with our own eyes, saying, «Look! The space station is overhead.»
It’s amazing to know that for 199 days, the living Word of God circled over our heads every single day. It came back and Shane brought it back to me. I know some of you think it should be in a little protective sleeve or something, but I’m fine with it just like this. In John 1:14, it says that «the Word became flesh.» The one who was with God and was God became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory!
At Passion City Church, we love Bible translations and have helped fund the translation of Scriptures for languages spoken by billions who still lack access to the Word in their heart languages. Recently, I met some men translating Scriptures into languages in the Middle East, funded by the generosity of students at Passion Conferences. It struck me that the original Bible translator is Jesus. The Word became flesh. The Holy Spirit inspired eyewitness accounts, moving men and women to record the story of the one who came for us. This is not just ink on a page; it’s breath on a page. I’m telling you—it is a miracle.
The first place I went to speak with this page, someone there, a huge space enthusiast, insisted on touching it. He couldn’t believe a page of Scripture was sent to the International Space Station. I told him it was indeed amazing, but it pales in comparison to the miracle that the whole of Scripture came down from the Throne of Almighty God into my hands. I want to lift it up again today. You are holding in your hands a miracle! There is nothing you will ever hold in your hands more valuable, more precious, or more unique than the living Word of God.
The fifth and final point I want to highlight about the uniqueness of Scripture is that it fills our souls with spiritual oxygen in a suffocating world. We weren’t made for this world; we were made for a perfect version of it. But on this corrupted and broken Earth, many days, some weeks, months, and years, we feel like we are suffocating and underwater, unsure if we can breathe. Anyone been there before?
That’s why it’s incredible that we are talking about «Breath on a Page.» We survive on a broken Earth by desperately inhaling what God has miraculously breathed out. It’s like scuba diving. Shelly and I tried it while on vacation. We didn’t get fully certified, but we took a few lessons. When we got into about 20 feet of water, the instructor warned us, «Don’t panic when you go down because you’ll suck up all the oxygen.»
When we got into the water, the experience was phenomenal, but I noticed this precious woman was about to panic. The instructor had to circle us up and said, «We have to surface; she’s sucked all the air. The whole dive is over.» Yet the possibilities underwater are magnificent!
I don’t know where you are today or what you are walking through, but I can tell you this: the Word of God is breath on a page. If you feel like you’re going under, I’ve got news for you today—you can breathe underwater with the Word of God. You must take hold of it. No matter how far under you feel, you can still breathe. What’s truly amazing is that you can go down 50 feet deep with scuba equipment, yet we often try to navigate life without God’s Word.
When you’re underwater, you can breathe it in. And don’t worry; you won’t use it all up. It’s God saying to you: «Yes, it’s unique for so many reasons, and there’s not a book like it.»
The uniqueness lies in its ability to provide spiritual oxygen in a world that tries to snuff you out. No one exemplified this better than Jesus himself, who is the Word of God. Under pressure in the wilderness, he hadn’t eaten or drunk for 40 days and 40 nights. He was being tested and prepared for his mission to save the world.
When the enemy saw how weak he was, he tried to suffocate him. The enemy tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread, and Jesus replied, «It is written"—the very breath of God was on his lips. He quoted Scripture, saying, «Man does not live by bread alone.»
The devil took him to the holy city and said, «If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written…» The enemy tried to use Scripture out of context, but Jesus replied, «It is also written: do not put the Lord your God to the test.»
Then the enemy took him to a high mountain, offering all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship. However, Jesus responded, «Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.» When Jesus faced temptation, his primary resource was the breath of God—inspired Scripture.
Let me ask, what is your first response in times of trial? Is it reaching for the Word? Or do you wait until you’re sinking, hoping a friend will text you a passage before diving in? The truth is, regardless of how deep you go, you can always breathe.
So, what’s the takeaway? Lean into this collection—don’t miss any talk. By God’s grace, we will all embrace more of the Word of God than ever before. I sense it’s compelling for me, and it’s propelling me to change my approach to Scripture.
I might have gotten too casual with it. I recently saw someone at the mall with a large Bible in the back of their car. I thought, «Hey, yours circles the Earth; mine rides around with me in a vehicle,» but it’s essential to recognize that we carry something miraculous. In light of that, I believe God wants to alter the way we approach it.
He desires us to come to Scripture with trembling reverence, understanding its significance. It isn’t merely a resource; it is the source. We need to cherish it; it’s not like jumping into 80 feet of water casually. You would strap on your equipment while paying close attention to every detail before you enter the water.
Yes, we have it on our devices, but do we grasp that it is like holding the Rosetta Stone on our breakfast table—10 billion times greater? I want to cling to it. I want to take my Bible with me everywhere, hold onto it tightly, and declare, «You’ll have to pry my fingers from it because I will never hold anything more miraculous than this! It is the living, active Word of God, the story of Jesus for the world, and it is my breath every single day. Hallelujah! Glory to God! Thank you, Jesus!»