How would you like to sit down over coffee and have an unhurried conversation with a current or former President of the United States, with a British monarch, or maybe with an international superstar? How about spending a day with an inventor whose products have changed the world, an evangelist whose sermons have inspired millions, or a missionary whose adventures rival a novel?

Whenever we pick up a biography or autobiography, we are spending time with the most interesting people who ever lived. We’re letting them into our homes, into our evenings, into our schedules, into our lives. Whether a troubled rock star, a world-class athlete, a brilliant statesman, a notorious criminal, or a saint of God—when our bookshelves are lined with their stories, we’ve created for ourselves a most interesting society of people. They visit our homes and occupy our bedside tables and reading nooks.

No one really knows who wrote the first biography or autobiography, but Augustine’s Confessions is one of the earliest examples of the genre. If you’ve never read it, find a newer translation and enjoy the remarkable story of Augustine’s troubled life and marvelous conversion. Several biographies were produced during the Middle Ages, such as Einhard’s Life of Charlemagne. In 1791, The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell established biography as a solid genre of literature. Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography became one of the best-known books in American history and opened the floodgates for literary biography and history.

What one person is the subject of the most biographies? There’s no way to give a quantitative answer, but it’s undoubtedly Jesus Christ. No one knows how many books exist about Him, beginning with the four “authorized” accounts by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. High in the second tier are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Adolf Hitler. Personally I love Christian and missionary biography. When I read stories of people like William Carey, William Wilberforce, Corrie Ten Boom, C. S. Lewis, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, they become my mentors.

James Martineau, nineteenth-century English philosopher, said about biography: “To study the lives, to meditate on the sorrows, to commune with the thoughts of the great and holy men and women of this rich world, is a sacred discipline…. We forfeit the chief source of dignity and sweetness in life, next to the direct communion with God, if we do not seek converse with the greater minds that have left their vestiges on the world.”¹

If you like biography and history, you’ll love the Bible. When you pick up God’s Word, you’re opening a collection of the best biographies ever written. Almost every page gives us samples of people whose lives were good, bad, ugly, damned, saved, transformed, inspired, revolting, or world changing. Sometimes these sketches are lengthy, such as the chapters about King David or the apostle Paul. Other times, a person’s life is summed up in a one-sentence biography, such as Paul’s descriptions of his various friends in Romans 16 or the occasional summaries appearing in the Bible’s various genealogical listings.

Examples of Obedience

The Bible is filled with the tales of those who inspire us with unrelenting obedience. I love the stories of the Old Testament heroes Joseph and Daniel because almost nothing negative is said about them in the Bible. When Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, he replied, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9) When Daniel was tempted by the lavish lifestyle of Babylon, he “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8). If they can withstand temptation, so can we.

When we read of Stephen in Acts 6–8—another young man of whom nothing bad is said—we learn we can be filled with faith, wisdom, grace, and the Holy Spirit even when facing martyrdom. On the other hand, Jonah’s four-chapter autobiography shows us the folly of disobedience.

How many life lessons about steadfast obedience we can learn from the parade of characters in the pages of Scripture!

Examples of Failure

The Bible also provides examples of failure—from Adam and Eve, to Cain, to King Saul, to Judas, to a little-known character named Demas, one of Paul’s companions. Demas is mentioned three times in Scripture. In Colossians 4:14, Paul wrote, “Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.” Writing to Philemon, Paul again relayed greetings from Demas. But in the final chapter of Paul’s life as he awaited execution in Rome, he wrote: “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10). How easily that happens! Careful students of the biographical cameos of Scripture can learn lessons in advance and guard against the breakdowns of Demas and others in Scripture who are best remembered for their failures.

Examples of Perseverance

Others, of course, inspire us by their perseverance. Evangelist D. L. Moody spoke of a time when he was reeling under the blows of discouragement. He didn’t feel God was blessing his work. A friend, noticing his gloom, suggested he study the character of Noah. “Just study him,” said the friend, “and you will find very much that will help you.”

 

Moody resisted the idea, thinking he already knew all about Noah. But he finally opened his Bible to the life of this unusual Old Testament hero. “I found, among other things,” Moody recounted, “that he had preached 120 years without making a single convert; but still he kept at it, preaching, and working on the ark.” Moody was so moved by Noah’s perseverance in laboring 120 years without a convert that he rededicated himself to remaining faithful for the duration of days God gave him.²

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews gives us a roll call of Old Testament heroes like Noah, then we read at the beginning of the next chapter: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

As we read the histories of the characters of the Bible, we’re acquainted with a great cloud of witnesses who encourage us to persevere by their examples. I want to encourage you to add biography to your reading list, for a good biography can change your life.

I’ll close with this example from missionary history: David Brainerd was an early American missionary to Native Americans who died at age 29. Like Noah, he witnessed few observable conversions from his ministry. But his dedication deeply moved Jonathan Edwards, who, as a result, helped usher in the Great Awakening and also wrote an account of Brainerd’s life.

In England, William Carey read Brainerd’s biography and gave himself to overseas service, launching the modern missions movement. Henry Martyn read Brainerd’s life story and devoted himself to India. In Scotland, Robert Murray McCheyne read about Brainerd, and his sermons brought revival to the land. Robert Moffat and David Livingstone read Brainerd’s story and were moved to reach Africa. Jim Elliot read Brainerd’s story and felt compelled to reach the Auca Indians of Ecuador. Elliot’s story, in turn, inflamed an entire generation of students to follow Christ into the arenas of global evangelism.³

So I want to encourage you to read lots of biographies, but begin with those in the Bible. God’s Word provides the greatest assembly of fascinating characters ever to be compiled within the pages of a single volume. Each story is unique. And think of this—in a broad sense the whole of Scripture—Genesis to Revelation—is the autobiography of God Himself and of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As you read about Abraham, Isaiah, Demas, David, and, most of all, Jesus, remember to thank God for including these stories in His Word. He is interested in people—interested in everyone’s biography, in the story of each person’s life. That means He is interested in yours. He’s concerned with all your days and with the circumstances filling every page of your life. By learning what God said about those described in the pages of His Book and by following their lessons, you can build a legacy for others. Your story can sing His praise. Your biography can bring glory to Him who is the Author of your salvation.

Citations:

¹James Martineau, Hours of Thought on Sacred Things(Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1882), 239, 242.
²D. L. Moody, W. H. Daniels, ed., Moody: His Words, Work, and Workers(New York: Nelson & Phillips, 1877), 140.
³William D. Gale observed the power of Brainerd’s biography in Through Sunshine and Shadows (Cincinnati, Ohio: 2004), 89-99.