A Bible that once belonged to Elvis Presley and contains his handwritten notes and thoughts recently sold for $94,600 at an auction in England, according to Omega Auctions.
One of the Scriptures emphasized by the acclaimed "King of Rock and Roll" was Luke 9:25: “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” This was an “interesting insight from a man who had so much of what this world values,” writes Steve Higginbotham.
The Bible, given to the singer in 1957 on his first Christmas at his home called Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, was bought by an American man based in Britain. It was expected by the auction house to bring about $40,000 but actually sold for more than twice that amount.
The Bible was part of a collection of Elvis memorabilia owned by a single British collector. The entire collection sold for more than $160,000 dollars at the auction in Cheshire, north England.
Steve Higginbotham points out that in the case of Elvis’ Bible, the value of his Bible was “determined by the person who owned it.” In reality, however, it is the Bible that is truly valuable – regardless of who owns it!
The value of the Bible is incalculable because it is the Word of God (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Thessalonica saying: “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
The Bible is of inestimable value because it reveals our true condition: that we are “bankrupt” due to our sin, completely unable to save ourselves and consequently doomed to destruction (Romans 3:23; 6:23).
The Bible is priceless because it reveals the incredible love of God Who loves us even though we are sinners. He loves us so much that He gave His Only Son to die on the cross for our sins so that we might have forgiveness for our sins and eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).
The Bible is precious because it reveals the Way to forgiveness and life. That Way is JESUS. Jesus declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). God has promised that those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), and continue to “walk in the light” of His Word (1 John 1:7) will be saved.
No, it’s not the OWNER of the Bible that makes it valuable. The Bible is valuable because of what God reveals to us in the pages of Scripture!
“He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25).
Don’t just own a Bible; read it! Don’t just read your Bible; heed it!
THEN you will be truly blessed.
Won’t YOU?
- David A. Sargent, minister for the Church of Christ at Creekwood in Mobile, Alabama, is also the editor of an electronic devotional entitled Living Water." To learn more about this excellent resource contact David via their website: http://www.creekwoodcc.org
* Information gleaned from the New York Daily News (www.nydailynews.com) and Steve Higginbotham’s 9/10/12 MercEmail: “Elvis Presley’s Bible.” See www.preachinghelp.org
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