Teaching

Your Bible Might Be Missing Books

(And Nobody Told You)

What the Book of Wisdom Is, Why It's Not in Your Bible, and Why You Should Care

A teaching from Pastor Nicole Washington

Sit Down. We Need to Talk About Your Bible.

People have been asking me about this for years.

"Pastor, why do some Bibles have books that mine doesn't?"

"Is the Book of Wisdom real Scripture?"

"How come my Catholic neighbor has books in her Bible that I don't have?"

Good questions.

Real questions.

And I'm going to give you real answers.

Because the truth is, your Bible might be missing some books.

And not because they got lost.

Because somebody decided they didn't belong.

Now, that doesn't mean your Bible is wrong.

It just means your Bible made a choice.

And other Bibles made a different choice.

And you deserve to understand why.

So let me pour you a cup of coffee and explain what's really going on.

First, Let's Talk About What This Book Actually Is

The Book of Wisdom — some people call it the Wisdom of Solomon — is basically a book of advice.

Spiritual advice.

Like Proverbs.

Like when you sit down with someone and you're like, "Here's what I've learned about life. Here's what I've learned about faith. Here's what works and what doesn't."

That's what this book does.

It talks about how to live a good life. How to stay faithful to God. What happens when you turn your back on God. How to find peace even when things are hard. Why righteous people suffer sometimes. How important wisdom is.

And it does it in a really beautiful, poetic way.

The writing is gorgeous. Deep. Spiritual.

It's the kind of book you read and you feel something shift in your soul.

That's what it is.

Just a book of wisdom.

But beautiful wisdom.

Where Did This Come From and Why Does It Matter?

Okay, so this book was written about 2,000 years ago. Right before Jesus was born, actually.

It was written by a Jewish person who was living in Egypt, in a city called Alexandria.

This person was part of a community of Jewish people who were living outside of Israel. They were surrounded by Greek culture. Greek gods. Greek philosophy.

And they were trying to keep their faith alive. Trying to stay connected to God. In a place where basically nobody else believed in God the way they did.

So this book was written to encourage them. To say: "I know it's hard. I know you're surrounded by people who don't get it. I know you're wondering if your faith even matters. But it does. God sees you. God cares about you. Keep going."

That was the original purpose. Encouragement. Support. Spiritual strength for people far from home.

And it was written in Greek. Not Hebrew. That's important, and I'll tell you why in a minute.

But just know: This book was written by someone who loved God, who was trying to help other people love God, in a really hard situation.

That matters.

So Why Isn't It in Your Bible? Here's the Drama.

Okay, so here's where it gets interesting.

About 400 years ago, some guys in England decided to translate the Bible into English. The King James Version. You know it. Probably grew up reading it.

Anyway, these translators had to decide something: Which books belong in the Bible and which ones don't?

Because they had a TON of ancient books to choose from. Some books everybody agreed belonged. The gospels. Romans. Psalms. Obviously.

But some books were controversial. People disagreed about them. The Book of Wisdom was one of those controversial ones.

Catholic leaders said: "This book belongs. It's Scripture."

Protestant leaders said: "Hmm, we're not sure about this one."

King James translators said: "You know what? We'll put these questionable books in their own section, right between the Old and New Testament, and let people decide for themselves."

So in the original King James Bible? These books were there. Just in their own special section.

But then, over time, Protestant churches just... took them out. Removed them completely.

And now most of the Bibles you see today — NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT — don't have them.

Catholic Bibles do. Orthodox Bibles do. But most of the Bibles sitting in Protestant churches? No.

So your Catholic coworker has books in her Bible that you don't have in yours. Not because she's wrong. Not because she's adding stuff. Because her tradition kept them. And your tradition removed them.

And honestly? Both traditions have reasons. Good reasons. Just different ones.

Why Protestants Said No to This Book (And They're Not Crazy)

So Protestants have some reasons for leaving this book out.

First, they say the original Hebrew Bible didn't include these books. They say by the time the Hebrew scriptures were finalized, this book wasn't included. It was added later. So it wasn't part of the original.

Second, they say the early church didn't treat this book the same way they treated other Scripture. The New Testament was written by Jesus's apostles. The gospels are firsthand accounts. But the Book of Wisdom? It's more like a philosophical essay.

Third, they wanted to get back to the basics. Back to what they thought was the original, pure Bible. Without anything added later. They were like, "Let's strip it down. Let's go back to what's definitely Scripture."

Now, are they right? Well... it's complicated. But they're not being crazy. Their reasoning makes sense. It's just not the only way to look at it.

But Catholics Have Good Reasons for Keeping It Too

Catholics look at the same history and come to different conclusions.

First, they say: "Look, the early church DID use this book. We have evidence. Early Christians read it. Quoted it. Used it in worship."

Second, they say: "The oldest Greek Bible we have — like, the earliest manuscripts — these books are in there. If the earliest Christians were using the Greek Bible, they were reading these books."

Third, they ask: "Why does it matter if it was written in Greek instead of Hebrew? The whole New Testament was written in Greek. Should we throw that out too?"

And fourth, they just point out: "This book contains real wisdom. Real spiritual truth. Real help for people trying to live faithful lives. If it's not Scripture, it's at least really valuable Scripture-adjacent material."

Here's Something Important About Your Bible That Nobody Tells You

Before we go further, I need to tell you something.

Your Bible is a translation. All of them are.

The original Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. When people translated it to English, they made choices. Lots of choices. Because you can't just swap one language for another word-for-word. It doesn't work that way.

Sometimes a Hebrew word has three different meanings in English. Which one do you pick? King James translators picked one thing. NIV translators picked something else. ESV translators picked yet another thing.

So every Bible is the result of human choices.

"And here's the thing that'll blow your mind: King James ADDED stuff that wasn't in the original. The story about the woman caught in adultery? The one at the end of John? 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone'? That wasn't in the earliest Greek manuscripts. It was added later. But King James kept it."

So King James includes things that weren't in the originals. And it doesn't include some things that were. That's not a problem. That's just how translations work.

Every Bible has made some additions and some removals.

So when people say "every word of the Bible is inspired and perfect," that's true about the original. But the translation in your hand? That went through human hands. Choices were made.

Understanding this helps you understand the whole Wisdom book situation. Because it's not really "Is it Scripture or not?" It's "How do we decide what belongs?" And different people decided differently.

So Is the Book of Wisdom Inspired by God or Not?

Okay, real talk.

The answer is: Yes, but complicated.

Does it contain God's wisdom? I think so, yes.

Is every single word as authoritative as the Gospel of John? Most Protestants would say no.

Is it helpful? Absolutely.

Think about it this way: If a pastor writes a book about faith, is it inspired? Well, if the pastor is writing truthfully about God and Scripture, there's probably some inspiration there. But we don't put it in the Bible. Right?

It's valuable. It's helpful. But it's not Scripture level.

The Book of Wisdom is kind of like that. Catholics say it IS Scripture level. Most Protestants say it's higher than a regular Christian book, but maybe not quite Scripture level.

Here's what matters: You can read it. You can learn from it. You can grow from it. And it won't contradict your faith.

If there's something in the Book of Wisdom that seems different from the gospels, you can follow the gospels. But most of the time, it will say similar things. Just in a different voice. From a different tradition. From a different time. That's okay. You can still learn from it.

So How Do You Actually Use This Book? Here's What to Do.

If you want to read it, here's what I'd do:

Get a Bible that has it. Catholic Bibles have it. Some study Bibles include the Apocrypha. You can find it free online. Just Google "Book of Wisdom online" and boom.
Read it like it's wisdom literature. Not like a legal document. Not like every single word is a command from God. Read it like you're sitting with a wise old teacher sharing what they've learned.
Don't let it override your foundation. Your foundation is Jesus. The gospels. His teaching. His example. If the Book of Wisdom says something that contradicts Jesus, you follow Jesus. But honestly, that probably won't happen. It all points in the same direction.
Use it for what it's for. Use it when you need wisdom. When you're struggling with faith. When you need encouragement. When you want to understand how to live a good life. That's what it's for. And it does that really well.

What's Actually in This Book (The Good Stuff)

The Book of Wisdom talks about wisdom like it's the most important thing in the world. Like, wisdom is a gift from God. And if you pursue it, it will change your life.

It talks about how people who live righteously — people who actually try to do the right thing — they find peace. Even when they're suffering. Even when bad things are happening. There's a deep peace there.

It talks about people who turn away from God. And what that actually costs them. Not like God is punishing them. But like, that's just what happens when you reject God.

It has this whole section about the Exodus — how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt — but it's interpreted spiritually. Like, what does that story mean for your spiritual life?

It talks about immortality. The idea that when you live righteously, when you stay connected to God, you're actually living forever. Not just your body. Your soul. Your spirit. Your essence. Forever with God.

And it talks about faith. How to keep trusting God. Even when things are impossible. Even when you can't see how it's going to work out.

The overall message is: Seek God. Live the way He wants you to live. Trust Him. Don't be fooled by the empty stuff the world is offering.

It's written to people who are tempted to give up. People who see their neighbors getting rich and having good lives without God. And who are wondering: "Why should I keep my faith if it doesn't make me successful?"

"Because God sees. God cares. God rewards the righteous. Even if you can't see it right now. Even if it looks like the wicked are winning. Keep your faith. It matters. God sees."

— The Book of Wisdom

That's powerful. That's real spiritual medicine. That's probably why the early church kept it. It was helping people. And it still does.

Here's What You Actually Need to Know

The Book of Wisdom is real. It exists. It has history.

It's in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles.

It's not in most Protestant Bibles because of choices made 400 years ago.

That doesn't mean it's wrong. It doesn't mean it's bad. It just means different traditions made different choices.

You can read it if you want to. You can learn from it. You can find real wisdom in it.

And it won't hurt your faith. It will probably strengthen it.

But you don't have to believe every single word is exactly as perfect as the Gospel of Matthew.

And you don't have to build your whole faith on it.

You can just read it for what it is: wisdom. Encouragement. Spiritual teaching. From an ancient author who loved God. And wanted to help other people love God.

That's enough. That's valuable. And that's why it still matters. Thousands of years later.

So What Now?

If you're curious, read it. That's all.

Don't make it complicated. Don't feel like you have to defend it or explain it to anyone. Just read it.

If it speaks to you, great. If it challenges you, better. If it encourages you, perfect.

That's what it's there for.

And honestly? I think you'll find some real gems in there. Some things that make you go, "Oh, I never thought about it that way before."

That's what Scripture is supposed to do. Make you think. Make you grow. Make you more faithful.

Whether it's in your Bible or not.

So go ahead. Explore. Read. Learn. You're allowed to. And I think it'll be good for you.

Prayer

Father, thank You for giving us wisdom.

Thank You for Scripture.

Thank You for the people throughout history who loved You and wanted to help others love You too.

Help me understand Scripture better. Help me understand the history. Help me not be judgmental of people who made different choices. Help me keep Jesus at the center. Help me learn from all the wisdom You've given us. Help me be open to truth. Always.

In Jesus's name, Amen.

Declarations

I declare:

I seek wisdom from God.
I keep Jesus at the center.
I am open to truth, wherever it comes from.
I read Scripture with an open mind.
I don't judge people for their faith traditions.
I respect different perspectives.
But I follow Jesus as my ultimate authority.
I grow in wisdom every single day.
I am a student of Scripture and a student of God.
I am faithful and I am growing.
And nothing can shake my foundation.

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