The Purpose of the Bible (Pasche)

"And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim. 3,15.

The Bible often refers to history and different forms of govern­ ment, to geography and natural science, to poetry and the wisdom of life. And what it says of these things is absolutely reliable. Yet it was not given for the purpose of teaching us things like these, which man is left to find out by experience and by advancing in knowledge. Neither is the Bible simply to be a text-book of morality. True, the Bible teaches morality. It contains the Ten Commandments, which teach a perfect morality, showing man “ how he ought to walk and to please God” and to be holy even as He is holy. And yet the purpose of God in giving man His Word was not simply to improve his earthly character. His purpose was another, namely: “to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

The purpose of the Bible is to show us Christ, the Savior. It represents Christ as the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world; as the great Mediator, in whom the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. The Holy Scrip­ tures testify of Christ. He is the Sun that lights up the sacred record from Genesis to Revelation. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” There is life in the Word. It testifies of Christ as our Teacher, Redeemer, and Lord, and therefore, by searching the Scrip­ tures, we have eternal life. The Word of God is the power of God unto salvation. Everywhere in the Old as well as in the New Tes­ tament the central theme is: salvation by faith in Christ Jesus. All that Scripture teaches has this one object — to make man wise unto salvation, that is, to lead him to a true knowledge of his sins, but, above all, to make him know his Savior and to kindle faith in him, to instruct him to walk in the way of righteousness after having accepted Christ, and to keep him therein in true faith to his blessed end.

Oh, what a blessed purpose Scripture has!

Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst say: “ Search the Scriptures;for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of Me/’ behold, without Thee we can do nothing; for the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them. We beseech Thee, therefore, enlighten the eyes of our understanding and give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that we may behold wondrous things out of Thy Law. Teach us to know what is the hope of our calling, so that we may be made wise unto salvation, setting our hearts on things above and not upon things on the earth. Amen.