Key Passage; John 5:39, Luke 24:25, 44-45, 2 John 9-11
The Bible is Gods message to men and women of all time. It is the greatest book ever written. The Bible alone truly answers the greatest questions that men of all ages have asked; Why am I here? , What is Truth? ,What happens after life on earth?. The Bible reveals the Truth about God, the origin of man, sin and suffering, and shows the way to salvation. The great theme of the Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ and his work of redemption for mankind.
Paradigm Shift
The Bible is not a book of principles or promises, not a collection of moral stories; it’s not a self help book, or a book of history. While there are portions of these in the Bible, the purpose of the Bible is to Reveal Jesus. If Jesus is not the object of my reading, I may as well be reading a self help book. If a man does not exhibit the true Gospel of Christ and obey visibly, he is not of God. If a man can quote the entire Bible off hand, it doesn’t mean his salvation is secured. Christian Life goes beyond the letters of the Bible.
Let us be more discerning. The Bible is a tool, not an end. Anytime we read the word and we can’t see Jesus in it, we are only reading it out of Context….Indeed ‘the letter killeth but the Spirit giveth Life’. It is only as we partner with the Holy Spirit when studying the word that we can truly study it in the right context which is to see Christ.
The Bible is not the TRUTH but the TRUTH is in the Bible. We can’t change the Truth, but the Truth can change us. Truth sanctifies us and make us whole. All the Law and the prophets pointed to Christ, here he was, the real thing, yet religion had blinded the people from knowing and acknowledging him. When you look at the scriptures, what do you see? Is it your church creeds and dogmas? Signs and wonders? Your enemies? How you can be rich? OR How righteous you are?
If you have not seen Christ, you are missing the trees for the forest. How can you be studying a map, when you are already at your destination? It all leads to Christ, Christ is the destination of all TRUTHS – This was the error of the Pharisees in Jn 5:43 . All Scripture was purposefully crafted, to lead to Christ, our journey in reading the Bible is to come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Applications
- Every time I open the Bible, I must open with the consciousness that it is Christ I am searching for. It’s only as I find him, that the Bible becomes an active living document. Christ in Scriptures resonates with Christ on my inside.
- I must constantly meditate on the word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to really internalize Christ.
What will Jesus Do?
Jesus had a clear understanding of the Scriptures and was able to fully plug into what God is doing. I must make understanding and living by the word of God more important than my daily bread.
The truth concerning me is what is written-My past, experience, background, weaknesses, Church, do not define me. I am defined by the Truth of Gods word, therefore his word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Commitments and Prayers
I commit to always use the bible for its true purpose which is to reveal Christ to me.
Dear Father, grant me grace to use every platform I have to help people to understand the true purpose of the bible.