The primary purpose of Scripture is to help me grow deeper in my relationship with God.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
What would you most liken the Bible to--a history book, a theology book, a novel, or a love letter?
How has the Bible helped you come to know God better, connect with Jesus more, and sense the Spirit deeply?
What stories or teachings in the Bible most encourage you?
The Bible is one of the most published books in our world. The Bible has been used for many different purposes: as a history book, a moral guide for right living, a description of the nature of reality with regard to the universe, creation, life after death, and much more. The Bible has been scrutinized, criticized, questioned, memorized, respected, and worshiped. The Bible has been a source of hope, freedom and joy, but it has also created conflict, division, oppression, guilt, and shame. So why did God give us the Bible?
The stories and writings in the Bible paint a picture of a God who deeply desires that the beings He created would choose to participate in a relationship with Him, to “walk with Him.” The Bible then is God’s gift to humankind to guide us into a deeper relationship with Him. When we read the Bible it is of utmost importance, to keep in front of us the question, “What is God telling me about how He would like to connect with me in a loving relationship?” This is not to say that other approaches to Scripture and other questions people ask are not important.
What is important, is that all other questions are understood through the deeper question of our relationship with God. For example, the creation story may lead some to wonder about the origins of the universe, evolution, historical accuracy, and so on. These are important questions but they will never be as important as the story of a God who regularly came to the place where Adam lived for the purpose of connecting with him. God’s deep desire is for us to know how much He loves us and stories of the patriarchs, the nation of Israel, the failures of Israel, and the writing of the poets and prophets all point to a God who loves and longs to be with mankind.
There are many stories in the Bible that may not make us feel warm and soft but we can still know that it God's letter to me about all that He has done in the past to make possible this intimate relationship with Him. The ultimate message of God’s desire to walk with humanity and share our lives here on earth with us is the message of the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus. The Bible is a record of the relationships that God had with people in the past, and it is also His invitation for us to enjoy a relationship with Him, today.
The Bible is an illustration of the different kinds of relationship that people have had with God; a “relationship” of rejection (no relationship), an acceptance of a relationship but without faithful participation (unfaithful relationship), faithful obedience in a relationship but at a distance, relationship through an intermediary (priest, prophet, judge, king, etc.), and finally, an unmediated and intimate relationship in which people connect directly with the Spirit, Jesus, or Father.
The crescendo of the biblical story is toward this last kind of relationship: unmediated, that is, not needing anyone or anything to connect us to God, and intimate, that is, deeply personal, authentic, and healthy. God’s invitation to this deep relationship is the purpose of the biblical record and constitutes His ongoing desire for each person to choose this kind of relationship.