Why Did God Give Us the Bible?
God does everything for a reason, an aim, and a purpose. According to the writer of Proverbs:
The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. (Proverbs 16:4 NKJV)
Even the wicked are subject to God’s eternal purposes, so no one is beyond His reach.
In this post, we will look at God’s purposes in giving us the Bible.
God gave us the Bible primarily to communicate God’s eternal plan to reconcile and restore man from his fallen state to his future glorious state.
The following are nine reasons or purposes why God gave us the Bible, along with their explanations:
1. To Reveal His Plan of Salvation to Man
The overarching theme of the Bible is man’s redemption and restoration.
In his gospel, John the apostle reminds us that his account of Christ’s life is solely written to persuade us to believe in Jesus the Christ:
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:31 NKJV)
Christ is the central theme of the scriptures. Paul encouraged Timothy, a young elder, to follow the counsels of God’s word because they would make him “wise for salvation.”
"And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15 NIV)
God has sought to unfold His redemptive plan to man in a variety of ways, but no other source reveals it more clearly than the Bible.
The Bible is the most complete and accurate revelation of God’s redemptive plan.
2. To Make Himself Known to Man
God gave us the Bible to make Himself known to man.
Sin has obscured our minds to the extent that we are unable to understand God’s nature and character on our own.
The Bible is God’s intervention in the world to make Himself known.
The Bible reveals that knowing God is essential to our salvation. Knowing God is knowing eternal life:
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3
3. To Make His Character Known to Man
Another reason God gave us the Bible is to make His character known to man.
What does it mean to know God?
A. Knowing God Is Knowing His Character
When God appeared to Moses on the mountain, He revealed His character:
And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7)
B. To Know God Is to Recognize Him as the Creator and Redeemer
Recognizing God as the Creator and Redeemer is the first step in knowing Him.
Among God’s many attributes, the creator and redeemer attributes are the most prominent.
Isaiah, for instance, portrays God as both the Redeemer and the Creator.
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; (Isaiah 44:24 NKJV)
1. God as the Creator
The following are some of the scriptures that depict God as the Creator:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1 NKJV).
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. (Psalm 33:6 NKJV)
For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. (Psalm 33:9 NKJV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)
2. God as Redeemer
The following are some of the scriptures that depict God as the Redeemer:
And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (Psalm 130:8 NKJV)
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14 NKJV)
For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; (Job 19:25 NKJV)
4. To Help Us Develop Godly Character
The word of God helps us develop godly character by reproving, correcting, and instructing us in righteousness.
God’s goal is to make us “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.(2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV)
The Bible is a powerful tool for imparting godly instruction, convicting us of our sins, and reconciling us to God.
The apostle Paul urges us to “exercise” ourselves “toward godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). Paul uses the Greek word gymnaze, which is a word borrowed from athletics, to describe spiritual exercises.
The word gymnaze means “to train or exercise physically as an athlete on a regular basis.”
We are to train “toward godliness” with the consistency and discipline of an athlete.
Training toward godliness is a lifelong commitment, not a one-time event. Paul refers to this lifelong commitment and battle as “fighting the good fight of faith.” You can read about the meaning of fighting the good fight of faith here.
5. To Equip Us for Spiritual Warfare
The word of God prepares and equips us for spiritual warfare.
Our warfare is spiritual. It is directed against the principalities and powers in high places.
We need spiritual weapons to defend ourselves against the attacks of these demonic forces.
We need the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesians 6:17 NKJV)
The word of God is called the sword of the Spirit because it was inspired and given by the Holy Spirit.
It is the sword of the Spirit because it can only be understood and interpreted through the Holy Spirit.
6. As a Guiding Light for Our Lives
God’s word is a guiding light for our lives. The psalmist writes:
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105 KJV)
In the natural world, light dispels darkness. Similarly, God’s light of truth dispels the darkness of lies and unbelief in the spiritual realm.
God’s word illuminates the minds of those who receive it.
The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalm 119:105 KJV)
The manifestation of God’s word gives understanding to the simple or to those who are open to persuasion.
7. To Give Us Hope in a Chaotic World
God gave us His word to give us hope in a chaotic world.
Winston Churchill once said,
“The further backward we can look, the further forward we can see.” — Winston Churchill
The past experiences of God’s people give us hope and encouragement to remain resilient and hopeful in the present. The Bible records:
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.(Romans 15:4 KJV)
God’s people’s past experiences also serve as a warning to us not to follow the paths of sin and death:
Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. (1 Corinthians 10:6 KJV)
8. To Help Us Live a Victorious Life
The word of God empowers us to live a victorious life by virtue of Christ’s merits.
Christ’s words speak peace and victory into our lives:
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV)
The words of Christ comfort and cheer us in our trials. There is peace in Christ that overcomes the world.
9. To Help Us Understand Our Place in His Creation
The Bible helps us understand our place in God’s creation. It explains why we exist and what God’s plans are for our lives.
God created us for numerous reasons, but two stand out in particular:
A. We Were Created for God’s Glory:
Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” (Isaiah 43:7 NKJV)
B. We Were Created for God’s Own Pleasure:
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11 KJV)
The “place” or purpose of our existence in creation is to bring God pleasure and glory.
Takeaway
In this post, we have discussed the purposes of God in giving us the Bible. We’ve discovered that God gave us His word in order to reveal himself to us, to help us develop godly character, and to equip us for spiritual warfare.
We’ve also talked about how God intended for the Bible to be our guiding light, giving us hope and victory in a chaotic world.
Finally, we’ve discovered that the Bible was given to us by God to help us understand our place in the universe. The purpose of our existence in God’s creation is to glorify and please Him.
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