{"id":5715,"date":"2018-01-08T13:28:51","date_gmt":"2018-01-08T19:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/?p=5715"},"modified":"2018-01-08T13:28:51","modified_gmt":"2018-01-08T19:28:51","slug":"the-purpose-of-the-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/01\/08\/the-purpose-of-the-bible\/","title":{"rendered":"The Purpose of the Bible"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Steve Higginbotham<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>
\nIt was in the\u00a0fall\u00a0of 1980, and I was about to leave home for\u00a0the first time to go off to\u00a0college.\u00a0With the help of my mother, I packed my belongings and headed\u00a0to\u00a0Tennessee.\u00a0Upon arrival, I began unpacking my suitcases, and there it was, carefully packed on top of my neatly folded shirts.\u00a0My mom had packed it for me.\u00a0She didn\u2019t want me to\u00a0leave home without it.\u00a0She thought that\u00a0the instruction, advice, and directions it would give me would be needed, and\u00a0was\u00a0she\u00a0ever right!\u00a0Just a week later, there I was, in a bind.\u00a0I didn\u2019t know what to do.\u00a0I needed help.\u00a0I needed direction.\u00a0So I searched in the bottom of one of my drawers and found the\u00a0\u201cwashing instructions\u201d my mother wrote out for me, and did my laundry for the first time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nIf you were thinking that the above paragraph was about a Bible my mother packed for me when I went off to college, I can understand.\u00a0It fits.\u00a0The purpose of the\u00a0\u201cwashing instructions\u201d as they pertained to the laundry is\u00a0the same purpose of the Bible\u00a0as it pertains to salvation.\u00a0Both were written\u00a0to instruct and give directions.\u00a0Both were written to avoid mishaps.\u00a0And both were written\u00a0from a concerned, loving author.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe ultimate purpose of the Bible is to restore\u00a0the fellowship\u00a0that once existed\u00a0between God and man, which\u00a0was broken by man\u2019s sin.\u00a0Not only does God take great interest in mankind because, after all,\u00a0we are\u00a0His creation,\u00a0but\u00a0His interest in us rises to the level of sacrificial love\u00a0(John 3:16).\u00a0Consequently, God is\u00a0\u201cnot willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance\u201d (2 Peter 3:9).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nThrough nature, God has revealed\u00a0Himself to mankind.\u00a0The apostle Paul said,\u00a0\u201cFor since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse\u201d (Romans 1:20).\u00a0However, while through nature one may know there is a God, he cannot know what to do in order to please that God and have a relationship with\u00a0Him.\u00a0This can only be fulfilled through a special revelation:\u00a0the Bible.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nGod\u2019s desired end for mankind is\u00a0accomplished\u00a0through the Bible.\u00a0The Bible teaches that\u00a0mankind is sinful.\u00a0Apart from the Bible, how would one be able to identify that he was a sinner?\u00a0How would he ever be able to know that\u00a0he was accountable for his actions\u00a0to a holy God? Even if he were to know he was a sinner and accountable for his sins;\u00a0without the Bible, how could he ever know what steps he needed to take to be found pleasing to this holy God?\u00a0The purpose of the Bible is to teach man how to please God.\u00a0<\/span>
\nAnother purpose of the Bible is to teach us how to have an abundant life (John 10:10).\u00a0Life holds many natural calamities that bring pain and heartbreak to our lives (e.g. accidents, illnesses, death, etc.).\u00a0But consider how many calamities\u00a0we bring\u00a0upon ourselves because of sin.\u00a0The Bible teaches us how to\u00a0live\u00a0in such a way that we avoid many of the actions that bring pain and sorrow to\u00a0our\u00a0lives.\u00a0John said that God\u2019s commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).\u00a0In other words, they are given for our good.\u00a0<\/span>
\nSeveral years ago, we had a\u00a0dog named\u00a0Whitney.\u00a0She was\u00a0loved by everyone in our family.\u00a0She was petted, played with, fed well, and had a large fenced-in back\u00a0yard in which she could run and chase squirrels to her heart\u2019s content.\u00a0However, one day, she escaped the confines of the fence, ran into the street, and was killed by a truck.\u00a0The fence was not designed to withhold good things from our\u00a0dog;\u00a0rather its design was\u00a0to protect her from the many dangers outside the fence.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nLikewise, the commandments contained in the Bible are not designed to keep us from enjoyment, but rather to protect us from countless things that can hurt us.\u00a0Think of the pain and heartache men bring upon\u00a0themselves\u00a0when they\u00a0escape the confines of God\u2019s \u201cfence\u201d and engage in activities forbidden by the Bible.\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhen I was a pre-teen, an elder in the congregation where my dad preached taught my Bible class\u00a0to recite\u00a0the following poem.\u00a0This poem\u00a0is\u00a0entitled \u201cThe Bible,\u201d\u00a0and its authorship is uncertain.\u00a0It sums up the purpose of the Bible better than I\u2019ve heard anyone express it.\u00a0The poem says:\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler\u2019s map, the pilgrim\u2019s staff, the pilot\u2019s compass, the soldier\u2019s sword, and the Christian\u2019s charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the\u00a0gates of\u00a0Hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good the design,\u00a0and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.\u00a0<\/span>
\nDo you own a Bible? Chances are you do.\u00a0Don\u2019t allow dust to gather on it.\u00a0Pick it up, read it, and submit yourself to its teachings.\u00a0It\u2019s the\u00a0Word of God,\u00a0a God who loves you.\u00a0It will give you direction so that you can have an abundant life here and now and throughout eternity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Steve Higginbotham\u00a0 It was in the\u00a0fall\u00a0of 1980, and I was about to leave home for\u00a0the first time to go off to\u00a0college.\u00a0With the help of my mother, I packed my belongings and headed\u00a0to\u00a0Tennessee.\u00a0Upon arrival, I began unpacking my suitcases, and there it was, carefully packed on top of my neatly folded shirts.\u00a0My mom had packed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[45,66],"tags":[118,1051,1307,1302,1321],"class_list":["post-5715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-study","category-think-excerpts","tag-bible","tag-feature","tag-march-2013","tag-purpose","tag-steve-higginbotham","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Purpose of the Bible - 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