BIBLE-PURPOSE
God will not
be known if He does not speak, and we cannot know Him if He has not spoken a
word that we can rely on. God must
reveal Himself. That’s the point of the
Bible. Because of our own sins, we could
never know God otherwise. Either He
speaks or we are forever lost in the darkness of our own speculations.
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Crossway, 2000, p. 35.
Only the
person who understands that the cross is the center of all human history can
understand the Old Testament. Through the lens of the gospel, the Bible
truly becomes one book telling one story:
the story of sinful man, a holy God, and His plan of salvation through
the substitution of Himself for His people.
The Cross Centered Life, 2002, Sovereign Grace Ministries, p. 76-77. Used by permission of Multnomah Publishers,
Inc. Excerpts may not be reproduced
without prior written consent of Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
The central issue about the Bible is whether we live
it.
The
Scriptures were written, not to make us astronomers, but to make us saints.
Matthew Henry
Christ is its
grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.
It (the
Bible) should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.
The Bible is
not meant merely to inform, but to transform.
The Scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge
but to change our lives.
D.L. Moody
It is the
very drift and design of the whole Scripture, to bring souls first to an
acquaintance with Christ, and then to an acceptance of Christ, and then to
build them in a sweet assurance of their actual interest in Christ.
A Puritan Golden Treasury, compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 24
There is a
center to the Bible and its message of grace.
It is found in Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. Grace must therefore be preached in a way
that is centered and focused on Jesus Christ Himself, never offering the
benefits of the gospel without the Benefactor Himself.
Feed My Sheep, ed. Don Kistler,
Soli Deo Gloria Ministries, 2002, p. 214.
The Bible was
given to bear witness to one God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe,
through Christ, Redeemer of sinful man.
It presents one continuous story – that of human redemption.