What is the purpose of reading the Bible?

Is it about becoming more like God?

Is it about knowing good and evil?

Is it about improving my life?

It’s not about any of those things.

The purpose of the Bible is this:

2 Timothy 3 “¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”

The Bible points to Jesus so that we can become righteous by faith and not works!

John 5 “³⁹ You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”

The Israelites knew the Bible and did not even believe in Jesus!

Romans 9 “³⁰ What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹ but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. ³² Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. “

There is no point in reading the Bible if we cannot see Jesus!

Therefore the purpose of the Bible is not to improve our morality but it is to feed on the bread of life – Jesus!

Romans 10 “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ² For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³ Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. ⁴ Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

Christ is the fulfillment of the entire Bible.

Jesus ended all works on the Cross to give us salvation by faith alone (not our works)

The Cross is the main event of the Bible.

1 Corinthians 2 “² For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

This is how we read the Bible. Focus on Jesus and the Cross. See His Grace and do not depend on your works. Look to Jesus alone!

When we see commandments for works, realize that they are the Law because they don’t focus on Jesus but your own behavior!

When we see the Cross of Jesus, this is grace that gives us faith to be saved and live the Christian life.

Colossians 2 “⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

The Christian life is just how we started it. By faith in Jesus on the cross, and we continue everyday looking thankfully at the cross.