Week Three: What Does the Bible Primarily Teach?

“JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW,
FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO”

Having learned that our “chief end in life” is to glorify God and that we must know the Scriptures in order to glorify Him, we do well to ask what the Bible primarily teaches.

What is the message of the Bible?

Does the Bible teach us everything? The obvious answer is "no."  The Bible does not even provide us with all the information that that might want to know about Jesus Christ.  For instance, the Bible tells us very little about the early years of Jesus.We don't even know the exact date of His birth (No, the Bible does NOT say that it was December 25!).

The Bible primarily teaches what we are to believe about God AND what God requires of us!

Is this to say that what we believe about God matters?  That God actually requires something of us?

Yes, it is!

The Bible teaches that there is but one, true God.  God has revealed Himself to us in such a way that all people are responsible to Him, even those who do not have the Bible.  Both nature (creation) and human nature bear witness to the truth that there is a God and we ought to serve Him.  “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

Yet, while God’s revelation of Himself in creation and providence is sufficient to leave all people without excuse, it is insufficient for anyone to be saved.  We must have the Scriptures in order to know who Jesus is and what He did. 

Before my wife and I were married, we came to know each other in manner that would probably be considered unusual today: we wrote letters to one another.  Not emails, not text messages, as those things had not been invented yet, but handwritten, slow-arriving letters.  Letters were never as good as being together in person, but they filled in the gap. Through those daily letters, we came to better know one another.

God has revealed Himself to us in His Word and He has done so that we may know Him.

So for those who say that we need to follow Jesus but not the Bible, I ask: “What Jesus are you following?  How do you know who Jesus is and how to follow Him if the Scriptures are in error?” 

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he warned Timothy of false teachers whose ministry and work promoted “controversies rather than God’s work – which is by faith.”  He went on to say, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these things and turned to meaningless talk” (1 Timothy 1:3-6).

Unsound teaching hinders both faith and love. Sound teaching – biblical teaching -  promotes love for God.

The Bible teaches us that the fruit of sound doctrine is love that comes from three things: a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. “Some have wandered away from these,” Paul goes on to say.

False teaching cannot encourage or nurture a true love for God.  Sound doctrine and a true love for God cannot be separated.

We must have the Bible if we are to know what God wants us to do and how to do it! 

What a blessing and wonderful gift God has given us in the Scriptures!

“Liberal theology wants love without doctrine.  It is willing to tolerate all kinds of doctrinal error as long as people don’t fight about it. On the other hand, some Reformation churches are willing to go without the love as long as they maintain sound doctrine. But that is neither true love nor true doctrine! Wherever doctrine is the purest, love must be the highest.”   (Philip Graham Ryken, The Reformed Expository Commentary: 1 Timothy).

Do you seek to know God as He is, not as you may imagine Him to be?

Do you accept the Bible as your only infallible rule for all that you are to believe and to do?