The Bible's Purpose
The Bible's purpose is to bring men to Christ, to make them holy and prepare them for heaven, not to provide peace of mind or confirm scientific discoveries.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that the Bible's primary purpose is to lead individuals to Christ and promote holiness, rather than serving as a tool for personal peace or scientific validation. He warns against the manipulation of Scripture for personal gain or misinterpretation, which can lead to spiritual ruin. True peace comes only after genuine repentance and moral transformation, not from superficial readings of the text. Tozer asserts that the Bible should be approached with faith and obedience to fulfill its intended purpose.
Text
In recent years the Bible has been recommended for many other purposes than the one for which it was written. The peace of mind cults, for instance, manage to find in it oil for the troubled waters of the soul; but to make it work they must pick, choose, misunderstand and misapply quite literally to their heart's content. Now, the Bible when read honestly and responsibly does bring peace of mind, but only after it has first brought the heart to a repentance that is often anything but peaceful. When the entire life has been morally transformed and the heart purified from sin, then the seeker can know real and legitimate peace. Any manipulation of the Scriptures to make them speak peace to the natural man is evil and can only lead to ruin.
A few years ago it was fairly popular practice for Bible teachers to claim to find in the Scriptures confirmation of almost every new discovery made by science. Apparently no one noticed that the scientist had to find it before the Bible teacher could, and it never seemed to occur to anyone to wonder why, if it was there in the Bible in such plain sight, it took several thousand years and the help of science before anyone saw it.
Now, I believe that everything in the Bible is true, but to attempt to make it a textbook for science is to misunderstand it completely and tragically. The purpose of the Bible is to bring men to Christ, to make them holy and prepare them for heaven. In this it is unique among books, and it always fulfills its purpose when it is read in faith and obedience.
Sermon Outline
- The Misuse of the Bible
- The True Purpose of the Bible
- The Bible's Unique Role
- It is not a textbook for science
- It fulfills its purpose when read in faith and obedience
Key Quotes
“When the entire life has been morally transformed and the heart purified from sin, then the seeker can know real and legitimate peace.” — A.W. Tozer
“To attempt to make the Bible a textbook for science is to misunderstand it completely and tragically.” — A.W. Tozer
“In this it is unique among books, and it always fulfills its purpose when it is read in faith and obedience.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Read the Bible in faith and obedience to fulfill its purpose.
- Understand that the Bible's purpose is to bring men to Christ, not to provide personal comfort or scientific confirmation.
- Recognize the Bible's unique role in preparing men for heaven through repentance and holiness.