There are many viewpoints about the purpose of the Bible. For some this book is just a set of ancient rules and regulations that has no relevance in the modern setting, at odds with science and morally old fashioned. For others it is just a history book or interesting literature. Some find it incomprehensible, others find it tedious, many are not familiar with it at all. So what is it about the Bible that people of faith find inspirational, true to life and liberating? For Christians the Bible is simply a love letter from God.
The bible is the story of humanity from a moral and spiritual perspective and how God is able to transform human beings and restore his creation for the better, pointing us toward a future of life, love, hope, purpose and peace. The Bible tells its story through the history of the Jewish nation and then invites everybody to be part of it. The Bible is a collection of 66 books divided into two parts, the Old and New testaments. It was written over a 1500 year period covering 2000 years of Middle Eastern history. The Old Testament contains 39 books and tells the story of God and his people before Jesus was born. It includes the law, Israel’s history, Poetry, Wisdom and the Prophets. It is written mainly in Hebrew. The New Testament contains 27 books is written and concerned mainly with the life and ministry of Jesus and the early church and was written mainly in Greek.
It includes 1) The Gospels- which are the eye witness accounts of the teaching ministry of Jesus. 2) Acts - Which record the growth of the early Church. 3) Letters - Which explain the Christian faith and how to practice it and 4) Revelation- A prediction as to Gods final plan to defeat evil and create a new world. We believe that scripture is the inspired word of God revealed through human beings. In scripture 2 Timothy 3:16 it is said to be God breathed. In it God is revealing himself, his nature, his ways, his plan for the world and his challenge to us to become more like him.
The bible writings were originally hand written on parchment scrolls by scribes recording stories that were handed down through the story telling tradition. Later scrolls were replaced by the codex which was an early type of book. The Bible that we know today was compiled by councils in the early Church and have been translated and copied with remarkable accuracy over the centuries. If we understand the Hebrew and Greek origins we can better understand the original meaning of the writers. Following the invention of the printing press the Bible became more widely available and where prior to the 13th century there was no demarcation using chapter and verse, these new printed versions all carried the new versed format that we still see today.
The Bible encompasses many different writing styles, it has Narrative and history. It has poetry and law, Wisdom and Revelation. Its literal interpretation is a more recent development having been seen more in the past as history mixed with allegory or symbolism. For us it is a way of understanding the human condition in relation to God and how it points us toward spiritual experience in communion with God, living a good life and thus achieving peace and completeness. It inspires us to a purpose, to action, toward love of others particularly the poor and marginalized. We often refer to the Bible as a living word and a word for living. So for many the text is not just words on a page, a set of morals or ancient rules and regulations but rather an emotional, spiritual or mystical experience as well as an inspiration.
The bible is meant to be discussed and studied and should be given a context as it contains many tensions designed to draw the reader into a life of prayer. Reading individual passages can be very misleading without referring to other parts of the text. It is like a jig saw puzzle with lots of bits that at first don’t seem to fit together but which begin to make more sense as the picture gradually forms.
The Bible covers the origins of the world and humankind yet is not a science book. It tells the story of human choice and how sin destroys our relationship with God and leads to the death of our own spirit. How God tries to establish his kingdom on earth through his chosen people of Israel and how he inspires Patriarchs, Judges, Kings and Prophets to help achieve his aim.
He provides a written law as a guide, disciplines his people using natural events and tribal conflicts and yet through poor leadership or rebellion his people refuse to respond. In the end God sends Jesus as a teacher of God’s love and grace, to die as a sacrifice for our sin so that we can be redeemed in the sight of God, we are to be partners in his kingdom and achieve everlasting life in his spirit. At its heart the Bible is a book for human transformation through a life engaged with God.
The means of achieving this goal is through faith, his church and the power of the Holy Spirit. This is not an easy task and the Bible describes well the problems encountered in forming faith and theology among the early Christians as seen in Paul’s letters in the New Testament but it also looks to the future in the book of Revelation to reveal heaven coming into a new earth at the end of the age. By understanding Gods message through his love letter the Bible, we in faith can also be helped to share in the Kingdom of God today. Through the Stories, Parables, History, Prophesy and letters, human beings have been inspired to communicate a different world, a spiritual world and an alternative perspective of life. A world with Gods love and grace at its centre in which we all play our part.