What Is the Purpose of the Bible?

1. Who God Is

One of the main purposes of the Bible is to reveal who God is. It gives us insight into his character. It starts with the opening verse of scripture.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

The Bible begins right away establishing God’s eternal nature, that he was before all things and that he is the cause of all things created. In fact, God is the one who caused our beginning. That is, on a general level for all creation and on a personal level for you and me.

As you continue turning the pages of Scripture, more and more of God’s character is revealed. If you want to have a deeper understanding of who God is, you cannot do that apart from the Bible. It is simply not possible. This is what makes the Bible so important. It was never God’s plan to hide who he is. It was always his plan to reveal who he is, and he has used the pages of Scripture to make that known.

Every aspect that God wanted us to know about his character, he has placed it in his word for us to discover. That is why reading the Bible is so critical to your walk with God. It is also why it becomes exciting as God unfolds who he is to you right from the pages of Scripture. If your desire is to know who God is and what God is like, you can simply open the Bible and find out. You will be amazed how God’s character shines through, and sometimes you will find aspects of who he is in the places where you least expect.

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Another important purpose of the Bible is not just to reveal who God is, but to reveal who we are. The scriptures make us aware of our sinful condition, especially when you view yourself through the lens of God’s word. One of the best examples of this is in 2 Kings 22 in the life of King Josiah. I encourage you to read the whole chapter, but here is the cliff notes version of this story. Josiah sent his secretary to the temple and there he found the word of the Lord. He came back and read it aloud to Josiah and here was his reaction.

“When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes” (2 Kings 22:11).

In case you do not know, tearing your robes was done when there was great mourning or sorrow. When the word of God was read, it revealed to Josiah the sinfulness of his nation and he responded with great sorrow. Has this ever happened to you? If it has then the Bible has accomplished its purpose. That’s why the writer of Hebrews says this about the word of God.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

If you ever need a checkup on who you are, then line yourself up with the word of God. The Bible will reveal who you are. It will make you aware of your sinful condition and show you how short we have fallen when compared to God’s standards.

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If there is one thing I love about God, it is that he doesn’t just reveal a problem, he also provides a solution. One of the main purposes of the Bible is to reveal God’s solution for our sinful condition. It is within the pages of Scripture that we see God’s plan of salvation for humanity mapped out so beautifully.

Starting in Genesis, the seeds of a coming savior are planted and the moment Adam and Eve sinned, God’s plan of salvation for humanity was put into effect. It is within God’s word that we see this plan unfolding. From the beginning, the Bible points to a coming savior who would redeem and restore mankind back to the Father. The Old Testament points to Jesus and the New Testament reveals him.

The Bible is a beautiful depiction of how God meticulously watches over his plan to bring it to fruition. We know and understand the plan of salvation because God has placed it in his word and revealed it to us.

4. How We Should Live

As I mentioned earlier, the Bible is also a book of instruction teaching us how to live. Remember “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” The idea of the Bible being a book of instruction is seen in both the Old and New Testaments. I could give you many examples but here are two.

“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do” (Joshua 1:8, NLT).

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

It could not be clearer that one of the main purposes of the Bible is to teach us how to live. If you think about the ten commandments, those are instructions. If you read through the sermon on the mount, those are instructions. If you read the epistles in the new testament, they are all filled with instructions. God has given us his word so that we would not only know who he is but that we would also know how he wants us to live. When you read the pages, the Bible clearly reveals this.

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The Bible would not be complete if it only dealt with what happens in this life, and thankfully it goes beyond that. The Bible doesn’t just teach us about living life on earth now; it prepares us for what happens when this life is over and the eternal life we will live after we die. The Bible reveals our mortality and our immortality both at the same time. What I mean is that every person will have an eternal existence after we die. First it is clear that we will all die and then we will all face judgment. 

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

However, after this judgment we will all exist forever. The question is where will you exist forever? Some will be with God forever in heaven, and some will be eternally separated from God in a place called hell or the lake of fire. I am not saying this to scare you, I am saying this because this is what the Bible reveals. We are all eternal beings, it is just a matter of where you will spend your eternity. As my former pastor used to say, “10,000 years from now where will you be?”

The Bible is clear about life after death, but that is also what makes God’s plan of salvation so beautiful and why the Bible is so important. 

Why Should I Study the Bible?

In the pages of Scripture, we are encouraged to study the Bible.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV).

This is a good reason why you should study, but I will make it even more practical. You should study because you want to know God more. You want to live in a way that pleases him. You want to understand more of his plan of salvation and how you fit into it. You want to truly walk with him. In other words, you study the Bible because that is the purpose of the Bible. If you want to become the person God wants you to become, then studying the Bible will be an essential part of your life. It cannot happen any other way.

As I said at the beginning, answering the question what the purpose of the Bible is can take you in many different directions. I hope you were enlightened by the way I took, and more importantly that you were encouraged to open your Bible and begin to read and study more. There is so much to learn about God and yourself and you can find it all written for you within the pages of Scripture. Now go read and discover what God wants to reveal to you today.

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