The Everyday Gospel Christmas Devotionalنموونە

Your Bible is the biography of Jesus. On his shoulders the hope of humanity rests, both in this life and in the one to come.

I remember my very first Bible. Owning it made me feel so grown-up and truly part of the spiritual community that I was being raised in. It was a leather-bound, loose-leaf Bible, which allowed you to insert pages for note-taking. As a little boy I was proud of this book, but I had no idea what life-transforming glories it contained. I knew the creation narrative and other well-known Bible stories, but little else. If you had asked me what the Bible was about or why God had given it to us, I’m not sure what I would have answered. What is the central theme of your Bible? What is the unifying cord that holds every part of it together? Why did God go to all the effort over so many years to record and preserve his word for us? How does God intend for us to use our Bibles? Can you describe the Bible in a single sentence? How much do you value Scripture?

Near the end of his Gospel, John recounts the last moments of Jesus’ life on earth. He then pauses to tell us why he wrote what he wrote. John’s description of his purpose for writing his Gospel is incredibly important—not only for understanding the importance of this Gospel but also for understanding who you are, what you need, and how God will meet that need with his grace. But there is more. John’s statement gets at the reason for every part of the word of God. It exposes God’s central mission for his revelation to us. In fact, John’s purpose statement for his Gospel is by far the best way to understand what your Bible is meant to do for you and in you:

"Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30–31)

The first thing you learn about John’s Gospel and your Bible is that neither was intended to give you an exhaustive history of the redemptive narrative and its central character, Jesus. What you have in your Bible is selective history, with all of the necessary explanatory notes. The purpose of Scripture is to point you to the one who carries fallen humanity’s hope so that you will embrace your need of him, put your trust in him, and receive the greatest gift ever given: life in his name. Your Bible was written with a Jesus-elevating, salvation-producing purpose. It is more than history, poetry, and wisdom. The Bible is the biography of Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life.

Prayer:

Holy God, may I accept and receive your word for what it truly is! May I not bend it for my own purposes, but instead may I accept its testimony of Jesus. May I truly know and believe that he is your Son and anointed one, the God and King over all. Increase my faith and belief in him, and bring me safely to the eternal rest you have won for me in him. Through him is this possible as I pray, amen.