What Is My Purposeಮಾದರಿ

Study of the Word

2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Paul calls the word of God the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17). When we recognize that we are here purely to serve God, we realize how important it is for us to study and know the Bible.

Many tend to see the Bible as statements dictated by God similar to the Muslim understanding of the Koran. But that would be an error. The Bible is a message from God, given to men who wrote it down in their own words as they comprehended it. Therefore, the message needs to be understood. The sentences that form the message cannot be taken as absolute statements apart from the message that they convey. So, the habit of proof-texting (using a verse to justify our point of view) is usually wrong, unless the sentence is being seen in the context in which it was written.

So to understand the Bible we need to first understand the context and the message the author was intending to communicate. The message gives us a worldview rather than a series of commands to be obeyed. As Paul says, in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” If we are to understand God’s purpose for us, we need to change our worldview from the human, worldly worldview to the divine worldview given in the Bible.

To develop this kind of understanding from the Bible, we need to first understand its message and then live by it. It is the living by the message that enables us to properly grasp the Biblical worldview. If we just understand the message but do not live by it, it becomes simply a theoretical construct in our minds, one of many ‘maybes’. It is when we live by it that it becomes a reality that takes control of our life.

If we want to find our purpose, a right understanding of the Bible is a must. For example, when Jesus washed the feet of the apostles, he said that we need to do the same (John 13:15). If taken as a literal command, we would need to be washing each other’s feet every Sunday. However, when we understand the actual message behind the account, we realize what it means. When we meet and perceive that people have a need, we need to step up to meet that need, whether physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual.

Now, if we know this but do not practice it in our lives, it remains a construct in our minds. Our worldview does not change nor do we come to a place where we can understand what God is doing or wants us to do. This is amply illustrated by the narrative in John 6:60-66. In John 6:60, some of the disciples complained that what Jesus was teaching was hard and difficult to comprehend. Verse 66 says that from that time many of the disciples stopped following him. So, it is not enough to know Jesus’ teachings. We need to understand what it means for us and act on it as well if we are to keep following him.

Often people want to know God’s call for their lives but do not want to do what God has already told them to do, which is to follow Him. That is the first step. To take this first step, we need to know the Bible and its message and implement the message in our life.

Do you live by what the Bible teaches?