The Bible is essential for our instruction

It's clear that Jesus wants the proclamation of the gospel to be Holy Spirit-enabled and Bible-based, writes Phil Gray

After his death and resurrection, and before he ascended back to his Father, Jesus spent valuable time with his followers. He helped them understand what the Old Testament said about him and prepared them for the local and worldwide mission that would follow on from his having accomplished eternal redemption for all who believe.

Step by step, as the message of salvation spread and gatherings of believers were established, the New Testament Scriptures came into existence. These were separate documents, later collected together, and written for groups of people and individuals. Many copies were made of the individual manuscripts.

For example, the apostle John was a close eyewitness of the ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, and the Holy Spirit inspired him to provide a written account of conversations, events, and miracles that took place. And he states his objective: “...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 20:31 ESV).

It is clear that John was not only supplying an important historical record – he was also reaching out to those who did not yet believe in Christ, supplying them with a basis for faith. Luke was not an eyewitness, but he thoroughly researched the testimonies of those who were, and he wrote an account for an individual named Theophilus, stating his purpose: “...so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught,” (Luke 1:4 NIV).

Luke followed this up with a second researched account (Acts 1:1-2), covering what happened during the three decades after Jesus’s ascension. Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would enable them to spread the good news about him “... in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth,” (Acts 1:8 NET).

Luke covered the early years of that expansion in Acts. And he became a part of the history too, as a later companion of the apostle Paul, indicated by the change of vocabulary from “they” to “we”, commencing in Acts 16:10.

The gospel accounts and Acts provide the context for the rest of the New Testament correspondence. And the mission continues across the generations until Jesus returns. It is clear that Jesus wants the proclamation of the gospel to be Holy Spirit-enabled and Bible-based (Luke 24:44-49).

Notice how Philip the evangelist was able to share the gospel with an Ethiopian who was reading a passage from the Old Testament: “... beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the good news about Jesus,” (Acts 8:35 NLT). Look at the apostle Paul’s practice too (Acts 17:1-17; Romans 1:1-6 & 16:25-27) and his instruction to Timothy (2 Timothy 3:10-4:5). The apostle Peter puts Paul’s correspondence on equal standing with the Old Testament Scriptures (2 Peter 3:13-18).

In fact, the whole Bible is uniquely God-breathed and essential for our instruction. From Genesis to Revelation, both the Old Testament and the New Testament Scriptures. And they point us to Christ and our need of him.

If our understanding of the Bible is not centred on Jesus and his gospel we will drift and become engrossed with side issues or even weird theories. Among those communities of Christian believers that were established as a result of spreading the gospel, God gifted some with the Holy Spirit-enabled ability to faithfully expound the Scriptures, God’s Word.

So that Christians were (a) strengthened in their faith and (b) encouraged to build each other up for their life together as a church, as well as (c) being equipped for their daily interaction with others too. This is not the only ability given to believers by the Holy Spirit, then and now, but it is foundational. (See Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Acts 20:17-32, 1 Timothy 4:12-16 & Acts 18:24-28.)

The four Gospels were initially separate documents, and they are available today in separate printed form – handy to give to someone who is not yet a Christian, so that they can read for themselves. And for anyone wanting to read the whole Bible, John’s account remains a good place to start, followed by the Luke-Acts combination. These provide an excellent foundation for then starting to read the whole Bible, step by step.

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.