Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Those were the words one of my former church members used one day to describe the Bible. We were in a Wednesday morning men's Bible study and the discussion had wandered away from the text and on to a more general discussion of why we ought to study the scriptures. It was in that context that the person at the table said we study the scriptures because they are God's Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (BIBLE…if you had not connected the letters). I asked him what he meant. He replied that his understanding of the Bible was that it was a compendium of ethical instructions (some straight forwardly delivered (the Ten Commandments), some we had to figure out (Jesus' parables), and some that were theologically driven (Paul's letters)). The scriptures were offered to us as a way to help us live rightly and well before we are taken into heaven to live there eternally.
The bottom line for my friend and many in our society (and perhaps many of you) is that all 66 books the scripture can be reduced to an efficient and useful set of rules and regulations. In other words scripture is a practical self-help book intended to teach us morality, which would then imply that God's ultimate purpose is simply making us more moral people.
As you can probably tell by the tone of my writing I do not agree with that analysis of scripture or God's purpose. So you might ask, if this is not what scripture and God's purpose is about how would I describe them? I would describe scripture as the story of God, humanity and creation and God's purpose as working to restore the right relationship between each. I realize that this is not nearly as catchy as "basic instructions before leaving earth", but I believe it is far more accurate. Let's begin by unpacking my definition.
The Bible is the story of God, humanity and creation. The Bible is a story. It is a seamless story that has a beginning (creation), a middle (the life, death and resurrection of Jesus) and an end (the renewal of creation as described in Revelation). Everything in between "In the beginning" of Genesis and "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all, Amen" at the end of Revelation is part of this ongoing saga of God's interaction with the world. While there are some "instructions" contained within the story, they are not the purpose of the story or the story itself.
God's purpose as expressed in the scriptures is to restore the right relationship between God, humanity and creation. The scriptures are the story of God renewing creation in such a way as to make this world a place where people find joy, justice and peace. From the giving of the Law in Exodus, to the sending of the Prophets, to the coming of Jesus, to the creation of the church the scriptures tell the story of God working in a purposeful way to renew and recreate the world.
This is a reminder to us that God is purposeful. God is not merely a remote spirit who desires that we be nice. God is on a mission. God is on a mission to change who we are, how we live, how we relate to God's self, one another and the world. God is on a universal mission to reshape all of us. This is more than basic instructions before leaving earth. This is a plan for a seismic shift in human nature that would allow this creation to be "be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." Habakkuk 2:14. In other words the purpose of God is a complete transformation in the here (this world) and now (in real time).
Next Week: God as judging
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