The Role of the Bible

Memory Text

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, NKJV).

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It was AD 386, in a garden in Milan. A 31-year-old man wept under a fig tree, broken by his sins yet unable to surrender his life to Christ. Then he heard a child’s voice from a nearby house, singing one phrase over and over: “Tolle lege, tolle lege” — “Take up and read, take up and read.”

A book of Paul’s letters lay close by. He picked it up, and his eyes fell on this passage:

“…not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Romans 13:13–14, NKJV)

That moment changed Augustine of Hippo. It also changed the course of Western Christianity.

The Bible has a way of doing that — when we actually open it.

This week we look at the role of the Bible in the Christian life. The lesson presents it in three rich images: a sword for the war we’re all in, the highest authority over how we live and what we believe, and a sure guide for the decisions we make every day. Each one only works if we do what that child’s voice told Augustine to do.

Tolle lege. Take up and read.

The Bible Is Our Sword

When tempted by Satan, Jesus answered:

Matthew 4:4 NKJV 

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”

Jesus quoted Scripture to meet Satan’s temptations. We might think He was using the Bible as a defensive tool against the test of the Devil, but it was more of an offensive one. Elsewhere in Scripture, the Word is compared to a sword:

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV 

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Ephesians 6:17 NKJV 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

It’s a no-brainer that we are all caught in a war — the war behind all wars. An invisible war, but a war that everyone feels. We call it the Great Controversy: the war between good and evil. We are all in it. And we all have a part to play.

Wars entail weapons. For the Christian, that weapon is the Bible. Don’t go to war without your weapon! Read your Bible.

The Bible Is Our Highest Authority

If you are an employee, you know that a proposal or a project needs to be approved by a higher authority before it is finalized. If you are a student, a panel needs to approve your thesis before you graduate. If you are a child, a parent needs to sign a waiver before you can go on a school field trip.

We all have a higher authority in our lives. But surely, somewhere out there, an ultimate authority exists. For Christians, it is God — through His expressed Word, the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV 

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Theologians have these fancy expressions — “Sola Scriptura,” “Tota Scriptura,” and “Prima Scriptura.” These basically mean that the Bible, and the Bible alone, in its totality, is our highest authority for both life and doctrine.

We all have higher authorities. But do we respect them? Do you treat the Bible as the Highest Authority over your life?

“It is one thing to treat the Bible as a book of good moral instruction, to be heeded so far as is consistent with the spirit of the times and our position in the world; it is another thing to regard it as it really is — the word of the living God, the word that is our life, the word that is to mold our actions, our words, and our thoughts. To hold God’s word as anything less than this is to reject it.” — Education, p. 260

The Bible Is Our Sure Guide

I once heard a preacher use the word Bible as an acronym:

B — Basic 

I — Instructions 

B — Before 

L — Leaving 

E — Earth

But the Bible is much more than instructions for how to leave earth — it also tells us how to live on it. When you think about it, we live on it before we leave from it.

Do we consult the Bible when we make decisions? Do we study its principles in order to apply them? The Bible reminds us:

Proverbs 3:6 NKJV 

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Turn to the wisest Being — God. He will give you the advice you need. But make sure to apply it.

Hebrews 2:1 NKJV 

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.

“Our only safety lies in obeying the Word of God. The Bible is our Guidebook. It is to be laid up in the heart and studied with earnest prayer. This Word will make men right, and keep them right.” — Letter 150, 1898

Conclusion

Our lesson emphasizes the important role of the Bible in our lives. It describes that role in three ways:

1. Sword
2. Authority
3. Guide

We are all in a battle, and we need the Sword of the Spirit. We all have authorities in our lives, but do we treat the Bible as our Highest Authority? And do we consult it as our guide?

The Bible is God’s gift. Why not take time to read it?

Discussion Questions

1. Do you read the Bible more on hard days or on good days? Why?
2. Where do you usually go first when you have a question about life — Google, a friend, your pastor, the Bible?
3. What’s one small change that would make your Bible reading better this month?