DECEMBER 22
JOHN 20:24–31
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.
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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 al-
lowed 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 con-
tained. 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 uni-
fying 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’s 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 ex-
planatory 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-elevat-
ing, 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.
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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.