SCRIPTURE:
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Luke 1:1-4
OBSERVATION:
The Bible is a collection of 66 books and letters divided into two testaments written by various human authors over a period of 1,500 years. But why do we read it? What is its purpose? And why do we have four Gospels? Today, Luke gives us insight into these crucial questions.
The book of Luke was written by a doctor named Luke. In the very first chapter of this book, Luke sets the scene for why he writes it. He says that at the time of his writing around 80-90AD, there were many accounts about Christ and what had happened. As expected, there were many different stories about what had happened, as about 50 years had passed since Christ’s death and resurrection. Thus, Luke “carefully investigated everything from the beginning…so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:3-4). Luke writes His Gospel so that readers will know with certainty who Jesus is, what He taught, and that He is Lord.
But isn’t that the purpose of all four Gospels? Kind of, but not exactly. The life of Jesus is primarily recounted through the first four books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. While all of them are written to recount the life of Jesus, each of them focus on a particular aspect of Jesus. Matthew was written primarily for a Jewish audience with the purpose of proving that Jesus was the promised Messiah and fulfillment of prophecy that the Jews were waiting for. Mark was written for non-Jewish “Gentiles” to show that Jesus was a servant of God who completed the work God sent Him to do. Luke was also written to a Gentile audience to show that Jesus is both the perfect man and the Savior of the world. Lastly, John was written for the early Church, for the purpose of inspiring belief that Jesus was the son of God who came to love the world. Four Gospels, different perspectives, one God.
APPLICATION:
The Bible is a collection of 66 books and letters divided into two testaments written by various human authors over a period of 1,500 years. Yet, every single book has the same author: the Holy Spirit. Every single author––Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and everyone else––was guided by the Holy Spirit to write God’s perfect word. Likewise, while every book of the Bible––from Genesis to Revelation––has a different purpose and perspective, every single book serves to fulfill the purpose of retelling God’s grand narrative of love: that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The Bible exists so that we may know with certainty that Jesus is Lord and that God truly loves us. Its primary purpose is neither to be a book of laws, nor a list of leadership lessons; the Bible is a love story.
As you continue to read the Bible, know with certainty the love that God has for you. Discover how good, great, and wonderful God is. See the love He has for you. Let it teach, train, correct and rebuke you in real time. And most importantly, let His Word inspire you, encourage you, and read you in love so you know with certainty that God is still speaking, still moving, and still working just as powerfully today as He did in Bible times.
PRAYER:
God,
Thank you for the gift of Your Word. As we read it, help us to know with certainty that You are real, that You are God, and that You truly love us. Teach us, train us, correct us, and rebuke us so that we become all that You created us to be. We love you, Lord.
In Your name we pray,
Amen
