The Ultimate Purpose of Scripture: Beyond 2 Timothy 3:16
The question of why God gave us the Bible is one that many Christians answer by pointing to 2 Timothy 3:16:
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
This verse affirms the divine inspiration of Scripture and its practical role in the believer’s life. It highlights what Scripture does—it teaches, reproves, corrects, and trains. However, does this passage fully encapsulate the ultimate purpose of the Bible? Or does it instead describe its usefulness within a greater, overarching purpose?
Many believers see 2 Timothy 3:16 as the final word on why Scripture exists. But when we take a step back and examine the larger biblical picture, we find that the Scriptures themselves reveal a higher goal beyond moral instruction and correction. The words of Jesus, the apostolic teachings, and the grand narrative of redemption all point to something greater: the revelation of Jesus Christ Himself.
The Bible as a Witness to Christ
In John 5:39-40, Jesus speaks directly to the religious leaders who diligently studied the Scriptures, believing that life could be found in them. He tells them,
"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life."
This passage radically reframes the purpose of Scripture. The words themselves are not the source of life—Christ is. The Scriptures are the inspired record that bears witness to Him, pointing beyond themselves to the living Word. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had devoted themselves to the study of Scripture, yet they missed the very one to whom the Scriptures pointed. Their approach to Scripture was focused on knowledge acquisition rather than relationship with the One revealed through the Word.
The opening of the book of Revelation echoes this same truth. The first verse states,
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him…" (Revelation 1:1).
The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is a revelation of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, He is foreshadowed and prophesied. In the Gospels, He is revealed in His incarnation. In Acts and the Epistles, His life continues through the Church. In Revelation, His final victory is unveiled. Every part of Scripture leads to Him, and in knowing Him, we come to know the Father.
Jesus Himself declared, "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Throughout His earthly ministry, He was revealing the nature, love, and purposes of God in a tangible, human form. Yet in Revelation 1:1, the roles are reversed—now, God is revealing Jesus in His exalted glory. The Scriptures serve this same dual function: they reveal God through Christ, and they reveal Christ through the unfolding plan of redemption.
The Insufficiency of Mere Knowledge
When Paul wrote to Timothy about the usefulness of Scripture, he immediately followed up with a statement about its intended outcome:
"So that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17).
The goal is not simply to be taught, corrected, or trained in righteousness, but to be made complete. Completion is not found merely in knowledge or obedience to biblical principles—it is found in knowing Christ and living in union with Him.
Paul himself embodied this understanding when he wrote in Philippians 3:8,
"I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."
Paul was a scholar of the Scriptures before he encountered Christ, yet he considered all his knowledge and accomplishments meaningless compared to the reality of knowing Christ personally. His letters are filled with the recurring theme that the fullness of life is not found in a book but in a Person—the living Christ, who is revealed through the book.
The Bible as a Doorway, Not a Destination
The Scriptures are essential, inspired, and authoritative, but they are not the final destination of our faith. They are the doorway that leads us into a deeper relationship with Christ.
A traveler does not mistake a map for the journey itself. The map is valuable, but it is only useful in leading them to their destination. In the same way, the Bible is the divine map that leads us to Christ. To stop at the map without ever arriving at the destination is to miss the entire point of the journey.
The devotional insight from In Christ captures this reality beautifully. It emphasizes that Scripture is not merely an informational text but the inspired record of the Revelation—the unveiling of Christ. To engage with the Bible without seeing Christ in it is like standing before a masterpiece and only analyzing the brushstrokes while missing the image they create.
A Christ-Centered Approach to Scripture
Many well-meaning believers engage with the Bible primarily for personal improvement, theological precision, or moral guidance. While these are important, they are secondary to the primary purpose of Scripture—to reveal Christ and draw us into union with Him.
A Christ-centered approach to Scripture shifts the focus:
Reading is no longer just about gaining knowledge but about encountering Jesus.
Doctrine is no longer just about right beliefs but about knowing the One who is truth.
Obedience is no longer just about following rules but about walking in fellowship with the indwelling Christ.
When the Bible is approached in this way, it ceases to be a burdensome list of expectations and becomes an invitation into intimacy with the living God.
Practical Implications
Understanding that the ultimate purpose of Scripture is to reveal Christ transforms the way we engage with the Word. It means that every time we open the Bible, we do so with the expectation of seeing more of Jesus. It means that when we study a passage, we ask, how does this reveal Christ and my life in Him? It means that instead of reading simply to learn, we read to abide.
This is the posture that brings true transformation. Many people study the Bible for years and yet remain spiritually dry because they are looking for principles rather than for a Person. But when we open the Word and encounter Jesus within it, we are changed—not by effort, but by beholding His glory.
Prayer of Trust
Father, thank You for giving us Your Word, not merely as a guidebook but as the revelation of Your Son. We rejoice that in Christ, You have already given us all we need for life and godliness. As we open the Scriptures, we do so with the confidence that we are being led deeper into the reality of who He is. May every passage we read draw us closer to Him, and may we live in the fullness of the life He has given us. Amen.
Final Thought
The Scriptures are not an end in themselves but a testimony to Christ. To read them rightly is to see Him, and in seeing Him, we see the fullness of God and the life He has given us.
(Credit: Insights drawn from In Christ, "The Mystery of Our Religion: He")