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Lesson 1 - Why was the Bible written?

NOTE: All Scriptures are quoted from the New American Standard (NAS) unless otherwise noted.

It Was Written to Lead You to the Messiah

book The Bible [literally ‘the books’, it truly is a book of books] was written to lead you to the Messiah. Keep this foremost in mind when you consider the overall purpose, intent, or meaning of the Bible and the two major sections in it, both the Old and the New Testaments. Now what does Messiah mean?

(A) Understand What Messiah Means

1. Messiah Means “Anointed One” or “King”

In early Bible times, the kings of Israel had oil poured on their heads to anoint them as kings. For example, Saul (1 Sam 9:16; 15:1), David (1 Sam 16:12, 13), and Solomon (1 Ki 1:33, 34). But the Messiah was predicted to be different than these human kings. He would be God’s Son, and for this reason He would be called, “Immanuel” (Is 7:14), which means God with us. His kingdom would extend from one generation to the next (Is 9:6, 7). He would have greater authority, not just over the Jews, but over all mankind (Is 49:6). Incidentally, this was the charge against Jesus and the very reason why He was put to death--Messiah, the King--which Pilate had written on His cross in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek (Mt 27:37; Jn 19:18-22).

2. Messiah Means Christ

When speaking of the same person, the Bible uses both the word Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek). Some Bibles use these names interchangeably even within the same chapter, or they note Messiah means Christ, as in the NAS version of Mt 1:1, 18 and Jn 1:41; 4:25.

3. Messiah Means the Son of God

The Bible equates the Messiah to the Son of God. Peter understood that Christ was God’s Son. He called Him: “… the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Mt 16:16) Even Jesus’ enemy, Caiaphas, a Jewish high priest, equated the Christ to the Son of God. He asked Jesus, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One [God]?” (Mk 14:61) It is understood and evident, then, that the Christ is God’s Son, the King, and the Messiah. This fits perfectly with what Isaiah had said, that the Ruler, the King, would be a son (Is 7:14; 9:6), God’s Son, and therefore, if God’s Son, then Deity.

.... more about this in the Introduction to the Bible for Believers & Skeptics