The Bible’s vital for our instruction

It is clear that Jesus wants the proclamation of the gospel to be Holy Spirit-enabled and Bible-based, writes Phil Gray.

After his death and resurrection, and before he ascended back to his Father, Jesus spent valuable time with his followers.

He helped them understand what the Old Testament said about him, and prepared them for the local and worldwide mission that would follow on from his having accomplished eternal redemption for all who believe.

Step by step, as the message of salvation spread and gatherings of believers were established, the New Testament Scriptures came into existence.

These were separate documents, later collected together, and written for groups of people and individuals. Many copies were made of the individual manuscripts.

For example, the apostle John was a close eyewitness of the ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, and the Holy Spirit inspired him to provide a written account of conversations, events and miracles that took place.

And he states his objective: “... 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 20:31 ESV).

It is clear that John was not only supplying an important historical record – he was also reaching out to those who did not yet believe in Christ, supplying them with a basis for faith.

Luke was not an eyewitness, but he thoroughly researched the testimonies of those who were, and he wrote an account for an individual named Theophilus, stating his purpose: “... so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught,” (Luke 1:4 NIV).

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