Only born-again Christians are able to understand the Bible and the spiritual things of the Kingdom of God. As a born-again believer, you need the words of God every day. The words in the Bible are your daily bread for your spiritual inner man. When you feed and renew your mind with the words of God and obey and apply the words of God in your life, your spirit matures and you will speak and walk as the new creation. This means that you speak and walk the same way as Jesus spoke and walked on earth. I roto i teie tumu parau, the purpose of the Bible in the life of Christians will be discussed.
Eaha te tumu o te Bible?
We should be thankful that God gave His Word and that He revealed Himself to us through His Word. We are privileged that we have the Bible and can read and study the Bible. What is the purpose of the Bible in the lives of Christians?
The Word gives life
I te haamataraa, te vai ra te parau, e te Atua, e te Parau mau. Ua tupu atoa te reira i te omuaraa e te Atua. Ua hamanihia te mau mea atoa na roto i te mau mea atoa; e ere Oia i te hoê mea i ravehia. Te ora nei oia; e te oraraa o te mau tane. E te anaana ra te maramarama i roto i te pouri; e ua ite te pouri i te reira (John 1:1-5)
Jesus is the living Word, Who came in the flesh and was fully Human. He told the Pharisees, that if they had known the scriptures, they would have believed Him.
They would have believed that Jesus was (mātou) te Mesia e te Tamaiti a te Atua ora. Because the scriptures testify of Jesus, Mesian, te Tamaiti a te Atua, Who became the Son of man and brought salvation for humanity and gave eternal life.
The Father Himself, which has sent Me, has borne witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, Aita atoa to'na hoho'a. And you have not His word abiding in you: for whom He has sent, Him you believe not. A imi i roto i te mau papa'iraa mo'a; for in them you think you have eternal life: e o ratou ïa te faaite papû nei no ni'a ia'u. And you will not come to Me, that you might have life (John 5:17-40)
ōtahi, Ma te hoê, Te parau atu nei au e, O te faaroo nei i ta'u parau, e te ti'aturi nei au ia'na tei tono mai ia'u, has everlasting life, e eita ratou e faautuahia; tera râ, ua haere mai oia mai roto mai i te pohe e tae atu i te ora (John 5:24)
Ua parau Iesu ia ratou, O vau te pane o te ora: O te haere mai ia'u nei, eita roa'tu ïa e pohe i te po'ia; e o te ti'aturi ia'u nei, eita roa'tu ïa e pohe i te po'i (John 6:35,47, 48, 51)
Jesus is the Life and gives eternal life
ōtahi, Ma te hoê, Te parau atu nei au e, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, e te horo'a nei i te ora i te ao nei (John 6:32,33)
O te varua ïa e faaitoito; aita e faufaa te tino: Te mau parau ta'u e parau atu ia outou, E varua ratou, e te ora nei ratou (John 6:63)
Te mau taata atoa, who believes in Jesus and His work of salvation and believes His words and becomes born again, receives eternal life. Jesus came first for the house of Israel (God’s chosen carnal people, tei fanauhia i roto i te huero o Jacob). But because they rejected Jesus the Messiah, Ua tae mai te faaoraraa i ni'a i te mau Etene (a.o.. Ā'ati'a 11:18, Roma 1:16, 11:11)
In Jesus Christ and by His blood, a New Covenant for the new creation (te taata i te pae varua) came into being. This New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant for the old creation (te taata hamani i te pereoo (a.o.. Heberia 8:13).
Aita te parau a te Atua i rave i te hoê noa ' ' e faahopearaa. E ere ratou i te mea maitai roa no Iseraela, oia ïa no Iseraela: E hōʻino, no te mea e o ratou te huero o Aberahama, E mau tamarii atoa ratou paatoa: tera râ,, E piihia to outou huero i Isaac. Eiaha, O ratou ïa te mau tamarii a te tino, e ere teie i te mau tamarii a te Atua: tera râ, e taiohia te mau tamarii o te fafauraa no te huero (Roma 9:6-8)
The new man is no longer a son of the devil, but a son of God (e tano te reira no te tane e te vahine). The sons of God are born of the Spirit of God and are the children of the promise.
Te mau taata atoa, who believes in Jesus Christ and becomes born again, obeys His words, e e haapa'o i Ta'na mau faaueraa, receives eternal life
The Word of God is a shield for the born-again believer
Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him (Tau 30:5)
The Word of God gives peace
Te vaiiho nei au i te hau ia outou, Te horo'a nei au ia outou i to'u hau: eiaha mai ta te ao nei e horo'a mai, e faaore i te 'oe. Eiaha to outou aau ia peapea, Eiaha atoa ia mǎta'u (John 14:27)
E hau rahi to te feia e here ra i ta oe ture: e aita e mea e faaino ia ratou (Psé 119:165)
Ua paraparau vau ia outou, that in Me you might have peace (John 16:33)
If you read, Manatu, e a faaohipa i te Parau i roto i to outou oraraa, you will experience peace. But as soon as you leave the Word of God, even if it is just a little bit, you will become agitated, taui, Mataku, and stressed.
Therefore it is important to abide in the Word of God all the days of your life.
The Word of God equips the new creation
E horo'ahia te mau papa'iraa mo'a atoa na roto i te faaûruraa a te Atua, e e mea faufaa roa no te haapiiraa, no te mea, no te, no te haapiiraa i te parau-ti'a: E nehenehe te taata o te Atua e riro ei mea tia roa, ua ineine no te mau ohipa maitai atoa (2 E hō'ē 3:16-17)
The Bible is meant for the new creation. The purpose of the Bible is to equip the new creation. The purpose of the Bible is to ensure that the spirit of the new creation is fed, faaueraa, Te mau nota, and instructed and grows up into to image of Jesus Christ.
The Bible is profitable for:
- doctrine (learning, haapiiraa)
- fa'a'ōhipa (proof, conviction, Tāpaʻo)
- ōhipa (a straightening up again, (fa'aro'o) rectification)
- instruction in righteousness (haapiiraa, training; na roto i te auraa, disciplinary correction, Te, aupuru (so that the new man shall walk in holiness and righteousness))
The Word of God gives faith
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Roma 10:17)
The Word of God divides soul and spirit
E mea vitiviti te parau a te Atua, Fa'atumu, e mea koi a'e i te 'o'e mata e piti, Noa'tu e, e mea maitai roa te Atua i raro a'e i te varua e te varua, e te mau amuiraa e te mau pahi tama'i, e te hoê taata aravihi no te mau mana'o e te mau tumu o te mafatu (Heberia 4:12-13)
We shall all give account for our words and works on the Day of Judgement. Nothing shall be hidden from Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the living Word, Who came to heal man (faaho'i mai i te taata) e te faaho'i-faahou-raa i te taata i te Atua. Jesus brought peace. Tera râ,, people decide to believe Jesus and accept His redemptive work and His peace and choose righteousness and life and receive eternal life, or to deny Jesus and reject His work redemptive work and choose sin and death and receive eternal death.
All people will have an encounter with the Word, either as Savior during life on earth or as Tumu'uru afterlife on the Day of Judgment.
That’s why it is important to make Jesus Christ; te parau, the Center of your life.
Take His words and apply His words to your life.
Only the Bible reveals the truth and exposes the lies and works of the darkness.
If you want to walk in the truth of Light, you must renew your mind with the Word of God.
Na roto i te faaapîraa i to outou feruriraa, to outou huru feruriraa tahito (Te feruri, who thinks like the world) will be transformed by the Word and the Holy Spirit into a new way of thinking and you shall get the mind of Christ.
Ia faaapî ana'e outou i to outou feruriraa i te Parau a te Atua, you shall think the way God thinks and speak and act according to His will, Mai ia Iesu.
The Bible exposes the lies of the devil and sin
Only the Word of God divides te varua (iri) no roto mai i te varua. All those lies of the world that are built up in your mind, which you believed for all those years, shall be brought into the light. You shall become aware of all the lies of the world. And by believing the Word of God above the words and lies of the devil; Te ao, and by acting upon the Word of God, you shall destroy these evil strongholds of darkness. (A tai'o atoa: Te mau vahi puai i roto i te feruriraa o te taata)
Your spirit shall mature and reign over your flesh (te tahi)
The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit
E a rave i te tapo'i mata o te faaoraraa, e te 'o'e a te Varua, o te parau ïa a te Atua (Ephesia 6:17)
Another purpose of the Bible is that the Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit. The Bible is the spiritual Sword of the new creation and is needed in your daily spiritual warfare. Te mau taata atoa, who becomes a new creation in Jesus Christ, has entered the spiritual battlefield.
There is no such thing as a believer, who doesn’t experience spiritual warfare or doesn’t want to get involved in spiritual warfare.
If you don’t acknowledge and experience spiritual warfare in your life and don’t discern the spirits and the spiritual kingdoms, then you haven’t become a new creation in the spirit. No reira, the first step will be to believe, ōhipa, and become born again by water and Spirit.
Every new creation has become an enemy of the devil and the world and deals with the powers, tumu, and rules of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places, just like Jesus had to deal with them.
Jesus resisted and overcame the devil time after time. Aha? By the Word of God. Jesus knew the will of God, He knew what was written. I teie nei, the Word of God is also your Sword.
The Sword of victory
Only with the Word of God you can overcome and be an overcomer. There is no other ‘tool’ that you can use. That’s why it is important to get to know Bible; te parau a te Atua. No reira, you won’t be tempted, nor be seduced and misled by the lies of this world and wrong human doctrines.
Without the knowledge of the Word, faith in the Word, and applying the Word of God in your life, you will not live a victorious life but a defeated life. You won’t be strong enough to overcome the world; tumu, Te mau mana, Te feia faatere o teie nei ao, and spiritual wickedness in high places and resist the temptations of the devil.
The spiritual warfare between Light and darkness
Your warfare is not carnal, area râ, i te pae varua. The spiritual realm is your battlefield. Your job is not to attack people (i'o e te toto), but the powers, tumu, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness that tempt people, take possession of people, and even use people to attack you, seduce you, and tempt you into sin.
When your eyes become spiritual (meaning, you grow up in the Word with the help of the Holy Spirit), you shall know God’s will.
You’ll know what’s right and what’s wrong and what’s good and what’s evil. You’ll be able to discern the things of the spiritual world (which is behind the visible world) and the spirits.
When people try to provoke you, you stay calm and be silent. You let go when people ‘attack’ you with lies or false accusations. You forgive when people say mean painful words to you or treat you wrongly. (A tai'o atoa: Eaha te mea huna o te faaoreraa hara).
When someone tries to tempt you into sin, you will discern te faahemaraa and walk away.
When you walk after the Spirit you know, who is behind all this. You know who keeps the people in bondage and who is speaking and acting through them.
Ia haere ana'e outou i muri a'e i te Varua, you’ll stay silent, calm, let go, Fa'aito'o, walk away, e te tahi atu â. Mai ia Iesu. You will not be ruled by your flesh and therefore not react from your carnal will, Te mau mana'o e te mau hoho'a.
Your power is not carnal, area râ, i te pae varua. Therefore you’ll not use the knowledge, paari, and methods of this world. You’ll use the spiritual weapons because you have become a spiritual new creation, who operates in the spirit. You will walk in the te mauhaa tama'i pae varua a te Atua, speak the Word of God, and act and pray according to the Word.
the two kinds of prayer
There are two kinds of prayer; carnal prayers and spiritual prayers. Carnal prayers are selfish prayers coming from your flesh; e tō'ere, Te mau mana'o, Te mau nota, e tē vai atura., and revolve around you. Spiritual prayers derive from the Word and the Spirit and revolve around the will and Kingdom of God.
The devil is afraid of spiritual prayers and hates Christians, who pray from the Spirit. They are a threat to him and his kingdom, because they attack him and his kingdom with the Word of God.
He knows the power of the Word of God because the Word has disarmed him and overcame him.
The devil will try everything to keep you ignorant, by keeping you away from the Word of God and lead you on side ways. He uses faaanaanataeraa mana', mau faahuehueraa, fa'ahouhia, Te mau peu, e te tahi atu â.
He will also use dreams, ōfa'i, and prophetic words to tempt you. Moekara, the devil shall show the importance of praise and worship music, and let you think that praise and worship is the most powerful weapon in spiritual warfare, E ere i te mea matauhia i te Bible, e; te parau a te Atua.
But Jesus didn’t resist and defeated the devil in the wilderness by singing spiritual songs. NO! Jesus overcame the devil by the power of the Word!
The purpose and power of the Bible
What is the purpose and the power of the Bible in your life as a Christian? The Word of God separates the soul and spirit. The words of God mean death to your flesh but life to your spirit.
Through the Bible you get to know the will of God and His truth and righteousness, reveals the lies of the devil and sin. You discern the truth from lies, Light from darkness and good from evil.
The purpose of the Bible is that all Scriputres are profitable to teach, fa'a'ōhipa, Tika, and instruct you in righteousness. Te Bible; the Word is your Sword, which you have to use daily to be an overcomer.
The Bible is your daily bread. Without the words of God, your spirit starves and you will not spiritually mature.
The purpose of the Bible for Christians is to become like the living Word; Iesu
“Ia riro ei miti no te fenua”
