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. Kweli nqaku, the purpose of the Bible in the life of Christians will be discussed.
Yintoni injongo yebhayibhile?
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
Ekuqalekeni ube ekho uLizwi, waye uLizwi ekuye uThixo, waye uLizwi enguThixo. Yena lowo ebekho ekuqalekeni kuThixo. Zonke izinto zabakho ngaye; ngaphandle kwakhe akubangakho nanye into ethe yabakho. Kuye kwakukho ubomi; baye obo bomi baba lukhanyiso eluntwini. And the light shines in darkness; kwaye ubumnyama abuzange bukoyise (UYohane 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 (kwaye kunjalo) the Christ and the Son of the living God. Because the scriptures testify of Jesus, UMesiya, uNyana kaThixo, 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. Anizange nilive ilizwi lakhe nangaliphi na ixesha, okanye ubone ubume bakhe. Aninalo ke ilizwi lakhe kuni: for whom He has sent, Nguye eningakholwa nguye. Khangela iZibhalo; for in them you think you have eternal life: kwaye bangabaluziyo. Aniyi kuza ke kum, ukuze nibe nobomi (UYohane 5:17-40)
Inene, inene, Ndithi kuni, Lowo ulivayo ilizwi lam, nikholwa kulowo wandithumayo, unobomi obungunaphakade, kwaye ayiyi kungena esigwebo; Kodwa idluliselwa ekufeni ukuya ebomini (UYohane 5:24)
Wathi kubo uYesu, Ndisisisonka sobomi: lowo uzayo kum, akasayi kulamba; lowo ukholwayo kum, akasayi kunxanwa naphakade (UYohane 6:35,47, 48, 51)
Jesus is the Life and gives eternal life
Inene, inene, Ndithi kuni, 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, and giveth life unto the world (UYohane 6:32,33)
Ngumoya odlisa ubomi; inyama yona ayincedi lutho: amazwi endiwathethayo kuni, bangumoya, kwaye zibubomi (UYohane 6:63)
Wonke umntu, 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, abazelwe yiMbewu kaYakobi). But because they rejected Jesus the Messiah, usindiso lwafika kwiiNtlanga (Owu. IZenzo 11:18, AmaRoma 1:16, 11:11)
In Jesus Christ and by His blood, a New Covenant for the new creation (umntu wokomoya) came into being. This New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant for the old creation (Indoda yenyama (Owu. Hebhere 8:13).
Ke, xa nditshoyo, andithethi nto nje, ngokungathi ilizwi likaThixo liphalele. Kuba asingabo bonke bakwaSirayeli, abangabakwaSirayeli: Nokuba, ngokuba bayimbewu ka-Abraham, bangabantwana bonke: kodwa, Iya kubizwa ngoIsake imbewu yakho. Yiyo i, Abo ke bangabantwana benyama, asingoonyana bakaThixo aba: ngabantwana bedinga ababalelwa embewu (AmaRoma 9:6-8)
The new man is no longer a son of the devil, but a son of God (oku kusebenza kuzo zombini iinkunzi nemazi). The sons of God are born of the Spirit of God and are the children of the promise.
Wonke umntu, who believes in Jesus Christ and becomes born again, obeys His words, kwaye uyayigcina imiyalelo yakhe, receives eternal life
The Word of God is a shield for the born-again believer
Yonke intetho kaThixo icocekile: Uyingweletshetshe kwabo bathembela kuye (IMizekeliso 30:5)
The Word of God gives peace
Uxolo ndishiya nawe, ndininika uxolo lwam: hayi njengoko umhlaba unika, ndikunike. Intliziyo yakho mayingakhathazeki, Ayengakoyiki (UYohane 14:27)
Banoxolo olukhulu abawuthandayo umyalelo wakho: akukho sikhubekiso kubo (Iindumiso 119:165)
Ezi zinto ndizithethile kuwe, that in Me you might have peace (UYohane 16:33)
If you read, kholwani, kwaye usebenzise igama ebomini bakho, 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, ixhala, ixhala, 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
Sonke Isibhalo sinikelwa ngokuphefumlelwa nguThixo, kwaye iyingenelo kwimfundiso, ngenxa yokohlwaywa, ukulungisa, Ngqeqesho ebulungiseni: Ukuze umntu kaThixo abe egqibeleleyo, Ngokuhlwayo inikezele kuyo yonke imisebenzi elungileyo (2 uTimoti 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, ingqeqesho, ilungisiwe, and instructed and grows up into to image of Jesus Christ.
The Bible is profitable for:
- doctrine (learning, ukufundisa)
- ukohlwaywa (proof, ukuqiniseka, ubungqina)
- ukulungiswa (a straightening up again, (ngokufuziselayo) rectification)
- instruction in righteousness (imfundo, uqeqesho; ngentsingiselo, disciplinary correction, ukuqeqesha, ukondla (so that the new man shall walk in holiness and righteousness))
The Word of God gives faith
Ke ngoko ukholo luza ngokuva, Ukuva ngelizwi likaThixo (AmaRoma 10:17)
The Word of God divides soul and spirit
Kuba ilizwi likaThixo likhawuleza, kwaye inamandla, kwaye ibukhali kunalo naliphi na ikrele elibiweyo ezimbini, Ukubhoboza nasekuzalweni komphefumlo nommoya, kunye namalungu kunye nomongo, kwaye licebo leengcinga kunye neenjongo zentliziyo (Hebhere 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 (restore man) Kwaye ukuxolelanisa nomntu ubuyela kuThixo. Jesus brought peace. Nangona kunjalo, 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 Ijaji afterlife on the Day of Judgment.
That’s why it is important to make Jesus Christ; ILizwi eliphilileyo, 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.
Ngokuhlaziya ingqondo yakho, indlela yakho endala yokucinga (ingqondo yenyama, 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.
Xa uvuselela ingqondo yakho ngeLizwi likaThixo, you shall think the way God thinks and speak and act according to His will, njengoYesu.
The Bible exposes the lies of the devil and sin
Kuphela ke Word of God divides umphefumlo (inyama) kumoya. 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; Umhlaba, and by acting upon the Word of God, you shall destroy these evil strongholds of darkness. (Funda kwakhona: Iinqaba ezingqondweni zabantu)
Your spirit shall mature and reign over your flesh (Umzimba nomphefumlo)
The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit
Kwaye uthathe isigcina-ntloko sosindiso, Kwaye ikrele lomoya, Leliphi igama likaThixo (Kwabase-Efese 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. Wonke umntu, 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. Ngoko ke, the first step will be to believe, guqukani, 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, Uncedo, 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. Njani? By the Word of God. Jesus knew the will of God, He knew what was written. Ngoku, 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; ILizwi likaThixo. Lo nto, 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; Uncedo, amandla, abalawuli bobumnyama beli lizwe, 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, kodwa ngokomoya. The spiritual realm is your battlefield. Your job is not to attack people (inyama negazi), but the powers, Uncedo, 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 (intsingiselo, 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. (Funda kwakhona: Yintoni imfihlo yoxolo).
When someone tries to tempt you into sin, you will discern isihendo 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.
Xa uhamba emva koMoya, you’ll stay silent, calm, let go, xolela, walk away, njl. njengoYesu. You will not be ruled by your flesh and therefore not react from your carnal will, Iimvakalelo kunye neemvakalelo.
Your power is not carnal, kodwa ngokomoya. Therefore you’ll not use the knowledge, ubulumko, 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 Isikrweqe sokomoya sikaThixo, 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; Intando yakho, iimvakalelo, iimvakalelo, njl., 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 ukuzonwabisa, iziphazamiso, iingxaki, iimfundiso zobuxoki, njl.
He will also use dreams, imibono, and prophetic words to tempt you. Umzekelo, 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, endaweni yebhayibhile; ILizwi likaThixo.
But Jesus didn’t resist and defeated the devil in the wilderness by singing spiritual songs. HAYI! 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? ILizwi likaThixo liyawahlula umphefumlo nomoya. Amazwi kaThixo athetha ukufa enyameni yakho, kodwa abubomi emoyeni wakho.
NgeBhayibhile uya kukwazi ukuthanda kukaThixo nenyaniso nobulungisa bakhe, ityhila ubuxoki bukasathana nesono. Uyayicalula inyaniso ebuxokini, Ukukhanya ebumnyameni, okulungileyo kokubi.
Injongo yeBhayibhile kukuba zonke iZibhalo ziyingenelo ekufundiseni, ukohlwaywa, ichanekile, akuyalele ngobulungisa. IBhayibhile; ILizwi liKrele lakho, ekufuneka usebenzise yonke imihla ukuze ube ngumeyisi.
IBhayibhile sisonka sakho semihla ngemihla. Ngaphandle kwamazwi kaThixo, umoya wakho uyalamba kwaye awuyi kukhulela ngokomoya.
Injongo yeBhayibhile kumaKristu kukuba afane neLizwi eliphilayo; UYesu
“Yibani yityuwa yehlabathi”
