Chapter 1A:
Seeing Jesus brings true transformation!
What’s the point of reading the Bible?
My friend, what is the Bible to you?
Some of you may have grown up in a Christian home and have been familiar with the Bible and its stories since childhood. Or maybe you have recently received the Lord, and someone placed a Bible in your hands to help you “know more about God.” You might even have attended Bible school before and are well-learned in classical Hebrew and Greek. Or perhaps you see the Bible primarily as a source of wisdom and principles to learn from.
Whatever your background is in understanding the Bible, I want to share something that will transform the way you read it.
And it is this: how to see Jesus in every page.
What Is the Bible & Who Is It About?
The Bible is not just a historical record, a list of dos and don’ts, or a collection of ancient wisdom. It’s not a self-help manual or a guidebook of religious obligations. To me, the Bible is so much more! It is the Creator’s handbook, the bestseller of all time. It is the Spirit-breathed holy Word of God, and a beautiful tapestry woven together to reveal the person and work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
You know, I’ll never forget the day I asked my then four-year-old daughter, Jessica, what she thought the Bible was all about. Her answer was so simple yet so profound. With childlike innocence, she replied, “Daddy, it’s a book about Jesus, with a red string in it.”
At first, I chuckled at her mention of the red string, which is actually just the ribbon that most of us have as a bookmark in our Bibles. But as I pondered her words, I realized that there was such depth and truth in what she said. You see, the Bible is indeed all about Jesus, and the red or scarlet ribbon represents Jesus’ precious blood shed for us on the cross. His blood cleanses us from sin, and through this, we have everlasting life.
The amazing thing is, just as the ribbon can be placed on any page of the Bible, the glorious story of redemption is hidden in every page of Scripture, waiting for us to discover it.
From the very first pages of Genesis to the final chapters of Revelation, Jesus is the central figure and theme. That’s why Jesus did what He did for the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:27 tells us, “Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
When we approach the Bible with a heart to see more of our Lord Jesus, suddenly, the pieces fall into places, and the entire Bible comes together as a cohesive story about our Lord Jesus! The sacrificial system in Leviticus points to Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice. The psalms are filled with prophecies and foreshadowings of the coming Messiah. The Gospels give us a front-row seat to the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior. And the epistles unpack the profound impact of Jesus’ finished work in our lives.
The ONE Reason to Read the Bible
If there’s one reason for us to read and study the Bible, let it be this: to see our Lord Jesus in all the loveliness of His person and the perfection of His finished work for us at the cross! I believe this so much that we made this revelation of “seeing Jesus” part of the vision of our church!
If there’s one reason for us to read and study the Bible, let it be this: to see our Lord Jesus in all the loveliness of His person and the perfection of His finished work for us at the cross!
My friend, I want you to know that seeing Jesus in the Word also encompasses our understanding and appropriating all that He’s accomplished for us through His finished work at Calvary! The Bible contains our inheritance bought with the blood of our Lord Jesus! Just like a title deed, it proves we have a legal right to every blessing and promise that our Lord died to give us. My friend, having this title deed in our hands is one thing, but how much of our inheritance we actually possess really depends on how acquainted we are with the Word of God! It behooves us then to pore over its pages, study the Scriptures to see Jesus, and lay hold of all that He bought for us through the cross.
There is an interesting parallel between the promised land and the Bible that shows us God’s heart for us when it comes to our inheritance. Just like the good land flowing with milk and honey that God wanted His people to possess when He brought them out of Egypt, the Bible details our inheritance, and the Lord’s desire is for us to possess it!
Deuteronomy 8:7 describes the land that God was bringing His people into as a “good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills.” In the same way, the Bible is a very good book! Its pages are flowing with life-giving words to meet every need and situation that you may be faced with. It is the book you can run to in your valley moments. It is the book and hilltop on which you can confidently build your life!
The Answer to Your Every Need & Challenge
Now you might still be thinking, That’s great, but Pastor Prince, how does seeing Jesus help me with my struggles at work, my relationship problems, and my health issues?
Friend, seeing Jesus is the answer to every challenge you face. The more you behold Him in the Word, the more you will be transformed into His image and become more like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18). Just as you see Him walking on the waves of the Sea of Galilee above the storm, you also will rise victorious above every stormy situation in your life!
When you fix your eyes on Jesus, you’ll find strength for your weaknesses, wisdom for your decisions, and peace for your anxieties. You’ll start to see yourself and others through His eyes of love and compassion. You’ll find freedom from sin and condemnation as you rest in His finished work on the cross.
So, as you begin this journey and dive into the Scriptures for yourself, don’t just read it academically or religiously. Read it to know Jesus more intimately. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to see Jesus. Ask Him to reveal to you the perfection of Jesus’ finished work. As He does this for you, you’ll find your heart burning within you, just as the disciples did on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:32). The Bible will come alive in a fresh way, not just as a manual for living but more as a love letter from God, revealing His Son. And as you behold Jesus in the pages of Scripture, you’ll be transformed from glory to glory into His image.
That, my friend, is the beauty, the wonder, and the power of beholding Jesus in the Bible.
This article was originally written in English by Pastor Joseph Prince.
