The True Purpose of Scripture

The True Purpose of Scripture: To Teach, Unite, and Give Hope

Romans 15:4–6 (KJV) says:

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1. Scripture Was Given for Our Learning and Hope

The Apostle Paul reminds us that the Holy Scriptures were given not as a tool for pride or controversy, but for learning, patience, comfort, and hope. Every word of God is inspired and profitable (2 Timothy 3:16), but its divine purpose is not to exalt human understanding—it is to shape humble hearts that trust in the God of truth.

The Bible was never meant to be used as a sword to wound fellow believers, but as a light to guide all of us closer to Christ. Through the Scriptures, we learn endurance in trials, find comfort in God’s promises, and grow in the hope that anchors our souls.

2. One Heart, One Mind, One Body in Christ

Paul’s prayer in verse 5 and 6 is deeply moving: “that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God.” The true work of the Word is to produce unity in the Spirit—a shared devotion to Christ that transcends personal preferences and human traditions.

When believers insist that only one translation or one textual tradition is “perfect,” and condemn others who differ, they contradict the very purpose of the Scriptures they claim to defend. The Bible calls us to oneness in Christ, not uniformity in textual opinion. The church is a body, not a battleground.

3. The Illusion of Perfection and the Sin of Pride

Throughout history, even in the days of Jesus and Paul, God’s people did not all possess or agree upon a single, identical copy of Scripture. Yet the Lord Jesus and His apostles still called it “the Scriptures” and “the Word of God.” The Word of God was alive and powerful—not because of one perfect manuscript, but because of the perfect Spirit who inspired and preserved it.

Those who now divide the body of Christ over claims of a “perfect Bible text” fall into a dangerous delusion. In their zeal, they have mistaken human certainty for divine truth. The very Scriptures they use to justify their arguments were given to teach humility, patience, and love—never to foster pride or strife.

Paul warns us against being “wise in our own conceits” (Romans 12:16). To claim exclusive possession of the “only true Bible” is to exalt self over the Spirit, and to cause division where Christ commands unity. Such teachers must be lovingly but firmly rebuked. Their pride is not piety; it is blindness masquerading as zeal.

4. A Call Back to the Heart of Scripture

If we truly believe the Bible is God’s Word, we must submit not only to its text, but to its purpose. Scripture was given to teach, not to boast; to comfort, not to condemn; to unite, not to divide.

The mark of spiritual maturity is not how perfectly one can argue about textual variants, but how faithfully one lives out the Word in humility and love. Let us, then, return to the heart of the gospel—the unity of believers in Christ. Let us open our Bibles not to prove ourselves right, but to be made righteous in spirit.

May the God of patience and comfort grant us one mind and one heart, that together we may glorify the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ—not with divided voices, but with one mouth, one love, and one hope.