There are many, many answers to this question, but at least in part, the Bible was written so that Christians will not sin.
I John 2:1a says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.”
The significance of this can easily be missed. John does not just tell them to not sin. Nor does he only tell them audibly the message of First John so that they may not sin, but he also writes it down for them to read. And their reading of what he wrote was to be ammunition against their sinning.
Psalm 119:9-16 seem to be saying similar things… reading, studying, trusting in, delighting in, and humbly submitting to the written Word of God keeps us from sinning.
Remember how Jesus did battle with the devil? He changed the subject from the temptations to the truth. He redirected the focus from sin to the Scriptures. Jesus quoted directly from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy all three times (see Matt. 4 and Luke 4) as a means to flee from temptation, stand firm against the enemy, and avoid sinning. All of this by the written Word having been read, studied, memorized, trusted in, and applied.
Thus we should thank the Holy Spirit who superintended the writing of the Scirptures, for our practical righteousness and ongoing sanctification. Take up and read!
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Whenever we find it difficult to emotionally adjust to a Theological truth, especially one that seems to contradict our view of God, or seems to malign the character of God in our finite minds, it might just be that we have not yet considered the greatness of the all-encompassing sovereignty, incomprehensible wisdom, and supreme worthiness of God.
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Besides the nails, what kept Jesus on that Cross on that first Good Friday?
Was it our sin or God’s Holiness?
Was it our desperate need or the Lord’s unlimited generosity?
Was it justice or mercy?
Was it grace or wrath?
Was it hate for sin or love for us?
Was it love for us or love for God?
Was it because of our disobedience or Jesus’ obedience?
Was it because of our unfaithfulness or God’s faithfulness?
Was it to save us from Hell or take us to Heaven?
Was it to destroy the works of the devil or create us for the works of God?
Was it to conquer death or give Life?
Was it to bear the curse or impart the blessing?
Was it for us or for His Father that kept Jesus hanging on the cross?
The answer is yes, Yes, YES!!!
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Proverbs 27:7 says, “One who is full laothes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.”
There are two lessons I gather from this; one positive and the other negative:
1. If I want to loathe what my flesh loves (here the “honey” would be sin (cf. Prov. 5:3)), then I must be seeking to get full on God (cf. Ps. 34:8; Eph. 3:19). Thus, when I am starving myself of communion with the LORD, then I will even sin will be as sweet as honey to me.
2. If I find myself loathing the sweet things of God (here the “honey” would be Scripture and prayer and church and communion with Christ (cf. Ps. 19:10; 81:16; 119:103; 34:8; etc…)), then it is because I have been getting full on the things of the world. Thus, what I need to do is starve myself of the world (possibly fast from food, media, etc…) and eat the sweet/bitter fruit of repentance as I feed heavily on the Lord in His Word and through prayer.
The bottom line is the same… Get Full on; Drink Deeply of; Feed Always on God!!!
By the way, there is no such thing as gluttony when it comes to taking in the things of God.
Ezekiel 3:1-3
We need to ask ourselves this question: Am I any less secure?
When the stock market falls, or when you lose your job, or when your house burns to the ground, or when circumstances seem to change drastically for the worse… are you really any less secure?
Is God more in control when things are going the way we think they should go?
Does God have less sovereign power and wisdom when things go array in our lives?
Is the LORD of all the Universe bound or limited by our means and methods to earn money, protect ourselves, etc…?
Can we really be any more or less secure when our circumstances change?
The truth of the matter, for Christians, is that we are never more or less secure because of our situations or circumstances. (Romans 8:28-39)
