The Purpose Statement of Holy Scripture

Back in my undergraduate days at what was then known as Concordia Univeristy River Forest, we were taught that when you write a paper, you ought to have something called a thesis statement. That thesis statement was supposed to capture, in one sentence, the point you were trying to make. Having a thesis statement was supposed to help give your paper focus and a clear direction. One of my seminary professors taught us that sermons should also include a thesis statement that serves the same purpose. You will have to be the judge of whether or not this message has focus and clear direction. All I can say is, I try!
The idea of having a thesis or purpose or mission statement has been embraced by the business world and has filtered back into the church. Even though Jesus gave his church a mission statement when he said, “Go and make disciples of all nations…” congregations have found it useful to write their own, and our congregation is no different. Do you know our mission statement? It’s at the top of every Epistle. It says, “St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church exists to witness to our faith in Jesus Christ through worship, education, building relationships, and caring for others.” Those are great things for our church to “be about.”
At the very end of today’s Gospel Lesson, we are presented with what I believe to be a purpose statement. I see it as the mission statement of John’s Gospel and indeed all of the Bible. John writes: 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Listen again carefully: these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. The purpose of the Bible is to create faith in Jesus; faith that gives godly life. Now maybe that’s stating the obvious, but I’m afraid these days the obvious needs to be stated.
A recent Trinity College survey made headlines and ruffled a few feathers within the church. This survey found that an increasing amount of Americans are willing to say, “I don’t believe in any god.” We seem to have a growing number of “confessing atheists” among us.
I know the findings of this poll deeply troubled some people, and if this poll is an accurate reading of America’s pulse, it is not good news. But at the same time, does it really surprise Bible-believing Christians that there are faithless people out there? Doesn’t the Bible tell us that by nature we are turned away from God? Doesn’t the story of Noah record this stunning commentary: “The LORD saw that the people on earth were very wicked and in their hearts were always thinking only evil” (Genesis 6:5)? Doesn’t the apostle Paul use terms like “slaves to sin” and “dead in trespasses and sins” to describe the spiritual condition of mankind? These kind of opinion polls merely confirm that God’s Word gets it right. I don’t think there is an epidemic of atheism sweeping our country. We’re all atheists to begin with—until the Lord God reclaims us through His Word and baptismal water. More people today are candid about their lack of faith, and that ought to bother us. But keep in mind that an atheist is giving expression to our human default setting. We are by nature sinful and unclean. We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him. We were born into disbelief and doubt.
Maybe that’s what makes today’s Gospel reading so powerful. It deals realistically with doubt and disbelief, within the circle of Jesus’ own disciples. Not only does it point out the problem—it offers the solution. Remember? John writes: these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Today we are re-introduced to Jesus’ disciple Thomas. Yes, good old doubting Thomas. It sure would be easy to throw good old doubting Thomas under the proverbial bus; to say: “Boy, what an idiot! How could he doubt the Lord’s resurrection?” It might feel good to know we’re superior to one of Jesus’ own students. But can we really claim that?
Can we claim to have never doubted God’s reality? Can we really claim to have never wondered if Jesus actually cares about us? Can we honestly claim to have never lashed out at God—to have never shaken our fist at Him or threatened to pull away from Him when He doesn’t do things our way? Our maybe your doubt and disbelief is a little more boring than all that. Maybe Jesus doesn’t really cross your mind during the course of a normal day. Maybe your brief morning prayer eventually becomes no prayer at all. Maybe you would never dream of abandoning the Christian label—even though you’ve quietly slipped into a life of practical atheism, where God is not the enemy, just irrelevant. We have no right to criticize Thomas for demanding proof of Jesus’ reality when we do it all the time.
Along with Thomas, we deserve to be rejected by our Master for our faithlessness. But is it God’s mission to reject his children? No. These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Jesus has not come to reject you but to give you life—life that really counts. When He appeared to Thomas, it was not to kick him out of the fellowship but to speak peace to him and to forgive him. Thomas was given the huge privilege of seeing His resurrected teacher—but this story is just as much about what didn’t happen. Thomas was not sent packing. He was not told to get out. He was allowed to remain with Jesus and see the visible signs of his forgiving love—the very scars in his glorified body. That, John writes, is how Thomas’ faith was restored.
And then, it’s like John turns directly to you and looks you right in the eye and says: These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. The Word of God exists to give you faith. These stories about Jesus, reported by eyewitnesses, have been handed down through time so that you would become convinced that Jesus is the One Savior God promised. These events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are relayed to you so that you will put your trust in him for forgiveness and eternal life. The Holy Spirit accompanies every word of Holy Scripture, actively working to create and restore faith in Jesus. And where there is faith in Jesus, there is life. Not just “life” meaning something that is alive, but “life” meaning existence with purpose and confidence and enjoyment of God’s gifts and love that never ends. All of that comes from exposure to and belief in the Word of God.
It is therefore extremely important that we put ourselves in the position to let God’s Word speak to us. Being a Christian means believing in the God who defines Himself in Holy Scripture—not the God of our imagination or our own preferences. We need a constant stream of God’s Word to keep that picture of Jesus sharp. Otherwise we start to sink back into old doubts and fears.
I can recall so many times when I have had some stress or strain cloud my vision, going through the day tired and distracted, or saddened by some bad news. And then, in some way, God’s Word breaks through the fog, whether in a devotion, or hearing someone speak it, or reading it somewhere. God’s strong Word shatters the bad mood and sets things right by re-defining reality. Jesus speaks His peace to my heart. I am brought face to face with his wounds and his risen life. I am reminded that Jesus’ story is also my story and my faith centers on Him. That is what the Word does for me and I know it can do the same for you, because these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.