


By Rev. Brian Murray T


he Moderator’s challenge this year is based on the theme of “advancing the Gospel” from Philippians 1:12. Our focus this month will be the central place of the Word of God to our task of advancing the Gos- pel. 2 Timothy 3:16,17 is one of the most concise statements in the Bible on the nature and work of God’s Word in salvation. These extraordinary verses state that the 66 books of the Bible are “God breathed”; that is, the origin and contents of the Bible originate from God Himself and therefore comes to us with the absolute au- thority of God. God tells us exact- ly what we need to know in His


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Word to live pleasing lives before Him. This most certainly is why the              word as indispensable) to teach us what to believe and how to live. For this reason, the Bible is central to the Church’s task of advancing the - tion we want to get a basic understanding of the message of the Bible by looking at the three great purposes of God in giving us the Bible. We will focus on God’s purpose of Creation, God’s purpose of mankind and 


As we think about the ultimate author of the Bible we are reminded that at the very centre of all reality is the One True Living God and that all of creation exists to bring glory to His name. The Bible opens with the ultimate truth claim: “In the beginning God”. Here, the Holy Spirit speaks to us of the fact that before there was anything that has  lacked nothing, needed nothing and is the fountain from which the en- tire created order originates. It is no wonder that the Bible tells us ever so clearly that God’s purpose for all of His creation was to magnify the glory of the One who made all things. After giving an exhaustive list


The Associate Reformed Presbyterian


October Synod Emphasis


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