How to Use the Purpose of the Book to Understand Scripture

Although we are aware that every book of the Bible shares in the combined purpose of revealing God and His salvation, almost every book in Scripture differs in its purpose from the other books. So it is of particular importance to know why an author wrote his particular book. Some books seem to have more than one purpose—even many purposes. But most have a chief purpose, a central theme, or a main thrust.

Determining the Purpose

How does one go about discovering the purpose of a book of the Bible? A few books explicitly reveal their purpose. For example, the book of John says: “These have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). Several key elements in that purpose statement help us in understanding the book of John. “These” refers to the term John uses to describe miracles. He calls them “signs” (v. 30). They are not simply wonderful works; they have a purpose. They are signs pointing to the deity of Christ: “That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (v. 31). That means John is particularly selective in the choice of the miracles he reports. In fact, he records how Jesus used them to teach specific truths.

The purpose an author had in mind when writing a book influences every passage in the book.

That seems to be the pattern throughout the book. First, he writes of Christ’s giving a “sign” (for example, the feeding of the 5,000); then he follows the account of the miracle with an explanation of the meaning to which the “sign” points. In this case, it is the beautiful discourse on Himself as the Bread of Life. Furthermore, John’s purpose statement alerts us to a dual theme—the deity of Christ and the meaning of faith. Without question both the deity of Christ and the meaning of faith are more clearly taught in the book of John than anywhere else in Scripture. Thus, understanding John’s purpose in writing his gospel helps us understand his meaning in specific passages.

But how does one determine the purpose of a book if it is not stated clearly? In most books of the Bible, the central or key purpose is not stated in so many words. So it may be necessary to read through an entire book, following the flow of thought, searching for a theme. In that way, it is often possible to discern the purpose.

For example, in Galatians Paul focuses on the problem of Judaistic influences in the church in Galatia. Correcting that error was one obvious purpose for his writing to them. That purpose, in turn, influences the interpretation of specific passages. For example, to what does law refer in Galatians? It must be related to the view of the Judaizers. Therefore, law in the letter to the Galatian church can hardly refer to just any law or to all law in general. The purpose of the book thus helps us understand specific word meanings.

There are other helpful clues for discerning purpose. In the epistles, we can look in the opening thanksgiving, in the salutation (Rom. 1:1–7; Col. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1–4; James 1:1), and in the closing de-scription (Rom. 15:14–16; James 5:19–20). In the gospels as well, there might be clues at the beginning and end. In books where there is a collection of materials, the book may have a theme, such as practical wisdom (Proverbs) or praise to God (Psalms), but the purpose of each unit (e.g., each psalm) must be the guide for seeking insight.

Sometimes the author indicates the occasion for writing, and that may be a clue for discerning his purpose. But care must be exercised. For example, Paul wrote a thank–you letter to the church in Philippi. That was the occasion. In a sense, it could be called his purpose for writing, but it can hardly be seen as the overriding objective he had in mind while writing the entire book. For that we must look for a theme, or central focus, of the teaching. “Joy in suffering,” a theme to which Paul constantly returns, seems to dominate the book of Philippians.

Books With More Than One Purpose

Sometimes a book has several purposes, as in the case of 1 Corinthians, which deals with a series of issues. In such cases, each purpose must be identified, and no overarching purpose may be imposed on a particular passage in a way that would violate the meaning apparent in the immediate context.

It is important to seek an understanding of the purpose through direct reading of the book before consulting the opinions of others. But it would be a mistake to make a final decision without consulting what specialists have concluded. If a Bible introduction book, a Bible handbook, and the introduction of the biblical book in one or two commentaries all concur as to what the purpose is, one can proceed with some confidence on that basis as he studies the book. If there is no general agreement among the specialists, it is probably because no particular purpose is altogether clear. In that case, no purpose should be used as a guideline for interpreting a specific passage, except in a general way.

There are exceptions, however. For example, two widely divergent views exist as to the purpose of the Song of Solomon. In fact, the Song of Solomon is probably the book of the Bible whose purpose is most disputed. Did Solomon write it as a love song, demonstrating the beauty of a biblical and loving relationship between a man and wife? Or did he write it specifically to teach hidden, spiritual truth? The interpretation of every chapter, and of almost every verse, will be determined by one’s answer to that initial question of purpose.

In such a case, it is necessary to examine the reason for the divergence. The student should search the book for any hint that it was intended to convey a spiritual meaning. If the book itself appears to speak as a beautiful love song, then there would have to be some compelling external evidence to impose another purpose on it.

The context must decide the purpose. Does Solomon, anywhere in the book, tell us that his meaning is in a spiritual allegory? If not, the interpreter may not impose his spiritual allegory as the purpose of the book and then proceed to interpret it in that light.

First and Second Chronicles do more than relate the history of God’s people. Their purpose was to give an interpretation of the spiritual meaning of historic events. Often the writer gave the “inside story,” the view of an event from God’s perspective. That is helpful not only in interpreting events as recorded in 1 and 2 Chronicles but also in giving a deeper understanding of the same events often re-ported more “objectively” in the accounts in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings. For example, the report of David’s final words concerning the Temple and his charge to Solomon (1 Chron. 28–29) give a spiritual dimension not found in Samuel’s report. The revival under Hezekiah (2 Chron. 29–31) and God’s evaluation of Hezekiah (2 Chron. 32) are filled with insights into God’s perspective.

The purpose an author had in mind when writing a book influences every passage in the book. When his purpose can be discerned, it provides the larger context in which every passage should be set before final conclusions are drawn about the author’s intended meaning. It is reasonable to assume that the interpretation of each passage should be in conformity with the purpose of the book as a whole.