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#365 Is the Bible a Self-Help Book?
The short answer to the question -- "Is the Bible a self-help book?" -- is NO… the Bible is NOT a self-help book.
Can the Bible help you? YES
Can it help inform you to make better decisions? YES
Can it improve you and your relationships? YES
However, all of these benefits are by-products but not the overarching goal of God's Word. The main product of the Bible is a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
The by-products of a relationship with God are freedom (mental, emotional and spiritual freedom), inner peace, moral uprightness, healing, etc. These by-products are not to be pursued independently from God. They are the natural result of being in an intimate relationship with God.
When we make the by-product the main product we are going to have a problem… and we have a problem in the body of Christ.
How has the Bible become mislabeled as a self-help book? Consider prominent, best-selling Christian authors, pastors and leader and look at the titles of their books. There is a general theme… it's all about self -- me, myself, and I. The focus is YOU getting something from God as opposed to the focus being God Himself.
Why is this the case? Because Satan has hijacked the Word of God and made it into something that serves his agenda. The idea of exalting self (or self-help) over God is one of Satan's hallmark lies. Satan rebelled against God; he exalted himself over God, and he convinced Adam and Eve to do the same. Before sin Adam and Eve knew God; after sin they knew (and relied on) themselves.
Satan received the sentence of eternal damnation for his rebellion against God. The good news for Christians is we have been given the power over sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, to be reconciled with God, and to live our everyday lives in accordance with His Word through the help of the Holy Spirit.
Why is this an important topic today? Because self-help is a slippery slope that has led us down the path to dabble in the occult, new-age thinking, yoga, astrology, Enneagrams, human design and many more. Many have been seduced by this thinking, and it requires each of us to reclaim our sovereignty to overcome the seduction of Satan.
In contrast to self-help books, the entire Bible is NOT ABOUT YOU. It is about Jesus Christ -- from beginning to end. Jesus is the living word of God. The Bible is about Him in us. Listen carefully to the end as Kim cites many scriptures (listed below) to show the patterns in His word that directly contradict the Bible being a self-help book.
It's not about you. It's about Christ in you.
If the Bible is not a self-help book, then why are we treating it as if it is???
Matt 6:25-33, 6:8; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 Cor 10:1-9; Is 14:12-14; John 1:1-3, 14; Heb 4:12; Matt 5:17; Luke 24:27; John 5:39; Heb 10:7; Matt 6:24-26; Rom 6:8, 10-11, 13; Gal 2:20; 2 Cor 13:5; Rom 5:8; Gal 4:19; Eph 3:17; 2 Peter 1:1-5
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By Kim MooreThe short answer to the question -- "Is the Bible a self-help book?" -- is NO… the Bible is NOT a self-help book.
Can the Bible help you? YES
Can it help inform you to make better decisions? YES
Can it improve you and your relationships? YES
However, all of these benefits are by-products but not the overarching goal of God's Word. The main product of the Bible is a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
The by-products of a relationship with God are freedom (mental, emotional and spiritual freedom), inner peace, moral uprightness, healing, etc. These by-products are not to be pursued independently from God. They are the natural result of being in an intimate relationship with God.
When we make the by-product the main product we are going to have a problem… and we have a problem in the body of Christ.
How has the Bible become mislabeled as a self-help book? Consider prominent, best-selling Christian authors, pastors and leader and look at the titles of their books. There is a general theme… it's all about self -- me, myself, and I. The focus is YOU getting something from God as opposed to the focus being God Himself.
Why is this the case? Because Satan has hijacked the Word of God and made it into something that serves his agenda. The idea of exalting self (or self-help) over God is one of Satan's hallmark lies. Satan rebelled against God; he exalted himself over God, and he convinced Adam and Eve to do the same. Before sin Adam and Eve knew God; after sin they knew (and relied on) themselves.
Satan received the sentence of eternal damnation for his rebellion against God. The good news for Christians is we have been given the power over sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, to be reconciled with God, and to live our everyday lives in accordance with His Word through the help of the Holy Spirit.
Why is this an important topic today? Because self-help is a slippery slope that has led us down the path to dabble in the occult, new-age thinking, yoga, astrology, Enneagrams, human design and many more. Many have been seduced by this thinking, and it requires each of us to reclaim our sovereignty to overcome the seduction of Satan.
In contrast to self-help books, the entire Bible is NOT ABOUT YOU. It is about Jesus Christ -- from beginning to end. Jesus is the living word of God. The Bible is about Him in us. Listen carefully to the end as Kim cites many scriptures (listed below) to show the patterns in His word that directly contradict the Bible being a self-help book.
It's not about you. It's about Christ in you.
If the Bible is not a self-help book, then why are we treating it as if it is???
Matt 6:25-33, 6:8; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 Cor 10:1-9; Is 14:12-14; John 1:1-3, 14; Heb 4:12; Matt 5:17; Luke 24:27; John 5:39; Heb 10:7; Matt 6:24-26; Rom 6:8, 10-11, 13; Gal 2:20; 2 Cor 13:5; Rom 5:8; Gal 4:19; Eph 3:17; 2 Peter 1:1-5