--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In other words, the Bible isn't there…" description: "\"“In other words, the Bible isn't there simply to be an accurate reference point for people who want to look things up and be sure they've got them righ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/n-t-wright-1173_bible_in-other-words-the-bible-isn-t-there-sim_1903516.png" --- # In other words, the Bible isn't there simply to be an… ![“In other words, the Bible isn't there simply to be an accurate reference point for people who want to look things up and be sure they've got them right. It is there to equip God's people to carry forward his purposes of new covenant and new creation. It is there to enable people to work for…” quote by N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/n-t-wright-1173_bible_in-other-words-the-bible-isn-t-there-sim_1903516.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/n-t-wright-1173_bible_in-other-words-the-bible-isn-t-there-sim_1903516.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/n-t-wright-1173_bible_in-other-words-the-bible-isn-t-there-sim_1903516.png) > ““In other words, the Bible isn't there simply to be an accurate reference point for people who want to look things up and be sure they've got them right. It is there to equip God's people to carry forward his purposes of new covenant and new creation. It is there to enable people to work for justice, to sustain their spirituality as they do so, to create and enhance relationships at every level, and to produce that new creation which will have about it something of the beauty of God himself.”” [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Bible’s purpose is to empower believers to advance God’s redemptive mission, fostering justice, spiritual growth, and relational harmony, ultimately reflecting divine beauty. **In simple terms:** The Bible equips people to pursue justice, spirituality, and relationships, reflecting God’s beauty. Key Takeaway Live out biblical values in daily actions. Themes faith justice spirituality relationships creation Mood hopeful inspirational Type theological motivational When to use this quote - church leadership - community service - personal devotion - social activism Key Concepts Theology missiology ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can you embody biblical justice today? - What relationships benefit from spiritual intentionality? A Different Perspective Interpretations vary on how directly the Bible should dictate social action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Bible Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible-isn-791057/) [Covenant New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/covenant-new-2822420/) [New Covenant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-covenant-331924/) [Purposes New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purposes-new-1714602/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [Most Christians are still living with an Old Testament view of their heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says, 'My heart is deceitfully wicked.' 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It’s not an owner’s manual—with detailed and complicated step-by-step instructions for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-enns/the-bible-isn-t-a-cookbook-deviate-from-the-recipe-and-the-souffl/) [Peter Enns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-enns/) > [How do I know the Bible isn't the word of God? Well if it was the word of God it would be clear and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/how-do-i-know-the-bible-isn-t-the-word-of-god-well-if-it-was-the-word/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [“The Bible isn’t really at all good at being an instruction manual. It’s good at leading us into a tangle of wild poetry, heartbreaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-riess/the-bible-isn-t-really-at-all-good-at-being-an-instruction-manual-it/) [Jana Riess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-riess/) > [The Bible isn't a choose your own adventure book where everyone can just make up their own meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-l-corey/the-bible-isn-t-a-choose-your-own-adventure-book-where-everyone-can/) [Benjamin L. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-l-corey/) > [“The Bible, written by men, instills the idea of God; but the Bible isn‘t God. The Bible is an idea of the spirit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishwanath/the-bible-written-by-men-instills-the-idea-of-god-but-the-bible-isn-t/) [Vishwanath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishwanath/) > [The Bible isn't quick to give answers; it mainly gives the Answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-eareckson-tada/the-bible-isn-t-quick-to-give-answers-it-mainly-gives-the-answer/) [Joni Eareckson Tada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-eareckson-tada/) > [“with this? Do you live as if this is true? Let’s keep going. The Bible isn’t just about heaven and only for the by-and-by.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-t-welch/with-this-do-you-live-as-if-this-is-true-let-s-keep-going-the-bible/) [Edward T. Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-t-welch/) > [The Bible isn’t about people trying to discover God, but about God reaching out to find us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-bible-isn-t-about-people-trying-to-discover-god-but-about-god/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [“The Bible isn't a rule book. It's a love letter. I'm not an employee. I'm a child. It's not about my performance. It's about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-bethke/the-bible-isn-t-a-rule-book-it-s-a-love-letter-i-m-not-an-employee-i/) [Jefferson Bethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-bethke/) ## More by N.T. Wright > [“This means that the church, the followers of Jesus Christ, live in the bright interval between Easter and the final great consummation. Let's make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/this-means-that-the-church-the-followers-of-jesus-christ-live-in-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The very mention of crucifixion was taboo in polite Roman circles, since it was the lowest form of capital punishment, reserved for slaves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-very-mention-of-crucifixion-was-taboo-in-polite-roman-circles/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Sunday, kept as a commemoration of Easter ever since that event itself (a quite remarkable phenomenon when you come to think about it), is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/sunday-kept-as-a-commemoration-of-easter-ever-since-that-event-itself/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The point of trying to understand the cross better is not so that we can congratulate ourselves for having solved an intellectual crossword puzzle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-point-of-trying-to-understand-the-cross-better-is-not-so-that-we/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“there is no such thing as a god’s-eye view (by which would be meant a Deist god’s-eye view) available to human beings, a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-god-s-eye-view-by-which-would-be-meant-a/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The “goal” is not “heaven,” but a renewed human vocation within God’s renewed creation. This is what every biblical book from Genesis on is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-goal-is-not-heaven-but-a-renewed-human-vocation-within-god-s/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“having a hard enough time explaining to his disciples that he had to die; they never really grasped that at all, and they certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/having-a-hard-enough-time-explaining-to-his-disciples-that-he-had-to/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“If we are talking about the victory over evil and the launch of new creation, it won’t make much sense unless we are working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/if-we-are-talking-about-the-victory-over-evil-and-the-launch-of-new/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The personal message of Good Friday, expressed in so many hymns and prayers which draw on the tradition of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-personal-message-of-good-friday-expressed-in-so-many-hymns-and/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“To recognize that the Psalms call us to pray and sing at the intersections of the times--of our time and God's time, of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/to-recognize-that-the-psalms-call-us-to-pray-and-sing-at-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Successful resistance to temptation may result in an increase of moral muscle, but that is because one is going to need it. A temptation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/successful-resistance-to-temptation-may-result-in-an-increase-of/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Blessings on the poor in spirit! The kingdom of heaven is yours” (Matt. 5:3) doesn’t mean, “You will go to heaven when you die.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/blessings-on-the-poor-in-spirit-the-kingdom-of-heaven-is-yours-matt-5/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“As C. S. Lewis regularly remarked, the chronological snobbery of the modern age (i.e. the assumption that anything that comes after around 1750 is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/as-c-s-lewis-regularly-remarked-the-chronological-snobbery-of-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The kingdom of God is, at its heart, about God’s sovereignty sweeping the world with love and power, so that human beings, each made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-kingdom-of-god-is-at-its-heart-about-god-s-sovereignty-sweeping/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“pre-Christian Judaism, including the disciples during Jesus’s lifetime, never envisaged the death of the Messiah. That is why they never thought of his resurrection,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/pre-christian-judaism-including-the-disciples-during-jesus-s-lifetime/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) [Explore all 278 N.T. Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## More Bible quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/) [Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/) > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/) [Robert A. 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