Is the bible nothing but morals?

[creativemotion]

When we read the bible we get alot of laws, stories, prayers, etc. But does all that just boil down to morality?

 

[bogeydogg]

NO!

Holy Scripture is much much more than a book of morality. Certainly morality is involved, but that morality is based upon the personal infallible revelation of God. There is no book anywhere which teaches any manner of any morality which should be taken more seriously than any other, except for one. For it is in Scripture which we find the foundation of all morality in the revelation of God and the fulfillment of that revelation in the person of Jesus the Christ.

Scripture does not offer itself as merely a book which should be followed. Rather it offers to us the very Word of God and in doing so does not suggest a moral code, but demands a life long commitment to the God who has revealed Himself there.

God is not interested in how good we can be, if He were then the Pharisaic Code would have been sufficient for human righteousness before a Holy God, but rather that we recognize Him in His Word and fall before in total allegiance to Him with all we have and in doing so, yes we will live a moral life, but we will inherit an eternal life as well.

 

[Nita]

When we read the bible we get alot of laws, stories, prayers, etc. But does all that just boil down to morality?

My goodness “No”. The biggest joy for me in reading Scripture is how much I learn about God from it.

I’d like to make a suggestion. Read the first three chapters of Genesis and write down all the things you learn about God from it. Do it a bunch of times - not all at once, but a day/week/month/year apart. Keep adding to that first list. You’ll be amazed.
Ask yourself that same question whenever you read a Scripture passage. (For eg. When God says “Thou shalt not kill”, we know what it means for us, but in addition ponder what it reveals about God.)

Then see how much of the Gospel message and events you can find in Genesis - prophecied or prefigured, or in “seed form”. (Eg. compare fallen angel/Eve contrasted to angel Gabriel/Mary. Adam in garden of Eden/Our Lord in garden of Gethsemane. Compare God’s command to Adam to till the ground to Our Lord’s parable about seed falling on good ground…)
I find it all very interesting as well as informative about the teaching method Our Lord God chose/chooses to use with us.

 

[puzzleannie]

When we read the bible we get alot of laws, stories, prayers, etc. But does all that just boil down to morality?

if you are defining morality as conformity to God’s will, then yes, all of the bible, as Paul says to Timothy, is useful for moral instruction, as it is for teaching in other areas.

We read the bible however looking for the 4 senses of scripture, the literal meaning, which always underlies the other meanings, and the spiritual meaning. The spiritual meaning can be primarily moral teaching–how we are to live in conformity with God’s will; teaching about Christ, in that all in the OT points to Christ, and all in the NT reveals Christ who was hidden in the OT; and the “what does it all mean?” sense, our salvation and ultimate union with God. All 4 are always present, but some senses clearly predominate in most passages. We also read any given verse or passage in its context, and in the context of the entire Revelation of God, not in isolation.