Sir Thomas More served as the Lord Chancellor of England from 1529 to 1532. He is remembered for his opposition to King Henry V111 when that king wanted to divorce and remarry and make himself head of the church of England. Sir Thomas was a family man, a religious man, a dedicated jurist, a witty man, and often, a sad man. It was Robert Whitington who said he was a man of angel’s wit and singular learning….a man of marvellous mirth and pastimes, and sometimes of sad gravity – a man for all seasons. That last expression has stuck; a man for all seasons. If it’s right to call someone a man for all seasons, then it doubly right to call the Bible a book for all seasons. It is not a dead letter but alive – Heb. 4:12.
The Bible is for all – it is for governments:
How do you govern a country? It’s easy to complain about politics and politicians, but how well would you do as a government Minister or even Prime Minister? It’s obvious that the wisest of men (generally it has been smart educated men who have governed) do not know or were not able to convince their country – cf. Isa. 14:4,9,10. Even Israel stumbled at this point: Saul’s dynasty would have been established forever if he had obeyed God – 1 Sam. 13:13; cf Lk. 19:41-44 – history is a graveyard of nations. The Bible says that nations that forget God die! (Ps.9:17; Prov. 14:34) Politicians need to have a history book in one hand and the Bible in the other, and if they can only have one, throw the history book away and keep the Bible (cf. Ps. 2). Note the instruction to Jewish kings in Deut. 17:18-20. George Washington said, It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. Abraham Lincoln said he was often driven to his knees because there was nowhere else he could go, and he also said that he was profitably engaged in reading the Bible.
The Bible is for all – it is for marriage:
The divorce rate is such that it shows that often man doesn’t know how to make marriage work (a German politician advocated some years ago that all marriages should be declared finished after 7 years or else be re-negotiated). The Bible will show that God designed marriage for life and that divorce is something He hates (Heb. 13:4). With basic knowledge, people considering marriage will:
a. choose carefully before marriage
b. will work at it once married
And the Bible will show how to make a family work as it does relationships in general. Eph. 5,6 not only gives the order but also defines the KIND of male leadership in the home. It will show the roles and place of Dad, Mum and the kids.
The Bible is for all – it is for the individual life:
The Bible will show us how to live now and how to offer our life to God for eternity. A Christian was packing his bag for a trip and said to his travelling companion, I have nearly finished packing. All I have to put in are a guidebook, a lamp, a mirror, a microscope, a telescope, a volume of fine poetry, a few biographies, a package of old letters, a book of songs, a sword, a hammer, and a set of tools. “You can’t fit all that in your bag,” objected his friend. Yes I can, said the Christian, here it is. And he placed the Bible in the corner of the suitcase and closed the lid.
The Bible is for all – it is for Youth.
Many of the mistakes of life are made in youth and they affect the rest of our life. Many don’t know the perils of youth. Young people often have dreams of what they would like to make of their life: noble dreams of a life of character, service and worth. But they need direction and conviction to make of their life what they aspire to. So many distractions exist (Ps. 119:9-11; Eccles 11:9).
From youth all the way through life unto old age the Bible is geared to man’s needs. Emile Cailliet, an atheistic French philosopher, became dissatisfied with his outlook on life which seemed to be an absurdity of existence. Having found nothing that met his needs, he spent long hours copying particular passages out of the literature that he read, thinking that he could make for himself that which would understand him, console and encourage him. He later write, The day came when I put the finishing touch to the book that would understand me, speak to my condition, and help me through life’s happenings. A beautiful, sunny day it was. I went out, sat under a tree, and opened my precious anthology. As I went on reading, however, a growing disappointment came over me. Instead of speaking to my condition, the various passages reminded me of their context, of the circumstances of my labour over their selection. Then I knew that the whole undertaking would not work, simply because it was of my own making. I carried no strength of persuasion. In a dejected mood, I put the little book back in my pocket.
Coincidentally, his wife had just at that time obtained a Bible even though he had forbidden all religious discussion in the house. He grabbed it eagerly and read it all night, finding at last a book that would understand him.
The Bible is for all – it is for old age.
Eccles. 12:1ff pictures the need for man to follow God seamlessly all of life. That’s the way we were designed. The trials of life in older age can be such that they can cause man to be cynical unless a relationship and trust in God has been established. (Ps. 37:25,26; Ps. 71:17,18). To some, ageing is loss, giving up, becoming less active, being old and a slow death. To others, ageing is growing, ‘coming of age’ and maturing (Eccles. 3:11)Prov. 20:29 – a study out of the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg some years ago said that age was no guarantee of not making a fool of yourself. Even a 14 year-old can be wise whereas age can bring personality changes such as rigidity which works against wisdom (Eccles. 4:13)
Enoch Pond, in his eighties, wrote a book, Conversations on the Bible, and of it he said; This work is the child of my old age. I needed something to do and I felt that if I neglected to employ my faculties I might lose them. At the same time I could think of nothing on which, at my period of life, I could more appropriately employ my thoughts, than on the Bible. And besides such considerations, in old age our grip on this world is lessening and the flesh has little to offer any more. What can give me comfort, solace, and dreams when the material is crumbling? The Bible can. David Hume, the famous infidel of the 1700’s, influenced many people, including his mother. As she lay dying she said to him, Son, I am dying. You have robbed me of my faith. What can you give me in its place? He had nothing to give her. But we sing of this book, Hold up its splendours beside the open grave!
The Bible is for all – it is for times of prosperity.
The Bible is replete with warnings of pitfalls of prosperity. Paul said he had learned how to abound (Phil. 4:12); that is, how to live having more than enough. Many people don’t know how to abound (Matt.19:223,24). Material prosperity, though seen to be the mark of success in this world, has its traps and pitfalls (1 Tim. 6:17-19). The Bible puts all things in their eternal perspective (1 Tim. 6:7; Mark 8:36,37).
The Bible is for all – it is for tough times.
Paul also learned how to be abased. Despair in times of uncertainty is common in the world. There is the anxiety of not knowing what the future may bring. Yet it is the Bible that gives us something to hang on to in difficult times. We do not read specifically of ourselves in Scripture, but we do read of a great cross-section of people types and circumstances with which we can relate. And, more importantly, we do read of a God who can be trusted because He has proved to be reliable.
Job didn’t understand he wasn’t being punished but rather God was defending his integrity, yet he maintained his trust in Him (“though He slay me”: – Job 13:15). We may indeed wonder at the strength and depth of the man’s faith, and surely his standing with God is exemplified by Ezek. 14:14. As far as we know, he had no scriptures, but God spoke to him by way of challenge and encouragement and blessed him. His example is included in the Bible to give us something to hang on to (Jas. 5:11).
John the Immerser, thrown in prison, wondered whether his life’s work had been a mistake and sent two disciples asking Jesus, Are you the One who should come…? Jesus’ answer? He gave him a scripture or two – Matt.11:5,6 cf. Isa. 28:16; 29:19; 8:14. That was sufficient.
Abraham and Isaac were tested when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. They went ahead anyway on faith and an opinion, and the opinion proved to be wrong! (Heb. 11:17-19). God did come through but in a different way than Abraham imagined.
Jacob, when leaving home to flee from his enraged brother, was looking for something to hang on to, and God presented him with a dream which sustain3d him in the long, labourious years ahead:- if you will look after me (Gen. 28:20-22).
Peter, disturbed by Jesus’ prediction concerning his end, asked, What about John? (John 21:21,22). Jesus’ answer gave him something to hang on to.
Paul, frustrated by his ‘thorn in the flesh’, asked God, Take this thorn from me (2 Cor. 12:8). God’s answer gave him something to hang on to.
In Jesus we see, not only the record of the sinless Saviour, but the record of a faithful God who works all things according to His eternal purposes. God had a plan for Jesus and He came into the world at the right time (Gal. 4:4). God has -plans and purposes for more than Jesus. He had plans for Saul of Tarsus (Gal. 1:15,16; Acts 9:15) and He has plans for you and me. What they are we do not know with the clarity that hindsight gives us of the departed faithful recorded in God’s book. But the record of the lives of the faithful that makes up such a great percentage of Holy Writ is to encourage us in the pursuit of Jesus Christ knowing that God has not failed yet. And He will not fail in the future. God has always supplied the grace and strength for His people to endure and triumph.
This book: there is nothing else like it. When Coleridge was dying he said to those around the bed, Bring me the Book. They speculated as to which book and he said, There is only one book and it is the Bible!