Q:
I've been watching a video series on the Old Testament recently, and it seems like hardly anyone back then lived a good or moral life. If the Bible is true, why did so many people in the Bible live sinful lives? Why are they even in the Bible?
A:
You’re right; the Bible doesn’t gloss over the faults of those whose lives it records. If it did, we might wonder if the Bible was really accurate and could be trusted. But it can be trusted—and one reason is because of its honesty about human nature.
Why does the Bible tell us about the sins of men and women who were supposed to be following God—but failed? One reason is so we’ll learn from their example and not make the same mistakes they did. They didn’t fail because God hadn’t told them how He wanted them to live. They failed because they turned their backs on God’s Word and chose to go their own way. And this can happen to us. The Bible says, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us” (1 Corinthians 10:11).
But the Bible also records their sinfulness so we’ll realize how much we need a Saviour. We aren’t any different from them; we too sin, and we too need God’s forgiveness. And God made this possible by sending Jesus Christ—who alone was sinless—into the world to take away our sins. Are you trusting Him for your salvation?
As a footnote, don’t let anything rob you of your confidence in the trustworthiness of God’s Word, the Bible. Through it we come to know Christ, and through it we discover God’s will for our lives. Make it part of your life every day.