The Whole Purpose of God Pt 2: Do You Understand What You Read?

We continue our series on the whole purpose of God with the intriguing question Phillip asked the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:30: “Do you understand what you are reading?”

Back in high school, during our English literature class, we were taught that a good story has various components: Characters (including protagonist, antagonist), setting, theme, plot, subplots, tension, and resolution. A movie, for instance, might show a grand living room, and one viewer might be fixated on the chandelier, another on the car in the driveway, another on the background music – all while missing the main idea in the story itself. And of course, some get the message the writer intended to convey.

Similarly, for many believers today, the Bible is read through various lenses and for a wide range of reasons. Some approach it out of religious duty, others for encouragement or motivational quotes. Some search for personal promises or use isolated verses as incantations. Some study it intellectually, theologically, historically, or even skeptically. While each approach may yield something useful, we must ask:
1. Do we understand the main idea of the Bible?

2. Are we like the Ethiopian eunuch, reading sacred text but unsure of its subject?

Philip’s interaction with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 is striking. The man was wealthy, influential, and devout. He had come all the way from Ethiopia to worship in Jerusalem. And he had Scripture in his hands. Yet, when asked by Philip, “Do you understand what you are reading?”, the eunuch responded honestly:
“How can I, unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:31)

He was reading Isaiah, a passage about the suffering servant, but he didn’t know who it pointed to. It took Philip, a Spirit-led guide, to open up the Scriptures and reveal Christ at the center.

Don’t Just Read. Grasp the Subject.
The Bible is not a collection of random spiritual quotes. It is not primarily about self-help or moral rules. It is one grand narrative with one central figure, Jesus Christ, and one overarching theme, the Kingdom of God and His eternal purpose to reconcile, redeem, and reign through His people.

When we read the Bible without understanding this, we risk stopping at the waterfront (as I wrote in Part 1) — admiring the surroundings, but never stepping into the house. We highlight subplots and miss the grand plot. We quote promises but miss the Promisor. We memorize verses but forget the storyline.
This question resounds today to every believer “Do you understand what you read?” Stay with me as we explore the whole purpose of God as revealed in Scripture.