“You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writing which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” –II Timothy 3:14-17
We will look at this text and find out about the written Word of God, we will deal with the last part of the passage first and then look at what Paul told Timothy he needed to do which is in the first part of the passage. “All scripture is inspired by God" Paul is talking to Timothy and telling Him that all scripture is trustworthy, and why is it trustworthy, because it wasn’t inspired by the thoughts of men but of God. What do we mean when we say the Bible is inspired by God? Well, it will help to look at the Greek for just a second and the meaning of the terms we find in that language. (èåüðíåõóôïò) this is a combining of 2 words in the Greek theos (God) + pneo(breath) the full word is theopneustos it means given by the inspiration of God. The words that the authors wrote down were inspired by God, or God breathed. It is as if the people writing the Bible, as Kirk Cameron said on the Way of the Master videos, were God’s pens. Who writes the words that you put on paper, you or your pen? God was writing His Word through these men that wrote the Bible. Knowing that God wrote His Word through them helps us to have a greater trust in the book that is supposed to guide our every thought and action in life, because we can trust that God’s word will have many of the characteristics of God who inspired it. God never lies and therefore His word is always going to be true. (Numbers 23:19; I Samuel 15:29; Psalm 33:4; 2 Samuel 22:31; Proverbs 30:5; Psalms 12:6) It will be perfect. (Matthew 5:48).
The place we should start looking at this is the 10 commandments. God actually wrote the 10 commandments on stone tablets. “And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.”-Exodus 31:18- “The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets” -Exodus 32:16- Afterwards, Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible known as the Pentateuch, later we find additions to this. “And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord”-Joshua 24:26 God also commanded Isaiah to write His words down; “And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever.”-Isaiah 30:8-
These things all apply to the Old Testament, so what about the New Testament? In the New Testament the apostles were promised the Holy Spirit “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”-John 14:25-26 Paul when speaking to the Corinthian church actually says that his words are a commandment of the Lord. “If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a commandment of the Lord.”-I Corinthians 14:37 and finally Peter actually groups the sacred writings, or the Old Testament with the writings of the apostles, or the New Testament. “This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through the apostles,”-2 Peter 3:1-2
God breathed, What does inspired by God mean? God spoke through the writers of the Old and New Testament and the thing this book is what came about. God used the people that wrote the scriptures to place His words into this book. The Bible is a collection of writings from different people who wrote on a variety of different things. These things vary from the beginning of the world to a history of God’s people, what God has been doing throughout history, how God deals with people, how God deals with His people, our relationship to the God of the Universe, and the ability to know intimately the God of the Universe. And we must understand that all scripture is inspired by God.
“and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” The Bible from front to back, cover to cover is good for teaching and is, as we will see, is what everything that is taught should be measured by. It is also good for reproof which means (the act of reproving, censuring, or rebuking). It is good for showing our disapproval of something. For example, if we hear something being taught that doesn’t seem to line up with the word, how are we to find the error in it and correct the found flaw? We open God’s word and measure what they say against It and thus it becomes the judge of their teachings. This word reproof is not just a correction, but is a showing of sharp disapproval and we, as Christians are people of truth. We dislike lies and hate falsehood, and we should seek to purge all of that from our lives. The Bible is also good for correction. For example if you see a Christian friend falling into sin, then you should use the Word of God to show he/she what they are doing wrong. You correct them lovingly using the standard of truth to save them from what they are falling into. The Bible is also good for training in righteousness. We have talked many times about sanctification and how God is making us more and more perfect until we are in heaven and the Bible is highly important in this process. God speaks through His Word and the Holy Spirit helps us to have an understanding of God’s Word, through all of this we are trained in righteousness. God Himself corrects us using His Word and as we conform to His Word and do as it teaches we are “trained in righteousness”, and we then are “equipped for every good work”. Because of the riches of God’s Word and the work that He has done in us the Bible equips us for every good work.
“If we consult the scripture which was given by inspiration of God, and follow its directions, we shall be made men of God….O that we may love our Bibles more, and keep closer to them than ever!” Matthew Henry “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.”-Psalm 119:9-10
Dwain Minor