WHEN IT COMES TO THE BIBLE, I FOUND THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION OF GOD’S HOLY WORD FROM AN ANONYMOUS AUTHOR:
“THIS BOOK IS THE MIND OF GOD, THE STATE OF MAN, THE WAY OF SALVATION, THE DOOM OF SINNERS, AND THE HAPPINESS OF BELIEVERS. ITS DOCTRINES ARE HOLY, ITS PRECEPTS ARE BINDING; ITS HISTORIES ARE TRUE, AND ITS DECISIONS ARE IMMUTABLE.
READ IT TO BE WISE, BELIEVE IT TO BE SAFE, PRACTICE IT TO BE HOLY. IT CONTAINS LIGHT TO DIRECT YOU, FOOD TO SUPPORT YOU, AND COMFORT TO CHEER YOU. IT IS THE TRAVELER’S MAP, THE PILGRIM’S STAFF, THE PILOT’S COMPASS, THE SOLDIER’S SWORD, AND THE CHRISTIAN’S CHARACTER.
HERE PARADISE IS RESTORED, HEAVEN OPENED, AND THE GATES OF HELL DISCLOSED. CHRIST IS ITS GRAND SUBJECT, OUR GOOD ITS DESIGN, AND THE GLORY OF GOD ITS END. IT SHOULD FILL THE MEMORY, RULE THE HEART, AND GUIDE THE FEET. READ IT SLOWLY, FREQUENTLY, PRAYERFULLY. IT IS A MINE OF WEALTH, A PARADISE OF GLORY, AND A RIVER OF PLEASURE. FOLLOW ITS PRECEPTS AND IT WILL LEAD YOU TO CALVARY, TO THE EMPTY TOMB, TO A RESURRECTED LIFE IN CHRIST; YES, TO GLORY ITSELF, FOR ETERNITY.”
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A WORK OF LITERATURE IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANITY THAT HAS AFFECTED THE WORLD MORE THAN THE HOLY BIBLE. THE BIBLE HAS BEEN TRANSLATED INTO 2,200 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES WORLDWIDE. IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT NO OTHER BOOK CAN COME CLOSE TO THE PUBLICATION OF GOD’S WORDS TO US.
HOW REMARKABLE THAT THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE WOULD ACTUALLY PUT THIS MUCH EFFORT IN ORDER TO COMMUNICATE WITH US. JUST KNOWING HOW HE ENSURED THAT IT WAS PIECED TOGETHER IS AN AMAZING FEAT IN AND OF ITSELF.
JUST LISTEN TO THE FOLLOWING STATISTICS THAT PROVES THE BIBLE IS A SPECIAL MASTERPIECE OF COMMUNICATION FROM ALMIGHTY GOD TO HIS CREATION:
• THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN OVER A SPAN OF 1,500 YEARS
• THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN BY MORE THAN 40 DIFFERENT AUTHORS SUCH AS MOSES, DAVID, JOSHUA, DANIEL, SOLOMON, MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE AND JOHN. THESE AUTHORS REPRESENT ALL WALKS OF LIFE SUCH AS SHEPHERDS, FISHERMEN, SECRETARIES, SERVANTS, PRIME MINISTERS, KINGS, MILITARY GENERALS, TAX COLLECTORS AND EVEN A JEWISH RABBI AND MEDICAL DOCTOR.
• THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN IN ALL KINDS OF PLACES SUCH AS THE WILDERNESS, A DUNGEON, A PRISON, AND A PALACE. ALL OF THESE AREAS OF AUTHORSHIP WERE ACCOMPLISHED ON THE THREE CONTINENTS OF ASIA, AFRICA, AND EUROPE.
• GOD USED THE THREE LANGUAGES OF HEBREW, GREEK, AND ARAMAIC AND THEN PRESENTED THEM IN VARIOUS LITERARY STYLES SUCH AS POETRY, SONG, ROMANCE, MEMOIRS, SATIRE, BIOGRAPHY, LAW, PROPHECY, PARABLE, AND ALLEGORY.
GOD HAS GONE TO GREAT LENGTHS TO PRESENT HIS WORDS TO YOU. HE HAS SHOWN GREAT POWER AND LOVE TO REVEAL ALL THE PERSONAL AND INTIMATE THINGS HE WANTS TO SAY TO YOU.
AMONGST THE 66 BOOKS, 31,173 VERSES, AND 1,189 CHAPTERS, GOD SPOKE 773,692 WORDS DIRECTLY TO YOU AND ME ABOUT WHO HE IS AND WHY HE CHOSE TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO US. THIS GREAT AND MIGHTY REVELATION THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE GIVES US A SINGLE UNFOLDING STORY: GOD’S REDEMPTION OF HUMANITY.
THE UNIFYING THREAD OF THE BIBLE IS YOUR OWN SALVATION FROM SIN AND CONDEMNATION, TO A LIFE OF COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION AND UNENDING JOY IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ONE, MERCIFUL, HOLY GOD WHO MADE THIS KNOWN TO YOU THROUGH HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST.
FROM GENESIS 1:1 TO REVELATION 22:21, GOD GIVES US THE FULL PICTURE OF HIS DESIRE TO HAVE A PERSONAL, LOVING, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH US. THIS RELATIONSHIP WAS SO IMPORTANT AND SO SPECIAL THAT HE DELIVERED IT TO US PERSONALLY “IN THE FLESH” THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
NO WONDER PAUL URGED TIMOTHY WITH SUCH PASSION ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THE SCRIPTURES COULD DO TO EMPOWER HIS LIFE AND MINISTRY.
PAUL DESCRIBES THE POWER OF GOD’S WORDS AS THAT WHICH CAN “MAKE YOU WISE FOR SALVATION” AND THAT IT IS “USEFUL FOR TEACHING, REBUKING, CORRECTING AND TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS” SO THAT WE CAN BE “THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED.”
PAUL WAS REMINDING TIMOTHY THAT THIS COLLECTION OF WORDS WAS NOT JUST A BOOK OF STORIES, FABLES, MYTHS, OR HUMAN IDEAS ABOUT GOD.
IT WAS NOT A HUMAN BOOK, BUT A DIVINE BOOK WHERE THE LIVING GOD, THROUGH HIS HOLY SPIRIT, SPOKE EACH WORD TO SELECT BELIEVERS.
THIS DIVINE BOOK, PAUL INSTRUCTS TIMOTHY, IS USEFUL FOR ALL THE TASKS OF HIS MINISTRY. PAUL OUTLINES THE TASKS OF THE SCRIPTURES USEFULNESS BY FIRST EMPHASIZING ITS POWER FOR TEACHING AS THIS WAS TIMOTHY’S PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY.
TEACHING THE DOCTRINAL TRUTH REVEALED WITHIN THE BIBLE IS PARAMOUNT FOR ALL BELIEVERS. WE MUST BE ABLE TO TEACH THE SCRIPTURE AS WELL AS TO BE TAUGHT THE SCRIPTURES.
ANYTHING THAT CONTRADICTS ANY OF THESE TRUTHS MUST BE REJECTED. 2 PETER 3:17-18, “BE ON GUARD SO THAT YOU WILL NOT BE CARRIED AWAY BY THE ERRORS OF THESE WICKED PEOPLE AND LOSE YOUR OWN SECURE FOOTING. RATHER, YOU MUST GROW IN THE GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.”
1 TIMOTHY 4:16, “WATCH YOUR LIFE AND DOCTRINE CLOSELY. PERSERVERE IN THEM, BECAUSE IF YOU DO, YOU WILL SAVE BOTH YOURSELF AND YOUR HEARERS.” THE BIBLE TEACHES GOD’S TRUTH.
TEACHING THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD ALSO PRODUCES THE HEALTHY PROCESS OF REBUKING AND CORRECTING. PAUL STATES HERE THAT WE MUST USE THE BIBLE TO EXPOSE ERRORS OF NOT ONLY FALSE TEACHINGS, BUT AS A WAY TO CORRECT SPIRITUAL, ETHICAL, AND MORAL BEHAVIOR THAT HAS FALLEN INTO ERROR.
JAMES 5:19-20, “MY CHRISTIAN FRIENDS, IF ANY OF YOU SHOULD BE LED AWAY FROM THE TRUTH, LET SOMEONE TURN HIM BACK AGAIN. THAT PERSON SHOULD KNOW THAT IF HE TURNS A SINNER FROM THE WRONG WAY, HE WILL SAVE THE SINNER’S SOUL FROM DEATH AND MANY SINS WILL BE FORGIVEN.”
REBUKE AND CORRECT! WE ARE COMMANDED TO CONFRONT AND CORRECT ALL INACCURACIES OF SCRIPTURE WHETHER IT IS IN WRITTEN FORM OR BEING LIVED OUT BY A FELLOW BELIEVER.
LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, THE BIBLE CAN BE OUR SOURCE OF TRAINING TO INCREASE OUR KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF HOW GOD WANTS US TO LIVE OUR LIVES TO HIS GLORY. IT IS THIS TRAINING AND PREPARATION THAT WILL HOPEFULLY MINIMIZE THE NEED FOR US TO BE “REBUKED” AND “CORRECTED.”
PSALM 119:9,11,16,101,105, “HOW CAN A YOUNG PERSON STAY PURE? BY OBEYING YOUR WORD. I HAVE HIDDEN YOUR WORD IN MY HEART, THAT I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST YOU. I WILL DELIGHT IN YOUR DECREES AND NOT FORGET YOUR WORD. I HAVE REFUSED TO WALK ON ANY EVIL PATH, SO THAT I MAY REMAIN OBEDIENT TO YOUR WORD. YOUR WORD IS A LAMP TO GUIDE MY FEETAND A LIGHT FOR MY PATH.”
CHRISTIANS SHOULD DIG DEEP INTO THE WORD OF GOD. BIBLE STUDY GOES HAND-IN-HAND WITH BIBLE READING. KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WORD IS NOT USEFUL UNLESS IT BROADENS, DEEPENS, AND STRENGTHENS OUR FAITH AND LEADS US TO DO GOOD.
THE BIBLE IS GOD’S PERSONAL MESSAGE TO US. THE BIBLE IS NOT “JUST” A RECORD OF THE PAST – THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS AND THEN OF THE CHURCH AS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST.
INSTEAD, EVERY STORY, EVERY PROPHECY, EVERY TEACHING, EVERY ADMONITION, AND EVERY COMMAND POINTS BEYOND TO THE AUTHOR, GOD, WHO CAME TO US IN JESUS CHRIST. GOD CONFRONTS US IN THE PAGES OF HIS WORD – TELLING US HOW MUCH HE LOVES US, HOW WE CAN BECOME HIS CHILDREN, AND HOW WE SHOULD LIVE TO PLEASE HIM.
AGAIN, WE ARE TALKING EVERY WORD…GENESIS 1:1 TO REVELATION 22:21! THE WHOLE BIBLE IS GOD’S INSPIRED WORD. BECAUSE IT IS INSPIRED AND TRUSTWORTHY, WE SHOULD READ IT, STUDY IT, AND APPLY IT TO OUR LIVES.
THE BIBLE IS OUR STANDARD FOR TESTING EVERYTHING ELSE THAT CLAMS TO BE TRUE. IT IS OUR SAFEGUARD AGAINST FALSE TEACHING AND OUR SOURCE OF GUIDANCE FOR HOW WE SHOULD LIVE OUR LIVES AND LIVE IN OUR WORLD.
THE BIBLE IS OUR ONLY SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HOW WE CAN BE SAVED. IN HIS WORD, GOD WANTS TO SHOW YOU WHAT IS TRUE. HE WANTS TO EQUIP YOU AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO LIVE YOUR LIFE FULLY DEVOTED AND OBEDIENT TO HIM.
IT IS MY PRAYER AS YOU LEAVE HERE TODAY THAT THE BIBLE HAS TAKEN ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING FOR YOU. MY PRAYER IS THAT YOU WILL TREASURE EVERY COPY IN YOUR POSSESSION SO THAT IT BECOMES YOUR SOURCE OF DEVELOPING “A LITERARY LIFE” OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY, VICTORY, WITNESS AND FAITH.
