By stating that the Bible is Holy, Paul indicates that it is in the Bible that we find the true way to live a holy life.
Holiness means to be set apart, to be sanctified, to be morally perfect and pure. God is calling us to lives of holiness and it is through the example of Jesus, modeled in scripture, that we discover how we are to live in light of the cross.
“It is only in the commandments of God that we find the difference between good and evil laid down, and that it is in vain to seek it elsewhere, since whatever men devise of themselves is mere filth and refuse, corrupting the purity of the life.”
1. The Bible is PROPHETIC (Romans 16:25-26, 2 Peter 1:19-21)
Not only is the word pure, but it is prophetic, meaning that it is God’s word. This means that in Christ we are called to be obedient to the word of God, not to our own views of the word.
The Bible was given by means of direct revelation. Nearly four thousand times in the Bible we find words or expressions such as: And God said... or The Lord spoke to Moses, or The Word of the Lord came to Isaiah.
God spoke to Moses (Exodus 3:4), about 1500 B.C.
God spoke to Samuel (1 Samuel 3:11), about 1000 B.C.
God spoke to Elijah (1 Kings 21:17), about 900 B.C.
God spoke to Isaiah (2 Kings 20:1), about 700 B.C.
God spoke to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:2), about 600 B.C.
God spoke to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:3), about 600 B.C.
God spoke to Malachi (Malachi 1:1-2), about 400 B.C.
Therefore the Bible is our foundation for faith and for practice. It is God’s Word to God’s People give to us for God’s Glory!!!
2. The Bible is PROFITABLE (2 Timothy 3:15-17)
Not only is it God’s Word, but it is profitable. This means that God’s Word is useful.
Read 2 Timothy 3:15-17
Notice what Paul says, it’s useful for teaching us how to live, reproof - convicting us of sin and calling us to repentance, correction - showing us what is true as opposed ot our ignorance or foolish thoughts, training in righteousness so that we can be “complete, equipped for every good work.”
When we read God’s word, it prepares us to do the work God has called us to do:
“Whenever flight attendants review airplane safety before the plane takes off, they always say some version of, “In case of an emergency if oxygen is needed and the masks come down, put your own mask on FIRST, before assisting others.”
Before we can share the gospel confidently with others, we must ensure that we know the core message of Christ’s death and resurrection. Though we can trust the Holy Spirit to give us words to say, we are also responsible for studying and growing in knowledge of God’s Word as we walk in faith.”
3. The Bible is PENETRATING (Hebrews 4:12)
One of the most famous mutinies in history is the mutiny of the “Bounty”, and crew members began a rebellion against the notorious Captain Bligh. The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel HMS Bounty occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set him and 18 loyalists adrift in the ship's open launch.
Following the mutiny, nine mutineers, along with the Tahatian men and women who accompanied them, found their way to Pitcairn Island, a tiny dot in the South Pacific only two miles long and a mile wide. Ten years later, drink and fighting had left only one man alive--John Adams. Eleven women and 23 children made up the rest of the Island's population. So far this is the familiar story made famous in the book and motion picture.
But the rest of the story is even more remarkable. About this time, Adams came across the "Bounty's" Bible in the bottom of an old chest. He began to read it, and the divine power of God's Word reached into the heart of that hardened murderer on a tiny volcanic speck in the vast Pacific Ocean--and changed his life forever. The peace and love that Adams found in the Bible entirely replaced the old life of quarreling, brawling, and liquor. He began to teach the children from the Bible until every person on the island had experienced the same amazing change that he had found. Today, with a population of slightly less than 100, nearly every person on Pitcairn Island is a Christian.
This is the power of scripture: The scripture, like a surgeons scalpel, opens our hearts and shows us who we really are. It transforms us.
SCRIPTURE NEVER LEAVES US THE SAME. If we resist it may leave us more hard hearted, or it may break us, but it never leaves us the same.
4. The Bible is PERPETUAL (1 Peter 1:25)
1 Peter 1:5
Isaiah 40:6-8
Luke 21:33
1 John 2:17
God’s word is eternal. It will never fail, nor end. And because his word never fails, his promises never fail:
