The God-Inspired Word

Paul told Timothy, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We must understand the nature of Scripture—what Scripture is. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (v. 16a) is the key phrase. The Greek word translated "inspiration of God" comes from a compound word that combines the word "God" with the word "breath, wind, or spirit." It means that Scripture was given by God's Spirit, or more directly by God's breath. Scripture came directly from God when "holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).

God told Jeremiah: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth" (Jer. 1:9). God gave Jeremiah the words to speak and write. The words came from God. It is the  same with all the writers of Scripture. God may have at times spoken the Word directly with writers writing them down much like taking dictation, but more times than not, God simply laid the words on their hearts and minds. The bottom line is that all Scripture is "God-breathed." It is God’s inspired Word, without error in the original autographs. It is intended to make us like Jesus.

In addition to leading us to salvation, the Word provides divine instruction or doctrine. The precise words are that it is "profitable for doctrine" (2 Tim. 3:16a) or "teaching" (NASB). "Profitable" carries the idea of "profit" or "advantage" (W.E. Vine, M.A., Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Unabridged Edition, [MacDonald Publishing Company: McLean, Virginia, no copyright], 36). It means specifically to be "useful" (Ibid, 901). So the word of God is profitable or useful for teaching doctrine. It is then up to us to adhere to that doctrine and to live by that teaching of Scripture. It is up to us to study the Word carefully to learn its doctrine or teaching, and then apply that instruction in our everyday lives.

Scripture is "profitable… for reproof" (2 Tim. 3:16b). The teaching of Scripture, the instruction or doctrine, helps us walk the narrow way of righteousness. It heads us in the right direction of becoming like Jesus. But sometimes we walk away from that path, like sheep that have gone astray. We fall back into our old sinful ways and quit living by the Word as we should. When this happens, the Scripture brings "reproof."

"Reproof" means "to convict" or "rebuke" (Ibid, 965). The Word rebukes sin and false belief. Scripture pinpoints the problem of sin in our lives. When you know the Word, various Scriptures will come to mind and will confront your sin. It will rebuke the sin in your life and call you back to Jesus. Scripture penetrates our heart and soul, and both exposes and rebukes our sin. It leads us to repentance and turns us back toward God when we have gone astray. That is another reason why it is so important to know the Word; to read it, study it, meditate on it, and memorize it.

Scripture is “profitable… for correction” (2 Tim. 3:16c). This is the only occurrence of this Greek word for “correction.” It literally means “a restoration to an upright or right state” (Ibid, 243). It is the idea of restoring something to its proper shape. The thought has to do with correction. Scripture corrects us of our wrongdoing or our straying off the narrow road, and puts us back on the right path.

When you accept Scripture's reproof and repent of your sin, Scripture then corrects your walk. When you leave the narrow way and stray from living by the Word, "reproof" is how Scripture stops you from following the wrong path and "correction" is how Scripture sets your feet back on the right path. Through confession and repentance you are restored to a right and proper state, a life of righteousness.

Scripture is also "profitable… for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16d) or "training in righteousness" (NASB). This refers to training a child or giving children instruction, "suggesting the broad idea of education" (Ibid, 185). The inspired word of God gives us instruction in living a life of righteousness, or a life that is holy. It trains us to walk with Jesus in the power of the Spirit.

The teaching of the Word puts us on the path of righteousness. The reproof and correction we receive from the Word stops us from wondering too far from that path and puts us back on that path of righteousness. Then the instruction of the Word keeps us on the straight and narrow path of righteousness. But in order for that to work, you must know the Word.

The purpose is "that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (v. 17). God's Word makes you adequate. God's Word equips you to live a life of righteousness like Christ, a life filled with the good works "which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

Do you see how important it is to know the Word—to learn it well and to live by it every day? By way of application: read the Word, study the Word, meditate on the Word, and memorize the Word. Make it a part of you. Know it well. When you know the Word well, no matter what hardships or temptations arise, you will recall it when the time is right and you will be prepared to win the spiritual battle. Amen.

Walk in the Spirit

Paul prayed for His followers, including you and me, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places" (Eph. 1:17-20).

Not only are we to live by that same faith through which we were saved, but we were saved by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. That mighty power of God is at work in us and we are to live our lives by that same power. Living by that same power means living by faith in Jesus and letting Him have control of your life; letting Him guide and direct your path so that you become more like Him every day.

To have Jesus guide and direct your path is to walk in the Spirit or to live the Spirit-filled life. Paul said, "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16). He also said, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 1:18). When you live the Spirit-filled life you find yourself growing daily in your spiritual walk. Each day you become a little bit more like Jesus.

To walk in the Spirit means spending time reading and studying the Bible every day, not because you have to, but because you want to. It becomes a desire or even a passion of yours as a child of God. When you are Spirit-filled, the central focus of your life will change. Your whole focus will center around the Lord Jesus and your main desire will be to want to get to know Him better. The main avenue for getting to know more about Jesus and to walk closer to Him is found in the word of God, the Bible; hence, spending time in the Word every day.

Following the death of Moses, God turned to Joshua and commissioned him in Moses' place. Part of what God told Joshua was this: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" (Josh. 1:8). This shows the importance of spending time in God's Word. Through His Word you receive guidance and direction in the way you should go. By following His Word you will be made to prosper and have success. Amen.

Be Holy!

It is God's desire that all who trust in Christ for salvation, all true believers, be holy. He even commands us to be holy. Peter writes, "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Pet. 1:15-16). "Holy" is an interesting word. In New Testament Greek it means  "separated" or "to set apart to God," and can be translated "sanctify," just as "holiness" can be translated "sanctification" (W.E. Vine, M.A., Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Unabridged Edition, [MacDonald Publishing Company: McLean, Virginia, no copyright], 565).

When referring to God, He is seen as "the absolutely Holy One, in His purity, majesty and glory," whether used of the Father, as in these verses, or of the Son, or of the Spirit" (Ibid, 566). Often the word "holy" is used "of men in so far as they are devoted to God" and "is often presented in a way which involves Divine demands upon the conduct of believers" (Ibid). Here in 1 Peter 1:15, believers are called to cleanse themselves "from all defilement, forsaking sin, living a holy manner of life" (Ibid).

Hebrews 10:10 says, "By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Having been sanctified in Christ, all believers are called "saints," or literally, "sanctified" or "holy ones" (Ibid, 1000). God calls all believers to this state of sainthood, or, more specifically, to sanctification. In 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul refers to believers as "those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints."

The writer of Hebrews encourages us to "pursue holiness." In Hebrews 12:14, he writes, "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord." "Holiness" or "sanctification" is something to be pursued. Sanctification is a process of growth. When you trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you were saved, you were justified in God's eyes. When God looks at you He sees you through the lens of Jesus. He sees the blood of Christ which covers you and therefore, He sees you as holy or righteous.

Romans 4:3 says, "For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.'" This does not mean that our faith makes us righteous; that we have somehow arrived. No, it means only that our faith connects us with Christ in such a way that His righteousness is reckoned to us. Positionally, we are seen as righteous in Christ. Practically, we need to grow in faith each day so as to become more and more like Christ until we reach heaven fully righteous.

Having been saved by grace through faith, we must now learn to live by that same faith. Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). Now when he says, "I have been crucified with Christ," what does that mean?

In Romans 6:3-4, Paul, speaking of baptism, said, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Baptism, being dipped under water and then raised back up out of the water, symbolizes our dying with Christ through our faith in Him and our rising with Him to a new life, a changed life.

Paul further clarifies: "For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (vv. 5-11).

"Our old man," our old sinful self, "was crucified with Him," that is, with Christ, setting us free from our slavery to sin. Having been "freed from sin," we are to live the resurrected life with Jesus. Like Jesus, the life we now live, we live to God. Again, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God" (Gal. 2:20b). Amen.