Today,
we look at one of the primary places in Scripture, where Scripture talks about
itself. What does the Bible say about
the Bible? We Christians say many things
about the Bible and believe many things of the Bible, but what does the Bible
say about itself?
Paul
writes to Timothy and he says:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
I think there are 2 important things to lift here: Firstly, let’s be reading and teaching the
Bible to children from their infancy. Why? ......because they are “able to make you
wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Here we have the Bible telling us what it is good for, what it can
do......namely it can teach us everything
we need to know in order to be saved.
You want to know about that......read the Bible. Many of you are preparing for year-end
exams. The Bible will not tell you everything you need to know about history,
geography, science, biology, etc. It is
not and makes absolutely no claim to be a science book, or a maths book, or a
history book.
It claims to be a salvation book and no other book on the planet gives
us salvation by faith information......NO other book.
Paul goes on:
All Scripture is God-breathed
We sometimes take that to mean only that God
“breathed into”......”inspired”......the writers of the Bible. But no......all scripture is
God-breathed, not was God-breathed/inspired. This means that our God, by His Spirit,
inspires, breathes into the readers of the Word as much as He breathed
into/inspired the writers of the Word.
Isn’t that exciting......when we read the Bible, God has an opportunity
to inspire us, to breathe life into us.
Please read your Bible.
The Word goes on:
and is useful
Useful for what?
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
Useful (not indispensable) for
Teaching me which way is right.
Rebuking me where I am wrong / off-track.
Correcting me by showing m how to get back on track
and Instructing me about staying on the road of righteousness.
We all need teaching, rebuking, correcting and instructing......we often
don’t like to be rebuked or corrected.......but we need to be sometimes. This book is useful for these
things......Please, read your Bible.......Why?......
so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Isn’t that interesting? ...... Do all the above......read your
Bible......not so that you can get to Heaven.......not so that you can be
holy......not so that you can be a better person.......BUT......so that you can
be thoroughly equipped for good works.
God wants......no, He demands......good works from his saved people.
He doesn’t save us so that we can go to Heaven, He saves us so that
Heaven can come to us and through us to others as we do good works for the
least among us. This is not a new
idea......previously, scripture has taught us:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith…….we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Why are you saved......to do good works.
This is not and never has been a popular message, so Paul goes on and
gives Timothy / you / me a strongly-worded comment:
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word;
Preach the Word friends: and as Augustine said, “only use words when
necessary”.......preach the word by your lifestyle.......in your
homes.......your workplace.......school.......church.......on the streets of
Alberton.......preach the saving word of Christ in the way we live / behave /
act towards the world around us and
be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
Earlier, Paul has said that the Bible teaches, rebukes, corrects and
encourages us......now he says that Bible readers have authority to correct,
rebuke and encourage.
The Bible teaches us to do what the Bible does.......because:
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
That time has come, hasn’t it?
I think Paul knew it would come in Timothy’s time, so he says to Timothy
and to you and to me
But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
Let us not either......please.......read your Bible.
