Theme: God-breathed Scriptures
Text: 2 Timothy 3:14-17
Introduction:
The Lord is good and his love endures forever. I would like to share with you this evening the God-breathed Scriptures as inspired scriptures, instructing scriptures, and involving scriptures.
Let me explain the word scripture:
Scriptures: There are many scriptures in the world. We are familiar with the Quran of Islam, Bhagavat Gita, Ramayana, Vedas and Upanishads of Hinduism, The Agamas of Jainism, Guru Granth Sahib of Sikhism, The Tipitaka of Buddhism, The Torah, of Judaism, the Kojiki of Shintoism, The Dao de Jing of Daoism, The Avesta of Zoroastrianism, the seven Valleys and Four Valleys of Baha’i (ref: google search).
God breathed Scriptures
Bible is the Holy book of the 2.4 billion people who follow Christianity in the world.
Bible has been written over 1400 years by more than 40 writers
There is no book like Bible, in its continuity and consistency. There is no book like it in its honesty, in its circulation, in its survival, in its influence, and life-changing power (according to Enduring Word).
However, “The authority, authorship, reliability, and trustworthiness of Scripture are regularly under attack.” (ref: redeemer Orthodox Presbyterian Church).
Voltaire, a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher said, ‘in 25 years Bible will be a forgotten book.’ Robert Ingersoll, a lawyer in the USA said, ‘in 25years, the Bible will be a forgotten book.’
They are no more but still, Bible exists.
1. Inspired Scriptures
All Scriptures are inspired means every passage of Scripture and every word in every passage and every stroke in the letter is inspired according to Matthew 5:18. No exceptions.
Holy Bible is authored by God. God-breathed (YLT) breathed out by God (ESV) divinely inspired (Darby) For the whole Scripture is given by inspiration of God (Geneva).
Moses wrote down everything that God has said (Exodus 24:4, Deuteronomy 31:9) the tablets and writings were of the Lord (Exodus 32:16),
Jeremiah wrote in a book, in a scroll all the words that God has spoken to him (Jeremiah 30:2, 36:2),
God told Habakkuk to write down the vision and send it through the herald to all (Habakkuk 2:2).
What does it mean whether it was dictated or remembered or collected as oration? How to understand and interpret the verse that the scriptures were inspired by God.
The word Divine inspiration is Theopneustic (theopneustos)=God-breathed, Theos = God + pneo = to breathe or blow, the product of the creative breath of God. God breathed, or God inspired means calling our attention to the divine source of the authority of the OT.
God has breathed the breath of God into the nostrils of man to give life and soul (Genesis 2:7) in the same manner God’s word inspired means has the soul and living capacity forever (Psalm 33:6). So, God breathed the life-giving truth into the Jewish scriptures and into the Holy Bible. So, it’s profitable for religious life and life on earth (Dictionary of the Bible).
Inspiration refers to direct dictation by God in some contexts, for example, the Ten Commandments. Inspiration refers to verbal, plenary, and dynamic activities on some occasions. However, it’s not mechanical, or literalistic because the phraseology varies among the gospels even within a gospel (Dictionary of the Bible).
Biblical inspiration is the supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit on the Bible’s writers, which guaranteed that what they wrote was accurate and trustworthy. Revelation means the communicating of truth to man by God; inspiration has to do with the recording of this communication in a way that is dependable. Whatever the Bible says about itself, man, God, life, death, history, science, and every other subject is true (Austin precept).
The rabbis taught that the Spirit of God rested on and, in the prophets, and spoke through them so that their words did not come from themselves, but from the very mouth of God (Austin Precept).
Hence, always NT writers wrote as ‘It is written, ‘it says,’ ‘God says,’ and ‘scriptures says’ authentication of the scriptures and their authority (Dictionary of the Bible).
Inspiration raises an important question about the arrangements of the books, such as history, poetry, epistles, and prophecy. The purpose of all these books is redemption.
So, the inspiration of the scriptures is explained as “Omnia ex Deo, Omnia ex hominibus - all things are from God; all things are from Men”. (Dictionary of the Bible).
2. Instructing Scriptures
“…is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]”(AMP),
“It will empower you by its instruction and correction, giving you the strength to take the right direction and lead you deeper into the path of godliness” (TPT).
Scriptures are profitable, useful, and beneficial to all (Romans 15:4). It is an instrument to lead people to God, and to salvation. Profitable means useful, profitable, serviceable, helpful, and beneficial and refers to that which yields advantageous returns or results. It provides something that one needs to attain a certain goal -- in the context to be a "man of God".
Holy Bible is profitable for doctrine telling us what is true about God, man, the world we live in, and the world to come, with the authority to rebuke us and correct us, it tells us how to live in true righteousness. Scripture is profitable for teaching (what is right), for reproof (what is not right), for correction (how to get right), and for training in righteousness (how to stay right). (Enduring Word). The term doctrine in Scripture "is broader than a simple reference to information passed on from one person to another or from one generation to the next. (Austin Precept). It is life and death; it is right and wrong and it is acceptable and rejectable.
The reproof will tell you where you are out of bounds. It’s like an umpire who cries, “Out!” or “Safe!” It tells you what is sin. It tells you what God wants for your life. He provides standards. Reproof is the light that shines in the dark closets of your heart, but unlike the light in the closet, the light of God's Word enables one to CORRECT or set straight that which is broken. (Austin Precept).
Righteousness is the rightness of a man's character before God and the rightness of actions before men. Both of these qualities are based on truth, which is conformity to the Word and will of God.The English word “righteousness” comes from a root word that means “straightness” and as noted above refers to a state that conforms to an authoritative standard, God of course being that standard. God is totally righteous because He is as total as He should be. The righteousness of God could be succinctly stated as that which is all that God is, all that He commands, all that He demands, all that He approves, and all that He provides (thru Christ). (Austin Precept).
“The God of Scripture does not waste His breath as you and I might do. When He breathes out His Word it is for a purpose; it is all profitable. If the eternal triune God’s Word were not all profitable, He would not be holy and perfect in all His ways.” (ref: redeemer Orthodox Presbyterian Church).
A critic once said, ‘Over the years, I heard more than 1,000 times, and I can’t remember the specific content of even one sermon and its benefits.’ Another believer replied: ‘Over the past many years, I have eaten more than 1,000 meals prepared by my wife. I can’t remember the specific menu of any of those meals. But they nourished me along the way and made me what I am today.’ (Enduring Word)
3. Involving Scriptures
The Bible gives us eternal life (1 Peter 1:23), spiritually cleanses us (Ephesians 5:26), gives power against demonic spirits (Ephesians 6:17), brings spiritual power to heal our bodies (Matthew 8:16), brings us spiritual strength (Psalm 119:28), spiritually builds faith in us (Romans 10:17). ‘Just as the Holy Spirit came upon the womb of Mary, so He came upon the brain of Moses, David, Isaiah, Paul, John, and the rest of the writers of the divine library. The power of the Highest overshadowed them, therefore that holy thing which was born of their minds is called the Holy Bible, the word of God.’ (Presbyterian Preacher Donald – Austin Precept)
This is known as the word of God incarnated in flesh. So, the bible is inspired. As Jesus lived with the Apostles and Disciples. The Word of God lives with us.
The Bible is God’s Word to humanity. It was written by human authors, but God prompted and guided them to write what they did. Every word, word form, and word placement found in the Bible’s original manuscripts were divinely and intentionally written but with human expressions. (Austin Precept). So, it is easy to understand by every reader. It serves as a text of Life to all age groups and intellectual levels.
Prophets were operated on and spoken by the Holy Spirit (Numbers 24:2-4). When men were moved by Holy Spirit they spoke from God (2 Peter 1:21). Simeon was inspired to identify Jesus (Luke 2:27). Man receives the capacity to discern what is right through divine inspiration (Job 32:8), on daily basis on daily reading of the scriptures (Dictionary of the Bible).
Jesus said the holy spirit would teach all things that Jesus taught and what God would communicate to them (John 14:26, 16:13). The words of Jesus are revealed will of God (Matthew 5:31-44). Peter believed that he proclaimed the gospel with the help of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:12). Paul attributes this content of teaching to the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13, so the prophets, servants of God are the spokesmen for God (1 Corinthians 7:40, 1 Thessalonians 2:13), with complete authority (1 Thessalonians 4:2, 15, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 12). (Dictionary of the Bible).
As God is the ultimate author of the Bible in its entirety. That is, God’s superintending work in inspiration extends to the whole Bible and to each part of the Bible to involve in our daily lives.
Augustine of Hippo said, "Let us, therefore, yield ourselves and bow to the authority of the Holy Scriptures, which can neither err nor deceive."
Martin Luther replied, "Unless I am convinced by testimonies of Scripture or by evident reason-for I believe neither the Pope nor Councils alone, since it is established that they have often erred and contradicted themselves-I am the prisoner of the Scriptures cited by me, and my conscience has been taken captive by the Word of God. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."
“Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.”
The more you read the Bible, the more you love it; the more you love it, the more you read it. Read the Bible as if God were speaking to you.
A man of God said, ‘In this one book are the two most interesting personalities in the whole world—God and yourself.’
Charlotte Elliot says “The Bible is my church. It is always open, and there is my High Priest ever waiting to receive me. There I have my confessional, my thanksgiving, my psalm of praise, a field of promises, and a congregation of whom the world is not worthy—prophets and apostles, and martyrs and confessors—in short, all I can want, there I find.” - Charlotte Elliot (Poet, author of the Hymn “Just as I am”)
Therefore, OT is trustworthy, true doctrines, and sure prophecy. Jesus acknowledged the authority of the prophets (Luke 24:25). Holy Spirit inspired David (Mark 12:36). David affirms divine inspiration by writing "The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue." (2 Samuel 23:2). Therefore Peter (Acts 1:16), James (4:5), Stephen (Acts 7:38), and Paul (Romans 3:2) recognized the scriptures and valued them highly (Dictionary of the Bible).
Conclusion:
This is an inspiring Book, that instructs us and involves us. Own a bible, read on daily basis and share with others, and be blessed, Amen.
