CROSS Series #3: What is the Word?

In our technological world of smartphones and Ipads, it is easy to become consumed with trends that constantly call into question how effectively we are living our lives. This gadget promises to improve your efficiency, this one promises to give you an accurate reading of your health, this new model runs more programs at once, this app can tell you what movies someone with your personality would like to view. The list goes on and on. Unfortunately, this predisposition to the “latest and greatest” in our technological world has infiltrated the church. In some circles, ministry is not viewed as effective unless it incorporates these three new ideas, worship services must have these new songs in order to be relevant, and buildings must have a coffee shop feel to attract new followers to Christ, etc. Although there is a proper place for innovation and change in the church, there are those things that I believe are unchanging priorities that should be involved any ministry strategy. We have already looked at a couple of them in our series (corporate worship and relationships) and defended their legitimacy. These priorities are foundational to the mission of God. However, how do we know this? Perhaps the third element of our strategy can answer this for us. Today’s sermon is brought to you by the letter “O” for “Obedience to the Word of God.” The Word of God is the very reason we know that corporate worship and relationships are important to the mission of God. In fact, we would not know the mission of God in the first place (to know Christ, grow in Christ, and show Christ to the world) without the Word of God! Therefore, today we are going to take a look at what the Word of God says about itself from 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and how this should impact the way we accomplish our God-given mission here at Crystal Spring Baptist Church.

I. PART #1: THE NATURE OF THE WORD OF GOD-3:16

 Having served the Lord faithfully for many years through world travels, church-planting, mentoring young ministers, and prolific letter-writing, Paul pens 2 Timothy from the perspective of a seasoned and trial-tested apostle. However, at this point in Paul’s ministry, he is nearing the end, awaiting his execution in prison for his persistence in sharing the gospel. In spite of his precarious position, Paul finds it in himself to take advantage of the opportunity he has to write one more letter to his “son in the faith.” Throughout this letter, we get a sense of the paternal connection Paul had with this young minister in Ephesus as he speaks candidly and communicates a litany of encouragements that are not unlike what a father might share with his son upon nearing the end of his life. Interestingly, Paul’s complex writing style is simplified in this letter. However, though his words lack the embellishment that other letters contain, Paul’s words are no less profound.

Immediately before 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul has made several comments concerning the Scripture’s effect on Timothy’s life. In light of the difficult times Timothy would face, Paul draws attention to the firm convictions upon which this young minister stood, saying, “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of,…” (3:14). Truly, Timothy had learned the gospel and its demands from a sterling groups of teachers (including Paul himself). These instructors had not only taught him the gospel’s message, but they also assured him of its truthfulness. Also, from a young boy, Timothy had been instructed in the “sacred writings” and had, as a result, apprehended “the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (3:15).

After having commented on the effect the Scriptures had on Timothy’s life, Paul is compelled to let Timothy know that the Scriptures can be trusted and that he “need not search out new novelties on which he might squander his energies but to remain in the truths he had learned” (Lea and Griffin, 233).  This is why Paul says, “All Scripture is inspired by God” (3:16). However, what is Paul referring to when he says “Scripture”? Up to this point, only the Old Testament existed as an accepted grouping of divine texts. Is Paul only suggesting that these 39 books are inspired? Paul’s words seem to be more broad that this. In fact, elements of the New Testament were already being circulated in the early church by this time and were regarded by those that used them as God’s authoritative word. Therefore, Paul is saying “all writings that are Scripture are inspired by God.” One commentator has said, “if we affirm that each part of Scripture is inspired, we come eventually to assert that its entire content is inspired.” Through the miracle of progressive revelation, what Paul said about all Scripture that came before him, applies to all that would come after he penned these famous words.

But what does it mean for Scripture to be “inspired”? “Inspired” in Greek is an amalgamation of two words qeoV (God) and pneustoV (breath). This is where the term, “God-breathed” comes from in some translations. To be “God-breathed” means that the Scriptures have their origin in the mind of God and are given through those that He has appointed to write them down all under control of the Holy Spirit. This is what distinguishes the Bible from all other texts.

In Creation, God breathed life into man, rendering us distinct from all other creatures and His representation (icon) on the earth. Similarly, God breathed His message to the world, distinguishing the Scriptures from all other writings as the representation of His plan through words.

That the Scriptures are “inspired” means that they are from God, and therefore totally trustworthy. However, it also means that they are incredibly useful.

Paul delineates the Scriptures’ usefulness for Timothy, a young and promising minister, in order that he might put the Scriptures to good use in His church and ministry. First, Paul suggests that the Scriptures are “profitable for teaching.” This means that Scripture is a positive source of Christian doctrine. Because of the proliferation of heresy in the early church, Paul emphasized the importance of good teaching (using the term “teaching” no less than 15 times in the Pastoral Epistles). Against all of the heresy in the world, and in contrast to all of the falsities of inferior belief systems, the Bible as God’s inspired Word is useful in that it provides the true knowledge about God and the world through the various doctrines it presents (Creation, Redemption, Sin, Man, etc.).  Do you want to know what to believe? Look no further than the Word of God.

The second way in which the Scripture can be used is “for reproof” or “rebuke” (3:16c). This term means to expose error, whether in wrong teaching or in one’s personal life. Therefore, Scripture is able to expose failures, clarify mistakes, and point the way out of sin. No other book can do this! Only God’s inspired word convicts the misguided and disobedient of their errors and restores them to the right path.

Thirdly, Paul says that the Scriptures are useful “for correction” (3:16d). This is the first of two positive ways in which the Scriptures can be utilized. “This term, ‘correction,’ used only here in the New Testament, suggests that Scripture helps individuals to restore their doctrine or personal practice to a right state before God” (Lea and Griffin, 237). What a great grace the Word of God is, for it not only exposes shortcomings, but points the way to correction. 

One other way in which the Bible is useful is “for training in righteousness” (3:16e) –that is moral training for righteous living. “Training” denotes a system of discipline that a parent might use to teach a child Christian character. Applied to the Scriptures, the Word itself provides a system of discipline that encourages holiness. The Word of God might be likened to dumbbells in the gym of sanctification as it provides the work out necessary for the believers to get into spiritual shape.

Paul desires for Timothy to understand the incredible authority and usefulness of the Word of God so that He might take full advantage of it in his life and ministry. Its inspiration is timeless and its usefulness gives it eternal relevance.

Think of a Swiss Army Knife. This timeless tool, though a singular object, has many different applications (a spoon, a knife, a screw, a toothpick, etc.). These tools are also timeless and will never be out of date. We will always eat with spoons, have use for knives, and get food stuck in our teeth. It is a timeless and useful tool in the wilderness. A similar treatment might be given to “irreplaceable” smart phones complete with all of their necessary apps. The same can be said of the Word of God on a much deeper level. Though a single book, it has many different applications (teaching, reproof, correction, and training) that will never become obsolete. This renders it an essential tool for the believer as he or she lives and ministers in this wicked world.

What do all of these applications work toward in the life of the believer? The answer is found as Paul communicates the purpose of the Word of God to Timothy in verse 17.

II. PART #2: THE PURPOSE OF THE WORD OF GOD-3:17

One of the reasons that the Word of God has been given with all of these applications is “so that the man of God may be adequate” (3:17). This is a veiled reference to Timothy himself, rendering this a very personal encouragement to a close friend. Paul wants Timothy to make the most of the Word of God and all it has to offer so that He might be adequate to the task that he has been given in the church that he leads in Ephesus.

This principle applies to all disciples in their own ministries. Whether God has called upon a disciple to pastor a church or minister to a shut-in, or faithfully serve in the church, all disciples have been called to a task(s) in their lives that they are not prepared for in and of themselves. The Word of God’s teaches what their task might be, rebukes them when they fail to complete it or veer from it, corrects them back to it, and trains them for it in the first place. Therefore, the Word of God is the educational, disciplinary, correctional, and training system through which each disciple is prepared for his or her calling.

However, just because the Bible sits there on a dusty coffee table or leans on a populated bookshelf does not mean that it is effective in this endeavor. Notice the mood of the verb “may be” before “adequate.” Though the Bible is a powerful and life-changing resource, it must be read, studied, obeyed, and applied for it to make a man or a woman of God adequate to the task they have been handed. The Bible’s usefulness is dependent on the believer’s acquisition, apprehension, and application of it.

What does it mean to be “adequate” for the task at hand? Thankfully, Paul gives the answer to Timothy when he says, “equipped for every good work” (3:17). The implied idea here is that if Timothy would “nurture his spiritual life in the Scriptures…, he would be fully qualified and prepared to undertake whatever task God put before him” (Lea and Griffin, 238). It would prove tragic for Timothy’s ministry in Ephesus if he was not spiritually prepared for the task at hand, especially since he had everything he needed to prepare himself when he had the Scriptures.

The same is true of believers today in their own lives and ministries. When believers fail to obey the Word of God and take advantage of all it has to offer, they will ultimately find themselves ill-prepared for the world in which they live. This would be similar to a student taking a final exam without every reading the textbook, a pianist at a recital without ever rehearsing, or an individual at the starting line of a marathon without ever having trained. A student cannot hope to do well unless he has studied. A musician cannot hope to sound pleasing unless he or she has practiced. A runner cannot hope to finish a marathon without proper training. Similarly, a believer cannot be expected to be used of God to do good works in any meaningful way unless he or she obeys God’s Word.

So What?

Obedience to the Word of God, according to Paul, is not only a resource to be used to know God, it is a transformative agent that God uses to help believers grow in Him so that they might be used of God to show good works to the world (Know, Grow, and Show). If Timothy took full advantage of all that the Bible is and does he could expect to be adequate to the task God called upon him to perform in the world and equipped for every corresponding good work. This was Paul’s wish for his “son in the faith.” This is also God’s wish for every believer. The Bible is God’s timeless and useful message in all situations. It will never become obsolete and will never loose staying power. Truly, the Word of God is not only the manual for survival in the life of every believer and every church, it is God’s prescriptive plan for thriving in the midst of this evil world. Its applications never need updating, it never needs to be replaced by a newer model, will never run the risk of crashing, and requires no warranty. When was the last time you immersed yourself in its pages, meditated on its words, and studied its passages?

Obedience to the word of God is essential to the task of the church, for the mission of God is one of the Word of God’s commands. How well you are obeying God’s Word can be directly connected to how well you are pursuing the mission of God in this world.