Will The Spirit Contradict The Bible?

Is it possible for the Spirit of God to teach us something different from the Bible’s statements? Must I choose between Bible knowledge and spiritual power? Is it pleasing to God to base my beliefs on my feelings and experiences? Should I discard a belief if it does not match the Bible’s statements? These are real questions sincere Believers grapple with on a regular basis. This is largely because “Christianity” in the modern world is extremely diverse in its practices. This is not only true when considering the entire country, but also within the average size city. In addition, there are a number of methods employed by Christians to interpret the Bible. Different groups have come to different conclusions based on their system of interpreting the Bible. Some movements emphasize Bible content, others the fundamentals of the faith, while yet others place more stock in experiences and feelings. As a result worship styles vary vastly across the land. My point here is not to debate worship styles, but to look at something more foundational to our spiritual formation. What is that you ask? Well…how we view the ministry of the Spirit of truth and His usages of the Word of truth to develop and mature disciples for the Lord Jesus. More specifically, should we be satisfied with any beliefs that do not match the Bible’s teachings? Is what we believe the same as what God believes? Such considerations focus our attention on the Author and the best Teacher of the Bible. Yes, God wants to teach us the Bible to establish how we view all of life.

THE INSPIRER OF SCRIPTURE

Think with me about the thoughts of Paul beginning in 1Corinthians 2:13, where we discover the Spirit inspires the truths He teaches to believers. So the Spirit is the Revealer, Investigator, and Inspirer of Truth! That is correct; the Spirit is the divine Author of the Holy Scriptures (2Pet. 1:19-21). Consider carefully Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 2:13, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” Recall how the Lord Jesus promised that the Spirit would faithfully teach His followers (John 14:26) and skillfully guide us into all facets of God’s eternal truth (John 16:13). It is also important to note carefully the sequence here: the Spirit taught Paul from the Word, and Paul then taught the believers. The truth of God is found in the Word of God because of inspiration. The Word is truth! Being taught by the Spirit is not a subjective intra-personal subliminal mental exercise! No, it is attention to objective inspired truth! The words of a self-proclaimed prophet may not be true at all, and the words and comments of a sincere pastor may be entirely wrong as well.  Truth is always found in God’s written Word. You may not be able to trust what well intentioned men say, but you can trust the Word of God.  Specifically, I trust my King James Bible.

In addition, it is very important to note that these spiritual truths Paul is referring to are given in specific “words.”  Yes, like other faithful Bible students, I believe in the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures. In the Bible, we Christians have much more than inspired thoughts; we have inspired words—words from the heart of God. Read carefully and thoughtfully what the Lord Jesus says, “For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest” (John 17:8). Jesus was referring to the verbal units that comprise thoughts and concepts; Beloved, He recognizes them as having belonged to God. By Verbal Inspiration is meant the very words of Scripture are God’s words. Inspiration goes beyond the concepts and message to the actual words. It is through specific words that we convey our exact meaning and message. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew  4:4,  “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Again Christ places extraordinary weight on the actual wording of a sentence of Scripture and not merely the general concepts. In this light it is utterly consistent to conclude the Bible is actually God’s Word. Yes, the Bible’s content testifies to the fact that God is its actual Author. Like anything God communicates, His words and message to us Christians is absolutely reliable and free of any error because of the Great Inspirer—The Holy Spirit.

THE INSTRUCTOR OF SCRIPTURE

Still how does the Spirit teach the believer? First of all Paul employed the word “teacheth” (1Cor. 2:13) to describe the Spirit’s work. The Spirit is the Teacher; He desires to instruct and guide every genuine child of God through the wealth of the Scriptures. Robertson (1931, Volume 4, p. 88,) in Word Pictures in the New Testament viewed this word as a reference to the teaching ministry of the Spirit.  Note his comment, “Paul claims the help of the Holy Spirit in the utterance … of the words, which the Spirit teacheth… in words taught by the Spirit”. Therefore one taught by God would be considered ‘instructed’ from a subjective standpoint, but objectively they were given spiritual insights ‘communicated by teaching.’ Thus the apostles were Spirit taught. The Spirit of God taught them objective spiritual truth.

The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Zodhiates 1993) says this Greek word means “to teach” and states,

In 1 Cor. 2:13 it refers to things or lessons taught or imparted or suggested by the Holy Spirit as contrasted to the things taught by words of human wisdom. There are things that are not taught by human wisdom but by God's Spirit, and the possibility of that learning is with everybody as the word "all" makes clear in John 6:45.

One natural implication is that all believers are taught by the Spirit as they yield to Him. One more comment here will suffice to communicate most conclusively the teaching ministry of the Spirit directly and through human instrumentality. Paul emphasized that the intellectuals of this world could not teach the knowledge he was giving to the Corinthian believers. It has been further suggested (Nelson Study Bible 1997) that the Spirit did not simply dictate words to Paul and the other apostles; He taught them. The apostles related with their own vocabulary and style what they had learned from the Spirit. Thus in many regards they wrote and taught Scripture from highly developed understandings of the material.

 Not only does the Spirit teach directly and indirectly, but He combines and compares “spiritual things with spiritual” realities (1Cor. 2:13). He habitually shows the relationship between concepts and truths. The Spirit repeats and reminds the student of the insights, messages, and truths He has taught us previously (John 14:26). He relates the formerly learned truth to something new he desires to educate and edify with. Then the Spirit wisely leads the child of God into new discoveries, new insights, and new applications of old truth. The grandness of this privilege cannot be overstated—believers are taught by God! What a blessing it is to research, compare passages, cross reference verses, and grasp Bible terms as the Spirit of the Living God reveals truths about the Father, the Lord Jesus, Himself, redemption, sanctification and on and on the wonderful list goes. One of the joys of Bible study is suddenly seeing a concept in broader biblical usages. Another blessing is realizing that I have been brought to a certain conclusion by the Spirit’s teaching ministry in my life. Beloved, how cool is that!

What a wonder to witness the Spirit combining, connecting, and linking spiritual realities to other truths. With awesome skill He carefully synchronizes, blends, inculcates, compares, distinguish, contrasts, and harmonizes God’s truths to the benefit of the believer’s comprehension of God and His will. The tragedy of all tragedies is many Christians are too busy or too distracted by the entertainment world for this kind of research and quiet meditation before the Word.  The priorities of worldliness, materialism, and personal achievement have effectively crowd out any faint ambitions to know God intimately. The result is a spiritually bankrupt brand of Christianity where all types of maladies further and hasten its deterioration. This is why Christians are so impoverished, weakened, and ignorant of God. It is not that Christianity is irrelevant, or inconsequential. No Christians are attempting to live without a Spirit-taught knowledge of God. What enrichment they forfeit, what peace they forego, and what principles they live without! Warren Wiersbe (1989, Vol. 1, p. 576) in The Bible Exposition Commentary said further,

The Holy Spirit is like a householder who “bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old” (Matt 13:52). The new always comes out of the old and helps us better understand the old. God gives us new insights into old truths as we compare one part of Scripture with another. Jesus based His teaching on the Old Testament, yet people were amazed at what He taught because it was so fresh and exciting.  I suggest that you make time every day to read the Word and meditate on it. Follow a regular schedule in your reading and give yourself time to pray, think, and meditate. Let the Spirit of God search the Word and teach you. The study and application of basic Bible doctrine can transform your life.

Beloved, life was designed to be experienced with God; God created us for Himself. We are grossly incomplete without Him. The Holy Spirit’s teaching and instruction ministry in our lives brings us into some realizations of this original design of God. Mentoring and coaching are intimate interactions among people. The same is true of the Spirit’s mentoring and teaching ministry in our lives. Some lessons we will enjoy more than other. There will be occasions when the Spirit confronts our sin and seeks restoration with God. While this may feel uncomfortable it is so vital to our spiritual formation. We can count on the Spirit to always be timely and relevant in what He teaches us because He knows us far better than we know ourselves. Trust His guidance from one subject to the next knowing He always has our highest good in mind.

Lastly, prepare yourself for a few surprises. The Spirit will correct our misconception about God more than once. You and I do not know yet what we presently know wrongly. Again trust the Spirit of God to carefully guide you through the applicable Bible passages to help you come to the correct conclusions. Honestly, all of us without any exception have some misconceptions about God that requires tweaking. Just be honest with God and submissive to the Scriptures.

Remember, what the Spirit of God teaches will always be consistent with what is taught in the body of Scripture. The Holy Spirit is not confused. He does not impress us with ideas or concepts that contradict His own statements in the Bible. The Spirit teaches from the Bible. If we think or believe something and it does not align with the Scriptures, then we have believed a lie. The Spirit of God is the Author and Teacher of the Bible. He will not lead you and me to contradictory conclusions. He always agrees with the Bible He wrote. I have heard sincere Christians say, “I do not care what the Bible says…I know what the Spirit of God told me!” I have also witnessed Christians saying, “I just go with it…I cannot explain it from the Bible, but I believe it is of the Spirit of God.” May I say with all humility of heart, that the Bible’s statements matter most to the Spirit of God, and He will not show us or teach us anything that is not consistent with His Bible. Our experiences do not establish truth; the Bible is truth. Our conclusions do not establish truth; the Bible is truth according to the Lord Jesus (Jn. 17:17). The Spirit of Truth (Jn. 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 1Jn. 4:6) will only communicate truth from the Word of Truth (2Cor. 6:7; Eph. 1:13; 2Tim. 2:15; Js. 1:18) as written in the Bible. Beloved, when we believe something claiming it is from the Spirit of Truth, but cannot substantiate that conclusion from the Word of Truth, it is quite likely we have believed a lie. Listen carefully…have the faith and holy courage to take what the Bible clearly says when correctly interpreted over what you feel, have experienced, or think. Submit yourself to the teaching and instructing ministry of the Spirit of God on that subject with the hope of emerging from that study with a correct perception of God and His Word. Whenever you open your Bible, ask the Spirit of Truth to teach and guide you into all truth. He will teach you wondrous things out of His holy Book. May you know wonderful blessings as you chose to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus and a student of the Spirit in the Word of God. 

Isn't The Bible Outdated?

Text: 1 Peter 1:23-2:3; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:15-17

Theme: The Bible is still relevant because of its origin, central theme, enduring character, unique power, and usefulness to humanity. 

Relevance:

Why is the Bible so important? The Bible is … a massive historical presence. Its influence on nearly every area of life is difficult to exaggerate. Suffice it to say, the world would be a darker, uglier, crueler place than we can imagine if it were not for the light, beauty, and love revealed in the Bible. –Max Anders

If we do not understand how important the Bible is we will miss the opportunity we have to learn and apply its wisdom in life. We are living in a time when the perceived value of the Bible for society, culture, and individuals is diminishing. We must understand the importance of the Bible so that we will know why we should champion the message of the Bible for society, culture, and the individual.(Anders)

Introduction:

Christianity is the true worship and service of the true God, humankind’s Creator and Redeemer. It is a religion that rests on revelation: nobody would know the truth about God, or be able to relate to him in a personal way, had not God first acted to make himself known. But God has so acted, and the sixty-six books of the Bible, thirty-nine written before Christ came and twenty-seven after, are together the record, interpretation, expression, and embodiment of his self-disclosure. God and godliness are the Bible’s uniting themes. –Packer, J. I.: Concise Theology

Lesson:

I.                   The Divine Origin of the Bible—Where did the Bible Come from?

A.     The Fact of the Divine Origin of the Bible.

1.  The Bible claims this for itself.

                                                                     i.            For the Old Testament.

a.       The Old Testament came from God (2Tim 3:16-17).

b.       The Scriptures are God-breathed.

c.       The entire Bible is inspired.

                                                                   ii.            For the New Testament.

a.       Peter refers to Paul’s letters as Scripture (2 Pet. 3:15-16), and Paul called Luke’s gospel Scripture in 1 Timothy 5:18, where he quotes the words of Luke 10:7.

b.       1 Thess. 2:13—“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”

c.       The Holy Spirit superintended the giving of the Word and helps us understand it (Jn. 14:26; 16:13; 15:26, 27).

2.  The Bible evidences this for itself.

                                                                     i.            By its tremendous unity throughout in spite of the forty different writers.

                                                                   ii.            By its consistent and continuous emphasis on God, Christ, and godliness throughout in spite of the fact it was written over the course of 1, 500 years.

                                                                  iii.            This unity and consistency points to One Author of Scripture—the Holy Spirit.

B.     The Meaning of the Divine Origin of the Bible.

1.  Revelation (1Cor. 2:9-11).

                                                                     i.            To know the mind of God, there must be some revelation from Him. The word "revelation" simply means a revealing, and in theology is applied to God's revealing of Himself to mankind.

                                                                   ii.            Without revelation, we would not know anything about God -or even that there is a God. Thus we begin this study with the premise that God desires to make Himself known to man, and has in fact revealed Himself at various times and in different ways (Deut. 29:29)

                                                                  iii.            Hebrews 1:1-2,  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, [2] Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

2.  Inspiration (1Cor. 2:12, 13).

                                                                     i.          Inspiration deals with God giving us the Bible and overseeing the process of recording His revelation without error.  Having revealed Himself to man, God then had this revelation recorded in written form.

                                                                   ii.            Inspiration refers to God as the Author of the Bible.

a.       He inspired the very words of Scripture (Jer. 1:9; Matt. 24:35; 1Cor 2:13).

b.       The entire body of Scripture is equally inspired—“all” (2Tim. 3:16).

c.       The Scriptures are the product of divine and human cooperation—this is known as confluent inspiration (Acts 4:25; 13:35; Isa. 8:1).

d.       The Scriptures are free of error in their teaching (Ps. 119:160; Jn. 17:17).

                                                                  iii.            Since the Bible is given to mankind by inspiration of God then it is not merely the writings of men but they find their source in Jehovah. The reliability of the Scriptures rest in the Power, Sovereignty, and Wisdom of an All Mighty God, and not human strength or frailty! See 2 Peter 1:20, 21.

                                                                 iv.            Since God inspired the Bible it must be true from beginning to end (Ps. 119:160).

3. Illumination (1Cor. 2:14-3:4).

                                                                     i.          Illumination refers to the ministry of the Holy Spirit that enables believers to properly understand Scripture. This is not how we received God’s Word, only how we understand what God has written.

                                                                   ii.            The Author of the Bible really is the best Interpreter and Teacher of His Book (Jn. 14:26; 16:13; 1Jn. 2:20, 27)!

                                                                  iii.            Greater illumination and spiritual discernment will come with obedience, disciplined study, faith, and maturity in the Word (Matt. 13:12; Mark 4:24, 25; Heb. 5:11-14). There is no short cut to an in dept Biblical perspective.

a.       God does not communicate to us through occult practices and methods (Lev. 19:26, 31).

b.       Pursue the wisdom that comes from God; it is far superior to demonic and worldly wisdom (Dan. 1:16-21; 2:10, 19-23, 28-30).

II.                The Central Theme of the Bible—What does the Bible say to us?

A.     The Central Theme is God and Godliness (John 17:3; Eph. 1:17-20).

1. Do You Really Know Him? There’s a big difference between knowing about someone, and really knowing that person. Many people make this mistake when it comes to knowing God. They think that because they have gone to church a few times or have read bits and pieces of the Bible, they know God. But that’s not necessarily true! You can have stacks of factual information about God filed away in your mind, but not have a personal relationship with Him. (Packer)

                                                                     i.            When you really know someone, you know many things about that person—that person’s goals, concerns, and joys. You know that person’s heart.

                                                                   ii.            How about you? Do you know a lot of information about God, or do you really know God’s heart?

                                                                  iii.            Knowing About God Is Not the Same as Knowing God.

a.       Many people have knowledge about religion, Christianity, and the Bible. But intellectual knowledge is not the same as vital faith. Knowing about God is not the same as having a personal relationship with Him.

b.       This is clear from everyday relationships. Reading books on marriage is not the same as spending time with your spouse. Knowing someone’s phone number is a far cry from enjoying friendship with that person. Knowing who one’s customers are is not the same as dealing with a specific customer.

c.       In the same way, knowing God involves far more than knowing about Him. Information alone does not produce tangible faith. To be sure, right thinking is involved in faith, but faith is more than mere knowledge. (Anders)

2. Scripture speaks of “knowing” God as the spiritual person’s ideal lifestyle. Particularly, ‘knowing God’ is the fullness of a faith-relationship with Him that brings salvation and eternal life.  A relationship that generates love, hope, obedience, and joy. (See, for example, Exod. 33:13; Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:8-12; Dan. 11:32; John 17:3; Gal. 4:8-9; Eph. 1:17-19; 3:19; Phil. 3:8-11; 2 Tim. 1:12.) (Packer)

                                                                     i.            There are three dimensions of this knowledge. The first is intellectual (knowing the truth about God: Deut. 7:9; Ps. 100:3); secondly is volitional (trusting, obeying, and worshiping God in terms of that truth); and lastly moral (practicing justice and love: Jer. 22:16; 1 John 4:7-8).

                                                                   ii.            The knowledge-relationship is reciprocal, implying covenantal affection on both sides: we know God as ours because he knows us as his (John 10:14; Gal. 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:19). (Packer)

                                                                  iii.            All Scripture has been given to help us know God in this way. Let us labor to use it for its proper purpose. –Adapted from Packer, J. I.: Concise Theology

3. The knowledge of God and His grace for daily living are disclosed in the promises of God—the Scriptures (2Pet. 1:2-4). The Scriptures reveal God that we might know Him and interact with Him accordingly—godliness.

4. Of all the names given to the Bible, “The Word of God” (Mark 7:13; Rom. 10:17; 2 Cor. 2:17; Heb. 4:12; 1 Thess. 2:13) is doubtless the most significant, impressive, and complete. This title not only implies authority and authorship, but also the Bible’s great theme—God. (Prisk)

B.     The Central Personality is Jesus Christ (Jn. 5:39, 46, 47).

They did not realize that the OT Scriptures telling of the coming Messiah were actually telling about Jesus. It is terrible to think that men with the Scriptures in their hands could be so blind. But it was even more inexcusable that after the Lord Jesus spoke to them in this way, they still refused to accept Him. … The main subject of the OT was the coming of Christ. If anyone misses that in studying the OT, he misses the most important part of it. –MacDonald: Believer's Bible Commentary

1. The Bible tells us about Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27, 44).

2. Look for the Lord Jesus as you read and study and the entire Bible will begin to open up to you.

C.     The Central Presentation is Christ’s Suffering and Glory (1Peter 1:10, 11).

1. The OT is Christ predicted; the Gospels is Christ provided; Acts is Christ proclaimed; the Epistles is Christ possessed; and the Revelation is Christ predominant.

2. In the OT we see Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King in types and prophecy.  In the Gospels he is Prophet; in Acts and the Epistles He is Priest; and in the Revelation He is King.

3. The OT presents the Christ of prophecy; the Gospels the Christ of history; in Acts and the Epistles he is the Christ of experience; and the Revelation, the Christ of glory.

III.             The Enduring Character of the Bible—Can we be certain we have the Bible today?

Without the Bible's teachings on the preservation of the Scriptures, we could never be sure we have the Bible today. Clearly Paul and Timothy believed they had in their possession the Scriptures two thousand years ago (2 Tim. 3:15-17). They did not have the original autographs (from 1500 to 450 years before) but they did have accurate copies of them. Paul viewed these copies as Scripture. We should view accurate copies and faithful translations (German, English, Spanish, and Japaneses) as Scripture today. 

A.     The Bible is an Eternal Book (Ps. 33:11; 119:98; Matt. 24:35).

1. If God inspired the Bible to insure we would have exactly what He said, then it only make sense that He would undertake to ensure that the Bible remains available to humanity in a pure form.

2. Faith accepts the fact that God will keep His promise to preserve His Word, working providentially by the same Spirit through the process of copying and translation to give us the very words He desires—Robert J. Sargent

3. On numerous occasions, Satan has attempted to remove the Bible from the face of the earth. Hellish decrees by wicked men have seen the Bible banned, burnt, and banished, then battered by scornful critics. …Down through the centuries God has marvelously and miraculously preserved His Word from destruction.—Robert J. Sargent

B.     The Bible is an Extended Book (Ps. 12:6, 7).

Like the purest silver known the Lord’s words are completely pure and perfectly true. What God says is truly untarnished, fully dependable and utterly reliable. There is no deceit, no flattery, no double meaning, no error in God’s Word. The Bible can be fully trusted.

1. Consider the extent of preservation—“words.”

2. Consider the period of preservation—“for ever.”

3. Consider the Person of preservation—“Thou.”

4. Consider other clear statements of God’s intent to maintain the Bible in perpetuity and purity (Ps. 119:89, 152, 160; 1Pet. 1:23, 25). God’s Word is still His Word when properly copied and translated. This is difficult to grasp, but the Bible teaches it repeatedly. We are always wise to believe God instead of men. (Sargent)

C.     The Bible is an Enduring Book (1Pet. 1:24, 25).

1. God’s Word is imperishable, living, and enduring. His incorruptible Word stands forever. This never dying seed is the message of good news which was preached to sinners and by it we are born again. It is the source of our eternal life.

2. Being born again . . . by the word of God. How tenuous [weak] a matter regeneration seems to the human mind, resting, as it does, only on God’s word. But Peter quotes Isaiah’s grand assertion that this seemingly frail, invisible entity—God’s word—will outlast all natural phenomena (Isa 40:6-8). And this is the word that gives significance to their faith and to themselves. –Pfeiffer, Charles F. : The Wycliffe Bible Commentary

3. I personally use the King James Bible (KJV) because of it's faithful textual origins, the method of its translation, the spiritual devotion and skill of its translators, and 400 years history of divine blessings, revivals, and great awakenings throughout the English speaking world. It is absolutely peerless among modern English translations.

IV.              The Unique Power of the Bible—What can the Bible do for us?

The Bible is not a dusty old book of dead history, useless stories, and exaggerated myths. Instead it is alive with piercing and penetrating power—a truly powerful book (Heb. 4:12).

A.     It is the Medium of Spiritual Life.

1. People are born again through faith in the life giving message of the Gospel (1Pet. 1:23; Js. 1:18; Ps. 19:7). The Spirit uses the seed of the Word to produce the miracle of the new birth.

2.  In James 1:18, “begat” means “to breed forth,” “to be born,” “to generate” (figuratively).

                                                                     i.            “Begat” is used metaphorically to describe the gracious act of God in giving to repentant sinners the nature and disposition of “children” imparting to us spiritual life–a new nature.

                                                                   ii.            See the following verses (John 3:3, 5, 7; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 5, 18).

3. Our Heavenly Father gave us the New Birth by the “Word of truth”–the Gospel (2 Cor 6:7; Col 1:5; Eph 1:13; 2 Tim 2:15).

                                                                     i.The Gospel is the message marked by truth (1Cor. 15:1-4), the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

                                                                   ii.We hear about the gift of birth through the reading and preaching of the Gospel, and we respond to it in faith. We apply the message to ourselves and our needs. We receive the offered gift. It is God’s gift as he gives it and becomes our gift when we receive it.

B.     It is the Method of Spiritual Cleansing (1Pet. 1:22; 2:1; Ps. 119:9).

1. Christians are cleansed and purified through its teachings by adhering to the Bible (Jn. 15:3; 17:17; Eph. 5:26).

2. The Bible has the power to reveal and point out our sinfulness in thought, motive, and deed. It also directs us to the priesthood of Christ and the cleansing power of His blood for purging and decontamination.

3. By reading and obeying the Scriptures a Christian becomes more Christ-like and daily his life is kept from that which defiles his heart, spirit, mind, body, and soul. But a neglect of the Word on a daily basis permits filth and wickedness to accumulate in the soul and practices. Sin creeps into our habits when we neglect the Word.

C.     It is the Means of Spiritual Growth (1Pet. 2:2; Matt. 4:4).

1. Bible reading, study, and meditation provide food to nourish the soul of the believer. This is essential to real spiritual growth (Ps. 1:1-3; Josh. 1:8).

2. This obligation flows from our new birth. It is to have an insatiable craving for the pure spiritual milk of the word. While sinful practices will stunt spiritual growth; the good Word of God nourishes it.  Both young and old in the faith, are to have a thirst for Scripture likened unto hungry infants who cry for milk at mealtime. Cultivate a healthy appetite for God’s Word. Our desire for the Word should be as strong as a healthy baby who impatiently, aggressively, determinedly sucks and swallows.

3. One solid motivation for studying the Word is to grow up in the Lord. Spiritual maturity should be a priority for every believer in Christ (Eph. 2:21; 4:15; 2Thess. 1:3; 2Pet. 3:18).

D.     It is the Message of Spiritual Men (1Pet. 1:25).

1. The message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 1:16; 4:25).

2. The apostles Peter and Paul preached this message to their generation. It was adequate then and it is still sufficient for the need of fallen mankind today.

3. This gospel is to be preached around the world to every creature in our generation also.

V.                 The Spiritual Application of the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16)—How should the Bible fit in my life?

Tens of millions of adults are rediscovering the Bible and are seeking a deeper relationship with God. A recent poll reported in U.S. News & World Report revealed that “more than 80 percent [of Americans], including 71 percent of college graduates, believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God.” In the same poll, 76 percent of the respondents believe that “God is a heavenly father who can be reached by prayers.” He is not merely an “idea” or an “impersonal creator.”

Yet, questions abound concerning the Bible and God, especially in regard to what it means to be a contemporary Christian in a secular society. Does being a Christian mean you should give up your career and become a monk? Should you donate your designer clothing to the poor and replace them with drab rags? If being a Christian means following Jesus, how can you bridge the two-thousand-year gap between His time and ours? What does it mean to be like Jesus today? –Ken Abraham and Dietrich Gruen: Experiencing the Word in Your Life

A.     Scripture is Profitable for Doctrine. That is it tells us what is right (2 Tim. 3:16).

1. Doctrine is what the Word says on any given subject—Bible teachings. Teaching refers to the content of truth. It always flows from and is consistent with Scripture.

2. Since the Bible is “inspired or God-breathed,” we are reminded of its authority. Bible teachings are not like mere human opinions; they are backed with divine authority. Doctrine that contradicts biblical teachings is to be rejected, corrected, or replaced by accurate teaching.

3. Doctrine—What basic truth does God wants me to know and is taught in this passage?

B.     Scripture is Profitable for Reproof. That is it tells us what is wrong (2 Tim. 3:16).

1. Reproof exposes areas in our thinking and behavior that do not line up with the Word.  Reproof is rebuking sin. Yes, God's Word rebukes and reproves our sinfulness. 

2. The initial impact of true doctrine involves the confrontation of false teaching and understanding. The offensiveness of some who teach biblical truth may have to be excused, but the offensiveness of biblical truth to error and evil requires no apology.

3. Reproof—What error in judgment, understanding, or behavior might this passage be reproving in my life?

C.     Scripture is Profitable for Correction. That is it tells us how to make it right (2 Tim. 3:16).

1. Correction is taking the necessary steps to correct whatever is wrong. It includes confessing and forsaking the wrong. Correction helps us straighten out errors.

2. In the area of correction, the Scriptures have two roles: (1) they provide a complete presentation of the teaching, where only part of the truth has been present; and (2) they provide for a right understanding and application where true doctrine may have been taught but has not taken effect.

3. Correction—How might this passage correct, balance, or direct me?

D.     Scripture is Profitable for Instruction. That is it tells us how to keep it right (2 Tim. 3:16).

1. Instruction in Righteousness is using the Bible as a handbook for living. It shows us how God intended for us to live righteously. Training in righteous living shows us how to please and glorify God. (MacDonald)

2. The ideal setting for doctrine includes the kind of preparation that minimizes the need for later reproof and correction. The nature of Scripture allows us to teach it confidently to our children and to learn from it ourselves.

3. Instruction (Training)—What does this passage present to prepare me for some future spiritual challenge?

Conclusion:

Knowing these truths about the Bible, how then should we respond to it? What Scripture says, God says; for, in a manner comparable only to the deeper mystery of the Incarnation, the Bible is both fully human and fully divine. So all its manifold contents—histories, prophecies, poems, songs, wisdom writings, sermons, statistics, letters, and whatever else—should be received as from God, and all that Bible writers teach should be revered as God’s authoritative instruction. Christians should be grateful to God for the gift of his written Word, and conscientious in basing their faith and life entirely and exclusively upon it. Otherwise, we cannot ever honor or please him as he calls us to do. –Packer, J. I.: Concise Theology