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Thus saith the Lord
Rev. Tim Zielinski, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church
07-30-2010
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
The great question of philosophy has got to be, "What is the basis upon which you judge something to be right or wrong?" It is not hard to see that a man is right in his own eyes. For instance, I believe that the Dallas Cowboys is the greatest team in the NFL. All the Kansas City Chiefs fans (those who have continued to read) disagree with me. The question is, by what criterion do I use to come to my conclusion? I think that if we all used the criterion of who won the Super Bowl we will realize that the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs are in the same place at least for last year, though the Cowboys have won more that the Chiefs!
One of the greatest errors to be voiced is the "all roads lead to Rome." In other words it is all up to you and the majority. This mind set has catastrophic implications, not only in morality, but also in the realm of faith. If we were created, then there is a creator, and if there is a creator then there is a design. Paul wrote to Timothy concerning his tasks as a pastor, and as he instructed him, he moored his task to a solid foundation: the revealed word of God.
In verse 16, the Bible clarifies for us that all scripture is given by God. The term "inspired" means breathed out. God breathed out or spoke His word and as we compare scripture to scripture we discover that this process did involve men who penned the word. The authority or baseline has been set -- the Bible, and was set by the creator -- God. The implications are great! The Bible is not a book of good ole stories of cultures past, but a revelation of God's word to man, and a record of witness as to God working in the affairs of men.
Paul continued on to say that the inspired word of God is profitable. This means that it has a purpose and is not a book to past time away. The Bible is profitable for doctrine. In a day when man cries that doctrine be put aside and love to reign, the Bible is clear that we love by our doctrine! The Bible will lead us to what is right doctrine or what to believe.
The Bible is also useful in protecting us. It is profitable for re-proof. I hated turning in term papers in college because I knew that the re-proof would be great for I am a terrible writer. The Bible not only leads us to what is right to believe, but also is the only effective tool to expose what not to believe. This again, lends to the importance of doctrine.
The Bible also gives us guidance. Continuing on with verse 16, we see that the scriptures are profitable for correction. This is a nautical term used to describe a ship that is changing its course. To make a correction is to go from heading in one direction to another. The scriptures not only tell us what to believe and what not to believe, but also how not to behave. This is the application of our doctrine.
Finally, the Bible also gives us positive guidance. The scripture is profitable for correction and instruction. Whereas the correction is referring to change of putting off, instruction is referring to change of putting on. The Bible also tells us how not to behave. This again is our doctrine in motion.
Verse 17 concludes the whole issue. Man can only know God through His revealed word. This is the design and all others will lead to confusion and a missing of the mark. There is an element of inclusivism in this verse: thoroughly furnish unto ALL good works! For us to lay aside the Bible or to dismiss it as a compilation of folklore stories, then we are doomed. The Bible is a great gift given to man.
How are you treating it? Do you plumb the depths of its pages to receive its theology? It is impossible to divorce our application from our doctrine!
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