A High View of Scripture-Scripture has Authority

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

It is Inspired (16)

Let’s break these verses down and start with “all scripture”

It literally means “every scripture,” or “every passage of scripture.”

Take a look at v.15.

2 Timothy 3:15 NIV84

and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul is referencing the OT scriptures here. They are ALL God-breathed.

Well, what about the NT? Is it scripture since Paul wasn’t talking about that here?

Take a look at 2 Peter 3:16

2 Peter 3:16 NIV84

He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Peter not only shows that he is aware of Paul’s writings, but he also classifies them in the same category as the OT scripture.

Let’s look at a couple more NT examples to show us that these are indeed scripture.

1 Timothy 5:18 NIV84

For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”

Here, Paul is quoting Jesus’ words in Luke 10:7 and is calling them scripture.

Luke 10:7 NIV84

Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

Paul says this of his own words:

1 Corinthians 14:37 NIV84

If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.

So, since we establish the NT writings in the same category as the OT, being scripture, we are then okay to say that this verse here in 2 Timothy can and does refer to ALL SCRIPTURE.

Friends, remember, all scripture is inspired.

The table of contents aren’t scripture. Neither is your commentary on the bottom, middle, or the sides of the page. Neither is the chapters nor verses, nor the maps.

Scripture in itself is inspired by God. Be careful with translations. In your study, do the best you can to get a good modern translation you can read everyday and buy several others to reference as you study.

People always have one problem or another with translations.

Check out some of the names people call our favorites:

(NIV) Nearly Inspired Version

(KJV) The King Junk Version/Kingly Jargon Version

(NASB) New Apostate Standard Bible

(HCSB) Heavily Controlled by Southern Baptists

(ESV) Extra Spiritual Version

(CEV) Close Enough Version

(NLT) New Liberal Translation

(NJKV) Not the King James Version

(GNB) Gender Neutered Bible

People get all fired up about what translation to read or not read, but forget in their argument that they themselves are using a translation. Moreover, they are using a specific language translation.

I’m not going to get into it, but if you’d like more information on this, please check out Duvall and Hays, Grasping God’s Word chapter 9 or

Fee and Stuart’s How to Read the Bible For All It’s Worth. chapter 2

God’s Word is inspired.

When Moses says “In the beginning God created,” He did.

Genesis 1:1 NIV84

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

When God wrote His commandments in stone, they weren’t suggestions.

Exodus 31:18 NIV84

When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

When Jesus said “Repent and believe the Gospel,” we too must do this!

Mark 1:15 NIV84

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

God’s Word is inspired.

It is Profitable (16)

The NIV uses the word “useful.”

We hold a high view of scripture because it’s useful, or profitable.

Why is it useful?

God’s Word tell’s us if we continue reading:

For Teaching

As Christians, this is why we need to base our teaching upon scripture.

Be nervous when you hear, “you won’t find this in the Bible, but God revealed this to me.”

Run!

Be someone who asks lots of questions.

Where is that in the Bible?

Is that passage talking about that?

Am I being obedient to that Biblical teaching?

The word for “teaching,” brings with it this idea:

To know, to cause to learn, or to cause to know.

There is a purpose behind the teaching.

How many of us get up in the morning, get dressed, eat breakfast, take our vitamins, grab our car keys, get in the car and then have no where to go?

Nobody! We do all that stuff with purpose!

If we didn’t have “purpose” we’d stay home in our PJ’s.

Can I let you in on a secret?

There are times when I preach or teach and I can sometimes tell when people are just coming with no purpose.

Hebrews 4:12 NIV84

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

If this is true, when we’ve taken the time out of our day to stop and read a portion of God’s Word, we’ve put clothes on and got ourselves to a Bible study, or we are attending a preaching event, why wouldn’t we expect to be taught???

For Rebuking

We hold a high view of scripture and know the Word is profitable because it’s what we use for rebuking.

To rebuke is to tell someone they’ve done wrong.

What’s the American word we sometimes misuse in place of “rebuking?”

Judging

Let’s look at a Biblical example of rebuking:

Luke 3:19 NIV84

But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done,

The word doesn’t simply mean that you are telling someone that you don’t like what they are doing, you are telling them that they are in sin.

It’s not wrong to rebuke a believer.

It’s loving to tell them fornication is wrong. Stop it.

It’s loving to let them know gossip hurts their witness.

It’s the right thing to lovingly say, “those FB posts are inappropriate.”

In fact, it’s what Matt. 18:15 teaches

Matthew 18:15 NIV84

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

For Correcting

This word literally means, “the placing right again.”

Correction helps believers grow in Godly behavior.

For Training

Warren Wiersbe says that rebuking shows what is not right, correcting shows how to get right, and training shows us how to stay right.

It Equips us (17)

2 Timothy 3:17 NIV84

so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Briefly I’d like to break down this verse, because it’s important in our discussion on “holding a high view of scripture.”

“man of God”

Paul is referring to Christians here.

Christians are supposed to understand that ALL scripture is profitable.

What’s the problem then?

We kinda expect lost people to hold to this.

Some Christians are simply ignorant or immature, picking and choosing scripture.

Some who call themselves Christians, are not.

Do you claim to be a “man or woman of God?”

“may be thoroughly equipped”

Your translation may say “adequate, complete, or capable.”

The word “thoroughly” carries with it the idea of being proficient.

The word here for “thoroughly equipped” is a rare Greek word, used only here and in Acts 21:5.

4 And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem. 5 When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city.

The seven days were complete. Done.

Literally translated, this section says, “in order that the man of God may be qualified.”

When we hold a high view of scripture, we study it, meditate upon it, discuss it with both the lost and the saved, and love it, it will thoroughly equip you for what you need in your daily walk.

“for every good work”

Scripture fulfills the work of ministry.

Listen to what Paul said to Timothy in chapter 4.

2 Timothy 4:1–5 NIV84

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; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men 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. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

God didn’t send Christ to die for your sins in order that you"do good,” but that you would do the good that He meant for you to do.

This includes growing in and learning His Word.

Being prepared to preach and teach. Preaching here means to “publically announce Christian truths while urging for acceptance and compliance.” Louw Nida 33.256

Doing good work means to be ready at all times to share the Good News.

It means to rebuke and correct wrong teaching.

It means to pay attention to false teachers AND those who are looking for it.

At this time of invitation, let me first ask you if you hold a high view of scripture.

When the Bible teaches salvation comes through grace by faith, do you believe this, or are you trying to be “good enough?”

Do you believe all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory?

Do you put more faith in what the Bible tells us, or what your lost science teacher taught you?

Can you share from scripture words of life to a dying person?

My invitation is different today.

We are going to sing all stanzas of our hymn, and here’s why:

I’d like to challenge those who’ve committed to reaching 2,017 people in 2017 to come to the altar, or the front pew and pray for a moment. Pray for those you reach, and those you are about to come into contact with.

Also, if you are here today and want to learn more about why you are separated from God due to your sins, I want you to do one of two things. Come while everyone else is and talk to me, or send me a text telling me you’d like to talk to me today.