The Infallible Book

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.[1]

God is described as the One who never lies [Titus 1:2]. If God cannot lie, we should enjoy great confidence in the veracity and in the accuracy of the Bible. This is especially true if it can be demonstrated that the Bible is the Word of God. Of course, the Scriptures are frequently identified as the Word of God. Here are a few examples.

To the Corinthians, Paul affirmed the ministry of the missionary band which had ministered to them when he wrote, we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ [2 Corinthians 2:17].

He denied any tendency of those same missionaries to play fast and loose with the revealed Word of God. He wrote, we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word [2 Corinthians 4:2].

He claimed in the Colossian letter that he became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known [Colossians 1:25].

The message he had declared, and which was also placed in written form, was received not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers [1 Thessalonians 2:13].

The food we eat is to be received with thanksgiving, because it is made holy by the word of God and prayer [1 Timothy 4:5].

Despite being bound with chains as though he were a criminal, the Apostle could nevertheless rejoice because the word of God is not bound [2 Timothy 2:9]!

Older women are responsible to train younger women to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled [Titus 2:5].

In this brief study of a few of the instances where the Scriptures are spoken of as the Word of God, it should be apparent that the words written in your Bible should be received with confidence. This is the inerrant, infallible Word of God. We are not at the mercy of mere emotion or subject to the whims of mere mortals to reveal the mind of God. We have something more sure, the prophetic word [2 Peter 1:19], to which we may resort. We have a revelation which did not arise in the will of mere mortals long dead, but we know that men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit [2 Peter 1:21].

It is this infallible book to which we turn our attention in this hour. In all the world, there exists no other book, no other Word, which can be said to be infallible—flawless. I ask you to focus with me on the last letter from the Apostle, written to Timothy, his erstwhile travelling companion who had been appointed to the pastorate of the Church in Ephesus. In 2 Timothy 3:14-17 we find our text.

The Setting of the Revelation — In the preceding verses [2 Timothy 3:10-13], the Apostle sets the stage for this particular revelation which concerns the Word of God. Without that setting, we will be bereft of the meaning of what God chooses to reveal. You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

I understand the revelation to indicate that as time moves toward a conclusion, the Word of God will be increasingly doubted. The godly will experience increasing persecution as the age moves to its consummation. Evil people and impostors will increasingly be evident as the age nears its end. This does not necessarily mean that the saints will be jailed or tortured, though that possibility does exist. What is more evident is that the people of God who believe the Word will be increasingly marginalised.

I read the news reports and I am dismayed to realise that the Word of God anticipated the conditions prevailing in these last days. Increasingly, scholars, even those supported through the gifts of evangelicals and Baptist, cast doubt on the Word of God. Clark Pinnock was during the 1960s a biblical scholar who strongly defended the Bible as inerrant and infallible. He was assured that God is sovereign, omnipotent and omniscient. Today, Professor Pinnock, paid with moneys donated by the Baptists of Canada, is an universalist—he believes everyone will be saved. He is an avowed annihilationist—he denies that God would condemn any soul to hell. He no longer believes the Bible to be accurate or authoritative. He ridicules those who hold to the positions he once espoused. He is just one of a growing multitude of professors who have deserted the Faith, and who teaches what people desire to assuage their itching ears.

Increasingly, Christians are marginalised. Let me give an example to illustrate what I mean. On September 11, 2001, a day of international infamy, Islamic thugs pirated aeroplanes belonging to companies registered in the United States of America and turned those planes into great, flying bombs to murder thousands of innocent people in New York and Washington, D.C. Immediately, government leaders around the world began to worry that Muslims would be insulted if it were acknowledged that young, Arabic males between the ages of seventeen and forty-four were the murderers.

Christians, especially, were cautioned to be careful in their speech. Islam, we are constantly assured, is a religion of peace. That is true, if you accept the peace of the graveyard. In an article published in Christianity Today, Jeff Sellers states that “no Friday passes without at least one … execution in the public square [in the Saudi capital of Riyadh] following the noon prayers. Apostates—those who renounce Islam—are beheaded, and blasphemers—Christians—are hanged.[2]

Jerry Vines, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida, speaking at the Pastors Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention during meetings in Saint Louis, Missouri, this past June, commented on the difference between Islam and Christianity. Brother Vines described Muhammad as a “demon-possessed paedophile,” noting that there are vast differences between the Muslim faith and the Faith of Christ the Lord. In this statement, he was iterating information provided by Muhammad himself.

For those of you who are sensitive to such matters, the Christian Faith does not teach young women to strap explosives to their bodies and kill grandmothers and babies in strollers. The Christian Faith condemns the wanton slaughter of innocent men and women through self-immolation. The Christian Faith never promises sexual gratification for those who murder the innocent. The evidence suggests that sincere Muslims do not worship the same God that calls all mankind to life in Jesus His Son.

For your information, the Hadith [volume 7, book 6, number 64 and 65], a highly respected source for Islamic teaching among Muslim clerics and followers, verifies that Muhammad married a six-year-old girl and consummated the marriage when she was nine. A lengthy passage from the Hadith [volume 1, book 1, chapter 1] shows that Muhammad himself believed he was under demonic influence. This is not bigotry to cite the very source Muslims wish to impose on the entire world. It is but calling people to think—a most neglected practise in this day late in the age.

Instead of weighing what was said and considering the authenticity of the source cited, religionists and politicians and journalists alike rushed to condemn the ignorant preacher who dared make such a statement. The overreaction appeared calculated to ensure that every Christian will learn to keep his or her mouth shut and continue in the meek manner expected of them by the ever-vigilant world of modern tolerance.

The fact of the matter is, the one whom Muslims call Allah is vastly different from the God that Christians worship. The God that Christians worship is a God of love, mercy and grace who has already provided for eternal life through the death and resurrection of his Son. Islam, like all other religions, is a religion of works and fear.

Pastor Vines is a godly pastor, and a genuine Christian who desires to see all people come to knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ and place their faith in Him. It is important to note that he certainly did not question the rights of Muslims to believe what they believe, nor would his Baptist convictions ever permit him to coerce by force anyone else to become a Christian. He simply spoke what he felt was the truth in love.

One thing that Bible-believing Christians and Muslims faithful to their own beliefs both agree on is this—truth matters supremely. Muslims believe they have the truth. We Christians believe we have the truth. However, the one truth that every Muslim must confront is this truth—that Jesus Christ Himself said, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me [John 14:6]. This statement was made by a man in whom anyone has yet to find any sin. That cannot be said of Mohammed or anyone else.

Well, should we be surprised at the lack of perspicuity displayed by the pluralists? God clearly warned through this letter drafted by His holy Apostle that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. I fully anticipate that the spokespeople for this fallen world are incapable of recognising truth, much less espousing truth. If they should speak the truth, it would only be an accidental and incidental utterance.

The Foundation Undergirding the Word of God —All Scripture is breathed out by God [pa`sa grafh; qeovpneusto"]. Breathed out by God is the translation of one Greek word qeovpneusto", a biblical hapax. Under the influence of the Vulgate inspirata, the English rendering of qeovpneusto" has for centuries been inspired by God. qeovpneusto" is a compound word, made up of two Greek words—qeov", [God], and pnein [aorist pneu(")], to breathe—with the verbal adjectival ending –to". Literally, all Scripture is God-breathed.[3]

The image conveyed suggests God blowing through an instrument, much as one would play a flute or a trumpet.[4] God is at work providing Scripture, guiding those who write and superintending their words to ensure that what is written is true and in keeping with His divine will. It is not that God mechanically dictated every word of the Bible, but it does speak of the fact that He energised and guarded those who wrote, thus ensuring that all which was written is accurate and trustworthy. Today, we say that the Bible is inerrant and infallible. God provided a perfect revelation of all that is beneficial for us and of all that reveals His Person to us.

This statement concerning the imagery conveyed by this singular word raises a question of some importance. What is the meaning of the adjective breathed out by God? Is the word active in meaning, which would suggest that all Scripture has an inspiring effect? If the word is active, it indicates that Scripture is filled with God’s breath and that it breathes out the Spirit of God.[5] In this case, it would mean that the Word is energised as I read it. Though this is true, we should be careful not to impose on the Word our thoughts. Is the word passive in meaning, suggesting that all Scripture has its origin in God, is the product of the breath of God? The Greek word (qeovpneusto") contains the suffix –to", which frequently suggests a passive meaning.[6]

Ultimately, the issue is decisively settled by Professor Warfield who demonstrates that in patristic literature the word qeovpneusto" bears “a uniformly passive significance, rooted in the idea of the creative breath of God.”[7] He further indicates that this conclusion is confirmed by “the consideration that compounds of verbals ending in –to" with qeov" normally express an effect produced by God’s activity.”[8]

The term in our text is passive in its meaning. The idea the term presents is that God has breathed his character into Scripture so that it is inherently inspired. Paul was not asserting that the Scriptures are inspiring in that they breathe information about God into us, even though the statement is true. The Scriptures owe their origin and distinctiveness to God Himself. This is the abiding character of Scripture. In affirming the inspiration of Scripture, Paul declared the fact of inspiration without discussing the process by which inspiration took place.[9]

To summarise in the words of William Mounce, “[the Word of God] is passive (‘Scripture is God-breathed’) and not active (‘Scripture emits God’s breath,’ i.e., is inspiring).”[10] Paul is encouraging Timothy to centre his life on the Word of God because its comes from God and will thus fully equip him for service.

Several questions confront us as we attempt an exegesis of this important verse [3:16]. The questions all stem from the statement All Scripture is breathed out by God. First, to what did Paul refer by his use of the term which is translated by our English word Scripture? In the New Testament, the term Scripture [grafh] is usually a reference to the Old Testament (as is also true for the term sacred writings in the preceding verse). Paul’s reference to sacred writings in 3:15 is clearly a statement about the Old Testament. Few would argue against the position that he continued to refer to the Old Testament in 3:16. There are other factors, however, the most significant being the immediate context.

In 3:14, Paul uses the term in what [ejn oi|"]. That phrase refers in the following verses to what Timothy has learned. Throughout those following verses, Paul appears to refer to both the Old Testament writings and to the Gospel message. As previously noted, in 3:15, Paul points to the sacred writings [iJera; gravmmata], which though perhaps a reference to the whole of the Old Testament must surely embrace as well the oral message of the Gospel as well. This is especially true since he is instructing Timothy, the young evangelist, to continue in the work of ministry which he had begun in Ephesus. He is to preach the Word [2 Timothy 4:2], providing sound teaching [implied 2 Timothy 4:3-5]. He is encouraged to continue in the faith which first resided in his mother and grandmother [2 Timothy 1:5-7]. He is familiar both with the Old Testament writings and with the content of the Gospel message, having embrace both.

I suggest that Paul is referring to the Old Testament in light of the Gospel when he speaks of all Scripture [pa`sa grafh]. For all practical purposes, we would say that the whole of what we have received as the Bible—all sixty-six books—is to be received as the Scriptures, breathed out by God and thus truthful and authoritative for faith and practise. When you pick up this compilation of letters and prophetic writings which we have received as the Word of God, you hold not simply another book, but one which is to be received as the very Word of God.

Hendriksen has wonderfully addressed the issue of what makes this Book authoritative for us. “What should be emphasised, however, is that not because the church, upon a certain date, long ago, made an official decision (the decision of the Council of Hippo, 393 AD; of Carthage, 397 AD), do these books constitute the inspired Bible; on the contrary, the sixty-six books, by their very contents, immediately attest themselves to the hearts of all Spirit indwelt men as being the living oracles of God. Hence, believers are filled with deep reverence whenever they hear the voice of God addressing them from Holy Writ… All scripture is canonical because God made it so!”[11]

The human authors were powerfully guided and directed by the Holy Spirit. As a result, what they wrote is not only without error but also of supreme value for man. It is all that God wanted it to be. It constitutes the infallible rule of faith and practise for all mankind.

Though the word God-breathed—that is, breathed out by God—occurs only here, the idea is found in many other passages. Throughout the Old Testament we discover the phrase, God spoke [Exodus 20:1] or the Lord speaks [2 Samuel 23:2]. This truth is iterated in the New Testament [e.g. Matthew 1:22; Luke 24:44; John 1:23]. Jesus claims that the Scriptures testify to Him [John 5:39] and are infallible [John 10:34, 35; 14:26; 16:13]. The Bible claims that God is its source [John 19:36, 37; 20:9].

Paul, in Romans 1:2, points to Scripture as the very Word of God. He speaks of the Scriptures as divine in Romans 3:2 and 4:23. Scripture is equated to the very voice of God in Romans 9:17 and 15:4. 1 Corinthians 2:4-10 is an apologetic for divine energising of the apostolic speech.

My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love him”—

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

I haven’t time to cite the many quotations from the remainder of Paul’s writings, or those of the author of the Hebrew letter, of Peter, or of John to demonstrate that Scripture is consistently viewed as the very Word of God. That which was written is to be received as a perfect revelation of the mind of God. It is infallible and inerrant. It is authoritative and truthful. When we call people to rest their lives on this Word, we do so with confidence since we are convinced that it is trustworthy and accurate.

Michael Newdow, the California atheist who brought suit to have a reference to God removed from the Pledge of Allegiance in the United States, says that he reads Bible stories to his daughter. I’m quoting what Newdow is reported to have said. “I want her to know here mother is Christian, and I want her to know I’m atheist, and I want her to decide as she gets older what makes sense… I read her Bible stories and say, ‘does this make sense to you? Do you believe some guy was able to go all over the Earth and get every two animals from polar bears and marine iguanas … and tigers and put them all on one boat? Sounds pretty incredible to me. You can decide for yourself.”[12]

Newdow is wrong. Noah did not scour the earth. Marine iguanas would not need to be on the ark since they could float out the flood. The text [Genesis 6:20] is careful to indicate that God brought the animals to Noah (seven of every clean animal and two of those that were considered unclean). Had Newdow read the Word of God instead of a summary of the Word, he would have known the answer to his childish conundrum.

God makes no mistakes. It is those self-inflated individuals who think themselves superior to the Creator who repeatedly perform the miracle of turning a man into a donkey. This supposedly brilliant man, trained as a physician and as an attorney, failed to read the primary text, relying instead upon a child’s storybook. No wonder he has managed to make a donkey of himself.

The Value of the Word of God — All Scripture is … profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. There is another issue of a somewhat technical nature here which must be addressed. In the original text, there is no article. Robertson, referring to the usage of the text, points to 1 Peter 2:6 and 2 Peter 1:20, stating that in each of those instances grafh; is used anarthrously “as definite without the article.”[13] Thus used, it is almost a proper name and certainly a collective. Because this is true, it does not need the article, and so far as grammatical usage goes, one can render here either all Scripture or every Scripture.[14]

In the final analysis, there is no essential difference in meaning. To translate the text as all Scripture perceives Scripture as a whole, and to render it as every Scripture perceives it in terms of all its component parts. However, on the whole it becomes obvious that Paul is here contemplating Scripture as a whole. He states that the whole of Scripture is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. This is in keeping with 3:17 where he clearly states that the whole of Scripture equips the man of God. It is not that every passage accomplishes what he points to, but that the whole of Scripture accomplishes this work according to the will of God.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable. If qeovpneusto" is a predicate adjective, is is inserted before Scripture and before wjfevlimo", profitable, and kai; is a regular copulative: Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable. This is the more natural reading of the text.[15] Because Scripture is breathed out by God, it has great value.

God’s Word is profitable for teaching. How can one know the will of God? Scripture, which is breathed out by God, is profitable… is beneficial… is sufficient… for teaching. In verse ten, Paul speaks of his teaching [didaskaliva/] which Timothy had followed. That word, didaskaliva/, does not refer to the method or the process of instruction, but it instead points to the content. This is the word which Paul again uses in our text. All Scripture is sufficient in its content for instruction. The teaching Timothy received included the Scriptures, the teaching of Jesus as communicated by Paul and Luke, the mind of the Spirit as revealed through the Apostle.

Scripture serves as a foundation for growing in discipline and instruction of the Lord [see Ephesians 6:4]. Both the first and the last piece of spiritual armour Paul lists in the Ephesian letter pertain to the Word of God. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God [Ephesians 6:14-17].

God’s Word is profitable for reproof. Scripture serves to rebuke both misbehaviour and false doctrine. As one grows familiar with the teaching of the Word, errant teaching becomes harder and harder to promote. Few people who study the Word are able to continue among the cults. Those who grow old among the cults are those who read what the cultists say about the Word instead of reading the Word for themselves.

We need not go beyond what is written in the Word to rebuke our behaviour. Since it is breathed out by God, those actions which are dishonourable will be rebuked through the reading of that Word. That which we thought hidden from man’s eyes is revealed through the reading of the Word. What else does the Word mean when it says, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account [Hebrews 4:12, 13].

God’s Word is profitable for correction. The word translated correction [ejpanovrqwsin] is a hapax. It refers to the restoration of an item to its original and proper condition.[16] It speaks of setting upright an object which has fallen down. It speaks of helping a person to his feet after stumbling. The thought is that Scripture both exposes our error and then makes us right.

What a wonderful promise is ours in 1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Can any of us actually comprehend this marvellous verse? Though we may not be able to adequately explain what the Master promises, we are able to experience His goodness. When we are submitted to His marvellous grace, our areas of greatest weakness can, through His correction, become areas of greatest strength. Did you hear what I said? Listen carefully. Write the words down in the margin of your Bible. Underscore them in your heart. When we are submitted to the marvellous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, our areas of greatest weakness can, through His correction, become areas of greatest strength.

You who struggle with rage and anger can become men and women of peace. You who struggle against the pull of pornography can become men or purity. You who spill forth garbage through an unrestrained tongue can become conduits of praise to God. What is required is knowledge of the Word and submission to that which God has given therein. What a challenge to each of us!

God’s Word is profitable for training in righteousness. Training translates the Greek word paideivan, which originally spoke of raising a child. In time, the word came to refer to any sort of training. In 2 Timothy 2:25, it is translated correcting. The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. In Hebrews 12:5, 7, 11, the word is translated discipline. Clearly, the concept conveyed speaks of instruction, especially that instruction which enables us to assume the role required of mature believers.

Paul enjoins Timothy to instruct the people in doctrines which are counter cultural in 1 Timothy 4:4, 5. He assures the young theologue, if you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine you have followed [1 Timothy 4:6]. Peter gives similar counsel to young believers.

You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like new-born infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good [1 Peter 1:23-25].

A Plea for Early Training in the Word of God — All Scripture originates in God Himself. Therefore, we can have great confidence in what we read in this Word. Furthermore, we know that Scripture is profitable, or sufficient. We do not require more than what God has given us. We do not need new revelations, as some suppose. We do not need to adjust that which God has said to adapt to the “modern” mind. That which God has breathed out is sufficient for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. These truths follow from the plea which the Apostle first made to Timothy.

Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. This young man had training, which though not necessarily ideal, served as a wonderful foundation. It does not appear that his father provided much religious training, since he was a pagan. When we first meet Timothy in Acts 16:1-3, we learn something of his background.

Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

Timothy’s father was a Greek. There is no indication that he was a believer. Actually, we are led to believe that he never converted to the Faith on the basis of Paul’s opening words in this pastoral letter. I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God [2 Timothy 1:3-7].

Timothy’s mother, together with his grandmother, is recognised as the source of early religious training. In the text, this young pastor is especially urged to continue in those truths which he had embraced from childhood. He could remain confident in what he had learned because of the trust he exercised in those who had taught him.

The conclusion of the message, then, is an encouragement to you who are parents. Train your children in the Faith of Christ the Lord, knowing that the Scriptures on which you found your faith are God-breathed. This Bible is accurate and trustworthy. You can rest assured that it is sufficient to provide for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, both for yourself and for your children.

There is a further challenge for us as a community of faith. We are responsible to provide for the religious education of all who come to us. We bear an awesome responsibility, not merely to provide pious pabulum for children, but sound religious education for all who come to us seeking the truth of God.

I want to conclude with a challenge to the congregation. We will initiate our Fall semester of Sunday School in a few short weeks. Preparation is lagging now. We have need, and we have had need, for a conscientious director of our Sunday School program. Can it actually be that there is no one willing to assume this position among us? We need to expand our teaching program, both for Sunday mornings and for Bible studies during the week. Is it really true that we have no teachers willing to assume duties together with those who have taught for so long?

I call on the people of this congregation to pray that God will raise up teachers. Surely, our children need conscientious teachers who will invest themselves in preparing to train younger people in the Faith of Christ the Lord! Surely, we need men and women willing to provide instruction for our adults. Will you pray, asking that God will provide what we lack? And as you pray, say “Amen” by telling the Lord that you are willing if He should so appoint.

All who name the Name of Christ should aspire to provide instruction to some someone. There is someone who looks to you, and you are the only Bible that someone will ever read. Your life lived out before their watching eyes, will either reveal the reality of the Living God, or turn that someone from the Faith. Invest your life in that which is eternal. Invest your life in seeking the glory of Christ the Lord. If you have never done so, commit yourself to study the God-breathed Scriptures so that you will be able to point others to that which lasts forever. Amen.

In an article published in Christianity Today, Jeff Sellers states that “no Friday passes without at least one … execution in the public square [in the Saudi capital of Riyadh] following the noon prayers. Apostates—those who renounce Islam—are beheaded, and blasphemers—Christians—are hanged.

For your information, the Hadith [volume 7, book 6, number 64 and 65], a highly respected source for Islamic teaching among Muslim clerics and followers, verifies that Muhammad married a six-year-old girl and consummated the marriage when she was nine. A lengthy passage from the Hadith [volume 1, book 1, chapter 1] shows that Muhammad himself believed he was under demonic influence. This is not bigotry to cite the very source Muslims wish to impose on the entire world. It is but calling people to think—a most neglected practise in this day late in the age.

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[2] Jeff M. Sellers, “How to Confront a Theocracy,” http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/008/2.34.html

[3] C. Brown, Spirit, Holy Spirit (article) in Colin Brown (ed.), Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 1971) 707-8

[4] W. A. Criswell, The Infallible Word of God, Sermon preached 2/25/79 (http://www.wacriswell.com/Transcripts.cfm?sermon=1417)

[5] George W. Knight III, The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Pastoral Epistles (Grand Rapids, MI, Eerdmans, 1992) 446

[6] A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (Nashville, TN, Broadman 1934) 157-8, 1095

[7] Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield, The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible (Philadelphia, PA, Presbyterian and Reformed, 1948) 275

[8] Warfield, op. cit., 281

[9] Lea and Griffin, The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Timothy; Titus (Nashville, TN, Broadman 1992) 235-6

[10] William D. Mounce, Word Biblical Commentary: Pastoral Epistles (Nashville, TN, Thomas Nelson 2000) 566

[11] William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: I-II Timothy and Titus (Grand Rapids, MI, Baker 1957) 302

[12] “Pledge mom fights to keep ‘under God’, WorldNetDaily, Thursday, July 11, 2002, http://www.worldnerdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=28242

[13] Robertson, op. cit., 722

[14] A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume IV, The Epistles of Paul (Nashville, TN, Broadman, 1931) 627

[15] Mounce, op. cit., 569

[16] John MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 2 Timothy (Chicago, IL, Moody, 1995) 160