Scripture Reference: 2 Timothy 3:1-17
Continue in God’s Word – Continued
Please read 2 Timothy 3:13-17 for background to this section.
The Scriptures lead us to salvation (verse 15b). We are not saved by believing in the Bible, the book (see John 5:39), but by trusting the Christ who is revealed in the Bible. Satan knows the Bible better than most Christians, yet he is most certainly not saved. Timothy was raised on the Holy Scriptures in a godly home. Yet it was not until Paul led him to Christ that he was saved.
What is the relationship of the Bible to salvation? To begin with, the Bible reveals our need for salvation. It is a mirror that shows us how filthy we are in God’s sight. The Bible explains that every lost sinner is condemned now, condemned “already” (John 3:18-21) and needs a Savior now. It also makes it clear that a lost sinner cannot save himself.
But the Bible also reveals God’s wonderful plan of salvation: Christ died for our sins! If we trust Him, He will save us (John 3:16-18). The Bible also helps give us the assurance of our salvation (see 1 John 5:9-13). Then the Bible becomes our spiritual food to nourish us that we might grow in grace and serve Christ. It is our sword for fighting Satan and overcoming temptation.
The Scriptures are true and dependable (verse 16a). “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God [literally, God-breathed NIV].” The doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture is vitally important, and a doctrine that Satan has attacked from the beginning; “Has God indeed said?” (Genesis 3:1). It is inconceivable that God would give His people a book they could not trust. He is the God of truth (Deuteronomy 32:4); Jesus is “the truth” (John 14:6); and “the Spirit is truth” (1 John 5:6). Jesus said of the Scriptures, “Your Word is truth” (John 17:17).
The Holy Spirit of God used men of God to write the Word of God (2 Peter 1:20-21). The Spirit did not erase the natural characteristics of the writers. In fact, God in His providence prepared the writers for the task of writing the Scriptures. Each writer has his own distinctive style and vocabulary. Each book of the Bible grew out of a special set of circumstances. In His preparation of men, in His guiding of history, and in His working through the Spirit, God brought about the miracle of the Scriptures.
We must not think of “inspiration” the way the world thinks when it says, “Shakespeare was certainly an inspired writer.” What we mean by biblical “inspiration” is the supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit on the Bible’s writers, which guaranteed that what they wrote was accurate and trustworthy. Revelation means the communicating of truth to man by God; “inspiration” has to do with the recording of this communication in a way that is dependable.
Whatever the Bible says about itself, man, God, life, death, history, science, and every other subject is true. This does not mean that every statement in the Bible is true, because the Bible records the lies of men and of Satan. But the record is true.
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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