Codes for Christian Living

The Bible: God’s Inspired Word

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. — 2 Timothy 3:16

The call to memorize this verse and the intent of this chapter is not to defend the Bible. We do not have to do this. As Charles Spurgeon said, “There is no need to defend a lion when he is being attacked. All we have to do is open the gate and let him out. He will defend himself.” The Bible will still be the Book of all books when all the other writings of men throughout the centuries have passed into obscurity.

Let’s open the gates and let the Bible speak in its own defense. There are several important things to note.

The Defined Extent of the Bible's Divine Inspiration

“All Scripture . . .”

The little three-letter word all is very inclusive. It means what it says: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” The psalmist said, “The law of the LORD is perfect” (Psalm 19:7). King Solomon said, “Every word of God is pure” (Proverbs 30:5). Some find it popular today to contend that they believe only part of the Bible, not necessarily all of it. They say, “The Bible contains the word of God, but it is not necessarily the word of God.” But Scripture defends itself, saying, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”

While there are different degrees of worth in the Scripture, there are not different degrees of inspiration. One might find more personal worth in reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7 than in reading the genealogy tables in Matthew 1. But one passage is just as inspired as the other: “All Scripture” . . . is inspired. When Jesus broke forth from the obscurity of the Nazareth carpentry shop to begin His public ministry, He was immediately tempted by the devil, and He replied with the Scripture: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). To what extent is the Bible inspired? The answer to that question is found in the first two words of our verse for the week: “All Scripture . . .”

The Detailed Evidence of the Bible's Inspiration

“given by inspiration of God”

The Scripture is “given.” It is supernatural. It is given by God. It originates with God, not with man. It is a library of sixty-six books written over a period of more than fourteen hundred years by at least forty different authors from all walks of life. Some were fishermen, and others were prophets, kings, shepherds, doctors, and rabbis. Yet this Book has come together with one theology, one plan of redemption, and one theme running throughout its pages, leaving no explanation for its unique nature outside of God Himself. It is “given” by God Himself.

And it is “given by inspiration.” This phrase literally means “God breathed.” God used men in the process, but He did not breathe on them. Instead, He breathed out of them His Word. Just as a skilled musical composer creates a score utilizing the flute, the trumpet, and other instruments, so God chose His own instruments. Some were as different as flutes are from trumpets. Yet God chose those instruments and breathed out His Word to us through them.

Inspiration means the words are God’s words, and He gave them to man through man. Peter said that “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Ironically, the identical Greek word translated here as “moved” appears in the account of Paul’s shipwreck recorded in Acts 27. There came a fierce storm, and the sailors onboard, unable to guide the ship because of the strong winds, simply let the winds take the ship wherever they blew it (vv. 15 and 17). Just as the sailors were active on the ship, yet had relinquished control over where it would go, so it was with the Bible writers. In a very real sense, the writings were not their own. God Himself expressed this very point to Jeremiah: “I have put My words in your mouth” (Jeremiah 1:9). The Bible does not originate with men; it originates with God. The writers’ personalities and styles are unique to them, but it was God who moved them to write by His Spirit. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”

The Divine Effects of an Inspired Bible

“is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”

God’s Word is indeed “profitable” for these four things. There is a sense in which the Bible is like a roadmap. First there is doctrine, the way we begin our journey with proper teaching that shows us God’s plan of salvation and sanctification. But what happens if something causes us to veer off the road? The Bible is then profitable for reproof: it shows us our wrong turn. God asks, “Is not My word . . . like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29). However, the Bible does not leave us in our reproof. Next, the Bible is profitable for correction: it corrects our mistakes and gets us on the road again. Finally, Scripture is profitable for “instruction in righteousness”: the Word instructs us how to stay on the road so that we do not get off again.

We see the divine effects of an inspired Bible throughout the writings of Paul in the New Testament. He wrote the letter to the Romans to emphasize the importance of doctrine. His letters to the Corinthians are profitable for reproof. In the Galatian epistle, his emphasis was on correction.

And, in the Ephesian letter, Paul spoke of the need for “instruction in righteousness.” An effective ministry of God’s Word will do all four--teach doctrine, reprove sin, correct false paths, and instruct in godly living. Balance is the key. Some believers go overboard on doctrine to the virtual exclusion of reproof, correction, or instruction. Even though these folks are doctrinally sound, they are living without power. Others focus too much on reproof: they seem to think it is their God-given assignment to reprove everyone else about their sin. Others focus on correction, apparently thinking it is their calling to correct everyone else. Still others get out of balance on “instruction in righteousness” to the exclusion of teaching doctrine, and thus they have no direction in life. An effective Christian life is a balanced life.

The desired end of knowing Scripture is that “the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17). As you memorize this verse, meditate on the fact that, when you study the Bible, you do not judge it; it judges you. God’s Word has withstood the test of time and will still be the Book of all books when all others have passed into obscurity. No wonder the psalmist said, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11).

Content drawn from The Joshua Code.