It's True Cover To Cover

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

(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

I used to be convinced the Bible was just a collection of fairy tales, wishful thinking, pie in the sky fables, and fictional histories. As a child, I went to church, so I had a small smattering of biblical knowledge. However, it was only enough to reach the wrong conclusions. Because I witnessed several Christian hypocrites, I thought most were and I didn’t want anything to do with religion. I stayed away, arguing with believers who wanted to debate with me, but never really studying the scriptures. Why would I when I believed they were a collection of lies.

Fortunately, I finally learned every word found in the scriptures, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, is inspired of God. The Bible has 66 books penned by 40+ different men over thousands of years with a singular message pointing straight to Jesus Christ and how much he loves us. God didn’t dictate every word those 40+ men would write but the Holy Spirit would enlighten them with the overall point he wanted to get across. It wasn’t dictation, it was inspiration from God that produced every word of scripture.

There are three parts of scripture that are important for us to understand in this passage. First, don’t let anyone ever tell you the Bible is just a book of stories, mostly fiction. It is God’s love letter, an instruction manual for living a righteous life, and a truthful history book (his story) all rolled into one. Second, we cannot pick and choose the parts of the Bible we want to believe and ignore those parts we’re don’t like. It’s either all true and useful or none of it is. Finally, we should keep teaching and studying with each other to make sure we are continuing to grow in our knowledge and living in righteousness.

Be careful of strange interpretations of scripture. If you have to jump through hoops to make a passage fit some outlandish interpretation, it’s probably the wrong interpretation. It’s always a better idea to stay with the simple and most straightforward meaning. Be ready to correct a brother or sister who is on the wrong path, rebuking them, if necessary, in a loving way. Our responsibility is to train up the new believers in righteousness, equipping them with the knowledge they need to do the same thing someday.

Lord God, you are the light of the world and the creator of all things good. If you left us to our own devices after the Garden of Eden, humanity would have killed itself off centuries ago. But you inspired men, through your Holy Spirit, over the centuries to write down how you wanted us to live. Your Word is without error and gives each of us instructions in your will. With study and direction from elder believers, we can come to understand all the wonders contained in the pages of the Bible. Lord we want to be effective witnesses of the gospel. Help us to make the time necessary to read and become familiar with the words of scripture. When we’re asked a question about something in the Bible we’re not familiar with, help us to find the information needed, and then share it with love. When we’ve done something wrong, help us to graciously accept the rebuke of an elder believer. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen!