Day 4 - Week 10 - 2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness."

When our verse tells us that Scripture is profitable for rebuking, what does that mean to you?  Just for your easy reference, Webster defines rebuking as, "an expression of sharp, stern disapproval; reproving; reprimanding."

So my first thought was that we were being told that Scripture is beneficial when we need to reprimand someone, to "call them on the carpet" so to speak.  But when I start digging into this verse and looking at the original words used in Scripture, and then comparing them to other places that the same Greek word is used, I find that this is one of those places that I think a better word could have been used in this translation (Holman Christian Standard as well as NIV).  The only other place in the New Testament that the same Greek word (elegchos) is used is in Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence (elegchos) of things not seen." 

In light of this view of the word, could it be that Paul is telling Timothy (and us), that another very profitable use for Scripture is as solid evidence of all the things that Christians are telling people as God's truth.  That the Scripture itself (through the power of the Holy Spirit) is capable of convicting others of the truths that God has conveyed through its words. 

So rather than being a reiteration of the next use of "correction" (and maybe we'll be surprised by that study as well!), we have another unique and profitable use of Scripture...it is God's evidence given to us in order to convince others.  If there is any rebuking going on, it is a rebuking of any other belief in a showing of the authenticity of God's truth as exhibited through His Word.

I like this positive aspect of the use of Scripture much better than my first interpretation.  I fully understand that there is a time to gently correct those who we are journeying alongside in our walks of faith, but I would rather dwell tonight on the fact that God has given us a wonderful tool that we can use, sitting side-by-side with one who is ready to explore, in bringing His evidence to them and allowing their hearts to be convicted. 

A wonderful example of just such a situation is given to us in Acts 8:30-36, where Philip uses Scripture as evidence to bring about conviction...
"When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you're reading?" How can I," he said, "unless someone guides me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so He does not open His mouth. In His humiliation justice was denied Him. Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. The eunuch replied to Philip, "I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about-himself or another person?" So Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning from that Scripture. As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, "Look, there's water! What would keep me from being baptized?""

And, as a matter of fact, sometimes I need the Holy Spirit to once again convict me that I have God's truth...and you know how He does that?  By nudging me to open my Bible, read it's words, and washing over me with a fresh testimony of His evidence that my faith is secure. 

Thank You God for Your Word ---help us to use it in every way You have purposed it for, and always to Your glory!

Day 3 - Week 10 - 2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness."

Profitable?  Synonyms: Beneficial, useful, advantageous, valuable, helpful. 

So we can safely say that Paul tells us (although we have already determined this is God speaking through Paul, right?) that inspired Scripture is

beneficial to us for...

useful to us for...
advantageous to us for...
valuable to us for....
helpful to us for...

teaching - rebuking - correcting - and training in righteousness.

Two of the four are positive actions -- teaching and training, while the other two are...hmmmm...shall we say a bit on the negative side?  How many of us like to rebuke or correct?  And of that number, I would say a much lower number like to be on the receiving side of rebuking or correction. 

Tonight let's focus on using the Scriptures in order to teach.  The most basic and literal example of using the Scriptures to teach was the original public school system of the United States.  Until the early 20th century, schools actually used the Holy Bible to teach reading, memorization skills and morality.  It was looked upon as a book that taught children how to live and contribute to society.  The Bible teaches us everything that we need to know about relational living. 

If we believe the Bible is the Word of God, then we have a responsibility to teach those that have been put in a "teachable" position in our lives all of its directives.  These would definitely include our children and grandchildren, but may also include other people that for some reason or another have come to look to us for guidance or direction in their lives. 

We are told throughout the Bible the importance of teaching God's ways...

"Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children."  Deuteronomy 4:10

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 11:18-19

"Fathers, don't make your children angry. Instead, train them and teach them the ways of the Lord as you raise them." Ephesians 6:4

"He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands." Psalm 78:5-7

The best teaching tool we have ever been given is in the content of the Holy Bible.  It contains the words of life that will best direct those whose training has been entrusted to us.  You just can't improve upon it.  All of God's laws for our lives are good and meant for our best benefit.  We need to know them and we need to teach them.

Verse 8 of the same Psalm first quoted above predicts the people who will follow times of not teaching God's Word....

"-- a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him."  Psalm 78:5-8

Could this be descriptive of the generations that have followed the times since we abandoned using the Bible in our schools, and more importantly, in our homes to teach God's laws?  Our society's behavior on moral and criminal levels has declined immensely over the past 100 years....how close a correlation do you think there is between that decline and the decline of the study and teaching of God's Word? 

Scripture IS profitable for teaching...why aren't we profiting by it?  Instead we turn to every author on the current self-help best-seller list to improve our lives.  There are many great authors out there with lots of good advice, but I would say to every Christian, read the Bible first.  It should be our first go-to source.  It contains the words of God! 

The best teaching we can ever give anyone comes from God's Word, how can any human improve upon the knowledge of the all-knowing?

Day 2 - Week 10 - 2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness."

Such an important verse for our time.  It seems there has been an ever increasing number of those not only outside the church, but also among professed believers, that the Bible is not only fallible, but written by men without the authority of God behind their words.  I'm certain that for those aligned with that type of philosophy, this is probably the very first verse that they would throw out. 

I thought it would be interesting to look at some quotes of those who stand firm in their conviction of it's inspiration:

Charles Hodge, Presbyterian theologian from the Princeton Theological Seminary, 1872:
"The Bible is the word of God. If granted, then it follows that what the Bible says, God says. That ends the matter."

John Montgomery, then Professor of Melodyland School Of Theology, Anaheim, California)
"I believe that the Bible is completely, entirely and verbally the word of God  I refuse to stand above and criticize it; I insist rather, on standing below it and letting it criticize me."

Sir Isaac Newton, “I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily.”

and my personal favorite because it is stated so logically,

John Wesley, "This book had to be written by one of three people: good men, bad men or God. It couldn’t have been written by good men because they said it was inspired by the revelation of God. Good men don’t lie and deceive. It couldn’t have been written by bad men because bad men would not write something that would condemn themselves. It leaves only one conclusion. It was given by divine inspiration of God.”

Now I fully realize that there could be quotes posted just as eloquent from men who doubt the inspiration and inerrancy of God's Word, and it really doesn't matter which side can produce the most proficient of writers to back their arguments.  What it comes down to is what you believe.  It is a matter of faith. 

But if you strike this verse, which verse falls next?

Day 1 - Week 10 - Listening: The Word of God and Prayer

We have now completed two sets of verses ---

The Four Corners of the Bible:
Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us; we have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only, who came from God full of grace and truth."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the word that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

The Romans Road to Salvation:
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 5:8 "But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 12:1 "Therefore, dear brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship."

So where are we heading now? 

Into a set of nine verses to impress upon us the gifts we have been given through the written Word of God and the ability to communicate with our God through prayer.  I've found that for me it seems easier to memorize a smaller group of verses, so we're going to break this set down into two smaller sets, one of six regarding the Word, and the remaining three on the gift of prayer.

Tonight we open with 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness."

Robert J. Morgan points out that this "3:16" verse bears multiple similarities to the more famous John 3:16 verse.  To me the most important similarity that he brings to light is that both verses regard the greatest gifts given to humanity, the living Word in the form of Jesus Christ, and the written Word of God given in Holy Scripture. 

First part of the verse...."All Scripture is inspired by God."  First word, "ALL."  Here's where some have a problem, for we can't pick and choose Scripture that we like and throw out the verses that we have problems with.  And we can't pick one verse out of context without weighing it in light of ALL Scripture.  It is the complete body of work that makes the Holy Bible the amazing work that it is.  One part without the other parts is not complete, it is sixty-six books comprising a whole.

I know there are many who will argue the validity of some portions of Scripture based upon questionable translations, or inclusion of some verses that are not included in all versions.  But, personally, I firmly believe that God has protected His Word throughout time so that what we have in 2011 is true to His message to us, and that He has been faithful to leave people a trustworthy document of His Word.  Is that blind faith?  Possibly so.  But it is a conviction based upon the knowledge that I have of our God who would not leave us unable to know Him. 

What we have in the Bible is a truly amazing gift from God.  That's the whole purpose of this exercise of memorization....to embed the truth of His Word into our hearts.  If it is not His divine Word, His inspired Word, then we might as well memorize "Great Quotes of the 20th Century." 

But if it is more, if it is divine, if it is "God-breathed", then we will see these words that we are purposefully making a part of our lives empower us in ways that simple words contrived by human minds cannot. 

Day 7 - Week 9 - Romans 12:1 - "Therefore, dear brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship."

I can't believe this is our last night on our last verse of the Romans Road.  I feel that I have shortchanged this week's verse due to the Easter holiday and the associated traveling.  But tonight, back at home, I am compelled to linger on it a bit and let the complete message of this verse sink in and become embedded in my heart.

Can we feel Paul's compelling exhortation to us to offer our earthly bodies in acts of sacrifice for God's glory?  Paul certainly had done this at the time of the writing of this letter to the Romans and would continue to do so...up to the very moment of his death at the hands of his executioners. 

I'm reminded of Paul's recital of how he had suffered in his devotion to the message of Christ in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28, "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."

I have no doubt that when Paul's life finally ended with his beheading by the Romans under Nero's rule, that he had absolutely no regret in the way in which he had lived his life, because he knew that what he had endured in no way compared to what God had prepared for him in eternity.  Paul had such conviction of his future in the "then", that nothing would stand in his way of doing whatever was asked of him in the "now." 

Sometimes we tell ourselves that given the big choices ("Deny Christ or die!"), we would certainly stand firm..but as reminded in an online conversation of just this evening, it is often the smaller, everyday choices where we opt to withhold our sacrifice. I really think that is more of what Paul is talking about in our verse that we're focusing on this week.  For it is in these daily sacrifices that we show our continual worship of our Lord. 

It is in the sacrifice of doing what our inner selfishness is driving us away from, that we show that we have accepted a Master other than self. 

It is in the sacrifice of esteeming others as more important than ourselves that we show that we have adopted the attitude described in Philippians 2:1-5, "Are you cheerful because you belong to Christ? Does his love comfort you? Is the Holy Spirit your companion? Has Christ been gentle and loving toward you? Then make my joy complete by agreeing with each other. Have the same love. Be one in spirit and purpose. Don't do anything only to get ahead. Don't do it because you are proud. Instead, be free of pride. Think of others as better than yourselves. None of you should look out just for your own good. You should also look out for the good of others."

Living lives of such self-sacrifice is the way in which we truly show our worship of our merciful and loving God.  It is an entirely opposite lifestyle of the worldly.  It is the way God sets His people apart.

So we have completed our travel down the Romans Road...are you confident in your ability to travel down it with a companion who doesn't know the way?  

Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 5:8 - "But God proves His own love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 10:9 - "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 12:1 - "Therefore, dear brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship."

It's a road of truth and a road of redemption.  And a road to be followed the rest of our lives.  We don't just make a quick stop on this road, and then travel the rest of our lives down our own predetermined routes.  No, the Romans Road is a road that once we start down, we must follow to its final destination...our eternal home.  And we can have full assurance, just as Paul did, that whatever the road brings in this life, the destination will be fully worth the trip!

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has known what God has prepared for those who love him."



Therefore, dear brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship."

Again utilizing my iPhone so the message will be brief! Tonight I pray that you all enjoyed an Easter Sunday that caused you to rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I worshipped at a church I had never been in, with people I had never seen (except for Robert and our granddaughter, Azra), and I loved the fact that we were all together for the common purpose of lifting up the name of Jesus! I loved hearing Azra sing songs of worship and tell me the reason for Easter. It truly was a wonderful service for me.

At times like this I feel as if I have sacrificed so little for my King...please Lord, accept my humble thanks for this day of blessing, and please show me every way that I can express my thankfulness for your mercies by daily sacrificing my body to Your purpose. It is in the name of the risen Jesus that I pray - Amen.