What's so special about the Bible?
The Bible has existed for centuries. The first English printed Bible (the King James Version) was first printed in 1611 (that’s 1,419 years ago). It’s considered one of the best selling books of all time and has been translated into over 600 languages. It’s widely believed that the letters in the Bible were written over a 4,000 year period and was written by 35 (known) authors. But despite these impressive statistics, what makes the Bible so special? We look to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 for the answer.
The Bible is inspired by God (v16a)
In verse 16, Paul begins by stating that “all Scripture is God-breathed,'“ which in Greek translates to 'theopneustos. We get an image of a living breathing entity, and much like how God breathed life into Adam, the Bible is alive through the same power. The power of the words in the Bible are sustained by God’s breath much like humans too (Hebrews 4:12). With this in mind, when we read the Bible it’s not really us reading it, but as a living thing, the Bible reads us - it contradicts the way the world works and makes us question how the reader lives in this world.
On a side note, Christians often claim that God is the one author of the Bible, to which I’m sure many people question. If the Bible has over 30 known authors, how can God be the author? If we imagine each writer as the musical instrument, we understand the Bible as one impressive and beautiful symphony orchestrated by one being: God.
2. The Bible is useful (v16b)
As Paul states, the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. Teaching means to show us what is right, while rebuking means to show us what is not right. Correcting show us how to get it right and training in righteousness means showing us how to stay right (1 Thessalonians 1:6). No matter how the best sellers lists change; the Bible was, is and will always be useful in the life of the believer.
3. The Bible equips you to do every good work (v17)
Repeat after me: God’s work is always in sync with God’s word. What does this mean for you? It means that to do God’s work we must look to His word. If we question whether our work is really being done for God’s glory, there’s only one sure way to know - consult and meditate on God’s word. George Mueller is an important man in Christian history. A Christian evangelist who lived in the 1800’s is most known as bringing the Good News to many and fostering many orphaned children. George Mueller lived his life to this mantra. He trusted that God’s work would happen in his life as it said in God’s word. But we can only know these things if we invest time in reading and understand God’s word (Psalm 1:2). As Mueller once said:
In order to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer, is, to continue praying; for the less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving us Your Word. As you breathed the breathe of life into Adam, thank You that You breathe into the word of God. I pray that my heart’s desire would be to meditate on Your Word, day and night. Stir in my heart the urgency to consult and meditate on Your words and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to me through it.
In Jesus’ mighty name I pray,
Amen.