Message from Scripture: 12/08/2021

 

Our message from Scripture today is 2 Tim. 3:14-15: “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

 

Have you ever considered that Scripture alone doesn’t save us? No, I’m not denigrating the role of God’s word, but if Scripture alone saved us, then there are a great number of people who are saved that never, by faith, obeyed the gospel. Paul reminded Timothy that Scripture, the sacred writings, as they are inspired by God and given by the Holy Spirit, gives us the wisdom that leads to salvation. Scripture enlightens us in divine truths, and reveals the will of God to us. If we respond with an obedient faith, then we will repent of our sins, confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, and be immersed that the blood of Christ can wash away our sins. We will also understand that, from this point onward, we must live by faith, seeking to become more like Christ.

 

When Paul spoke of Scripture giving us wisdom in knowing the will of God, he used the preposition for, which here refers to the motion, or direction, that leads to a goal, to the point of termination. God’s word is to lead us, to direct us in reaching the goal of salvation, made possible by faith in Christ. God’s word reveals the truth to us, but we individually are responsible for obeying that truth. Reading God’s word doesn’t automatically zap us with salvation, but clearly tells us how to respond to God’s offer of salvation, that we can have eternal life instead of eternal destruction.

 

If you continue reading 2 Tim. 3:16-17, you understand you must continue in the word to continue to live by its principles and precepts, to be equipped to live as one should, to be engaged in the good works God has prepared for us from eternity (Eph. 2:10). How do you approach Scripture? It’s not a novel, it’s the living word of God, by which we are led to salvation. Think about it. God bless.

 

Robert