“All Scripture is Inspired by God”

            This Sunday, September 8th, is “Back-to-School Sunday” at my church, marking the launch of programming and committee work for the autumn.  As we re-focus and re-start with the first month of the fall, our worship services will re-focus on a fundamental of Christian faith and life:  Christian sacred scriptures as contained in the Bible.  Beginning this Sunday, we embark upon a four-week series, entitled:  “How God Speaks to Us through the Scriptures.”

            We begin this series with words of advice that the Apostle Paul shares with his young protégé, Timothy: 

“But as for you [Timothy], continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.”                ~ 2 Timothy 3:14-17

            In the verses just before our passage of scripture, the Apostle Paul warns Timothy that living a faithful life as a disciple of Christ will never be easy.  Paul says that there are always bad people who are eager to persecute the followers of Christ (2 Timothy 3:11-12).  To make matters even worse, Paul says that there will also be persons seeking to deceive Christians (2 Timothy 3:13).  In light of these dangers, Paul counsels Timothy in verse 14 to “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you have learned it…”.  In other words, Timothy should faithfully follow what he has learned and believed since his childhood, remembering that it was the Apostle Paul, himself, who has taught and mentored Timothy. 

Since childhood, Timothy has learned from the “sacred writings that are able to instruct” him.  The “sacred writings,” which Paul refers to, would be the Hebrew scriptures, which Christians frequently refer to as the Old Testament.  These sacred writings include the  Jewish Torah, the Prophets, and the other Writings in the Hebrew scriptures.  In addition to the Jewish sacred scriptures, Paul also includes what Timothy has learned through his faith in Jesus Christ.  As the Biblical scholar, J.D. Dunn observes:  “Of course, the assumption [of Paul] is that the gospel is the outworking of [the Jewish] Scripture, so that the wisdom, salvation, and faith held out in the gospel are continuous with that inculcated in the [Jewish] holy writings.  That is also to say that the gospel’s saving power is of a piece with the saving power of [Jewish] Scripture…”.[1]

In the next verse (v. 16) Paul begins with the claim that “All scripture is inspired by God…”.  The Scriptures are not just words written by a scribe, who happened to be spiritually inspired at the moment.  Instead, God was somehow present in the writing of these words.  Finally, Paul details a four-pronged purpose for scripture.  God gives us scripture:

1.      For teaching,

2.      For reproof

3.      For correction,

4.      And for training in righteousness.

In other words, scripture teaches us, rebukes us when we err, corrects us, and trains us to live ethical lives and work for justice.  Scripture shapes and informs our lifestyle as followers of Christ.  For Paul, as well as for Christians today, the scriptures have a power and centrality in the lives of those who seek to follow Christ as his disciples.

            Further, Christians understand that scriptures offer guidance when we are faced with critical life decisions.  The scriptures also reassure us when we are afraid, as well as comforting us in times of sadness, grief, or loneliness.  Scriptures can offer clarity in times of confusion; they can inspire and reassure us in times of doubt.  Through studying the scriptures, we grow in our faith and love for the Divine.  Although God speaks to us through other means, such as through nature or the wisdom of another person, scripture remains primary in our understanding of how God seeks us and speaks to us.

If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to come and join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, September 8th, as we launch our fall programming with “Back-to-School Sunday.”  During the proclamation time, we will reflect further on the power and centrality of scripture in the lives of Christ’s disciples.     

Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary.  “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.   

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[1]  J. D. Dunn, Commentary on “The First and Second Letters to Timothy and the Letter to Titus” in the New Interpreter’s Bible, vol 11, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition.