Wednesday, June 4, 2025

PT-8 “The Inspired and Inerrant Scripture” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/04/2025 9:37 AM

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  PT-8 “The Inspired and Inerrant Scripture”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

            Message of the verses:  16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

 

            I continue quoting from John MacArthur’s commentary relating to these two wonderful verses.  As mentioned this will take me a fairly long time to get through this.

 

            “As noted in the first point, God’s divine Word, revealed through His divine words, is not itself the means or the power of salvation, but is the agency of it.  Near the end of his gospel account, John explained that ‘these [things] have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name’ (John 20:31).

 

            As Peter declared to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem soon after Pentecost, ‘Let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified,…He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the very corner stone.  And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved; (Acts 4:10-12).

 

            In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul echoes the words of Jesus:  ‘If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation…So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ’ (Rom 10:9-10, 17, emphasis added; cf. James 1:18).

 

            “Christ also uses His Word to sanctify and cleanse His church from sin.  In his letter to the church at Ephesus,  Paul said:  ‘Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word’ (Eph. 5:25-26, emphasis added).  In his first letter to believers at Thessalonica he said, ‘And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe; (1 These. 2:13, emphasis added; cf. Phil. 2:16).

 

            “The second predicate adjective Paul uses to describe Scripture is profitable, which focuses on the sufficiency of God’s written Word.  Profitable translates ophelimos, which includes the ideas of beneficial, productive, and sufficient.

 

            “Scripture is sufficient in being comprehensive.  Paralleled in the Old Testament only by Psalm 119 and confirmed by Joshua 1:8, these verses supremely affirm the absolute sufficiency of Scripture to meet all the spiritual needs of God’s people.

 

            David understood the sufficiency of God’s Word, and in one of his most uplifting psalms he exulted:

 

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression (Ps. 19:7-13).

 

            “In verses 7-9 David refers to God’s Word by six different titles; God’s law, testimony, precepts, commandment, fear (referring to worship), and judgments.  In those same verses, he mentions six characteristics of that divine Word:  It is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true.  Also included are six blessings that the Word brings in the believer’s life; it restores the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, endures forever, and produces complete righteousness.  The remaining verses (10-13) extol the benefits of the work of the Word: It makes rich, delights, rewards, convicts, and protects.  It is a marvelous mark of God’s loving grace that He has given us every truth, every principle, every standard, and every warning that we will ever need for living out our salvation according to His will.”

 

Spiritual Meaning for My Life Today:  I am reading an older book about how to know God better, and it also goes into things like conscience which the author states is not something used to get to know God as it can be false.  In today’s SD, and looking at this last part of Psalm 19 there is much in it to help me know God, something that I continue to desire to do.  Php.  3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  To continue to know God better and better as I grow in the Lord.  To trust the Lord with the things that my wife is doing to make sure that her body is free of cancer.

 

6/4/2025 10:15 AM

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