Articles
The Valuable Written Word
The place and value of the written word of God has long been a matter if disagreement, but not because of what the Scriptures say about themselves. Before we get into the discussion, let us first make it clear the subject matter at hand; in other words, What is the "Scriptures"?
First, let us consider the word used throughout the New Testament, translated into the English language as Scripture, or Scriptures. The Greek word is graphe [graf-ay'], which, in its generic use, simply means a [written] document, but as it is used exclusively in the New Testament, refers to the written words of inspired writers. [The only partial exception is the word translated as “the writing,” referring to what Pilate wrote and put on the cross above the head of Jesus, John 19:19, and this is a different form of the same root word.] It is significant that, as the word is used in the New Testament, it refers only to the words written by the inspired writers.
And that point is itself significant, for Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16); according to that statement, all of the writings considered to be Scripture were "God-breathed"; that is, the writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write those words. Paul noted it was “the Holy Spirit” who “spoke…through Isaiah the prophet” (cf. Acts 28:25), and reminded the Corinthian brethren that the things spoken to them [and now written] were “revealed them to us through His Spirit,” and that the things they had spoken [and now written] were not according to the wisdom of man, but “which the Holy Spirit teaches” (1 Cor. 2:10, 13). If there was still doubt as to the source of those words, Paul would later state, “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:37).
Peter likewise reminded the early disciples that the good news of salvation was delivered to them by “those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven” [and now written] (1 Pet. 1:13). He would plainly state, too, “prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21); according to what Paul said to those in Rome (cf. Acts 28:25), that would also include what they wrote. What we may know from their words is that the Holy Spirit inspired both Old and New Testament writers! He would later equate even Paul's writings with “the Scriptures” when he wrote to warn the early disciples about men who would twist the difficult writings of the apostle Paul to their own destruction, “as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (2 Pet. 3:15, 16). [By implication, Paul's writing's must also be “Scriptures” because Peter referred to "the rest of the Scriptures” after addressing some of Paul's writings.]
What Paul told Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:16-17, is sufficient to know the value of the Scriptures, but we need to bring it down to a personal level and see how and why it is “profitable” to me — and all individuals.
Before that, though, I want you to hear what others have to say about the written word of God. Listen to what they say, and then let's compare that to what the Holy Spirit-inspired writers had to say.
From a "cardinal" within the Roman Catholic Church:
"Now the Scriptures alone do not contain all the truths which a Christian is bound to believe, nor do they explicitly enjoin all the duties which he is obliged to practice. (James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers, p. 72)
From a former Mormon "apostle":
“One of the great heresies of modern Christendom is the unfounded assumption that the Bible contains all of the inspired teachings now extant among men.” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 83)
The plain argument in those quotes is that the written word of God [i.e., the Bible], is insufficient or incomplete. Many others, in and outside religious circles, have criticized the written word of God as insufficient, complex, incomprehensible, confusing, and even useless and dangerous. The totality of man's opinion, though, does not change the fact of what the written word says about itself: it is “profitable,” and will enable the man of God to be “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
They Reveal My True Spiritual Condition. In many conversations and religious discussions today, it is common to hear individuals argue for their "good"-ness, usually put forth as a response to any stated requirements that one must obey in order to be forgiven and saved. [For example, when told one must believe in Jesus and obey Him, one might say, "But don't you think God will save 'good' people?"] The problem with this idea is that it is a standard of 'good' based on man's faulty perception of self. The Scriptures reveal to me that I am guilty of sin, as well as everyone else on earth: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). No, I am not "good" — and neither are you, or anyone else. We have all sinned.
They Show Sin To Be A Serious Matter. Today, many people use the term "sin" only in a lighthearted manner [that chocolate was sinful], or rarely at all. Much of what the Bible calls sin is now excused as something beyond one's control, or simply as a 'different' way of life that no one can say is 'wrong.'
The Scriptures, however, have not changed in condemning sin for what it is, and have told us “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Sin is not something to be discussed in a lighthearted way; those who are guilty will stand condemned before God in the end!
They Reveal the Judgment, and Either Reward or Punishment. Many people have the mistaken idea that God is either [1] not going to hold them accountable to His will, or [2] will just ultimately save everyone in the end, regardless of what they have done on earth. Again, this is a mistaken concept and more wishful thinking than anything based on what God has actually told us in the inspired writings.
The Scriptures teach “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27), and, “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). Those who strive to do His will on this earth are comforted by those words and look forward to that judgment, but the disobedient are terrified when they think that what the Scriptures have revealed is actually going to happen.
They Reveal God As Merciful And Loving. The atheist and religious critic will tell you God is vindictive, capricious, and unjust. I would argue that they don't know what they are talking about, most likely because they haven't actually personally read what is revealed. Quite often, they are merely regurgitating words someone else has written and, without any investigation of what the Bible actually teaches, spewed those words to silence someone promoting the faith.
But the Scriptures teach us “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16), and that He is “not willing that any should perish” (2 Pet. 3:9).
He revealed these things for our good, but we have to read God's written word to know that! Pick up your Bible and see what God has revealed for your good. —— Steven Harper
