Pastor Larry Sundin, Rock Springs Church
The Bible is the most extraordinary book ever written. As we learned last month, the Bible was written as a narrative, as a story of God’s dealing with humanity from Creation to the end of history. It is the product of God’s breath and is full of relevance and timeless truth for today. In his letter to Timothy, Apostle Paul described how God’s Word benefits anyone who trusts and applies its teachings. He wrote: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. In these verses, Paul describes four ways God’s Word can shape and transform your life.
First, God’ s Word is profitable for teaching. It teaches us what God is like and what God has done for us. God’s Word reveals desires for mankind. It reveals how much He loves us and the extent He went to prove that love by giving us His Son Jesus. God’s Word reveals how Jesus lived among us, laid down His life for us, so we could be forgiven and reconciled to life with God. It reveals how God wants to cleanse us, adopt us and remove judgment from us forever. It teaches us of God’s incredible mercy and His extraordinary grace. And it teaches us how it’s now possible for you to think like Jesus, love like Jesus and live like Jesus. It is full of benefits for our life!
Second, God’s Word is profitable for rebuking. This sounds negative, but it’s really quite loving. God’s Word tells us when we are out of bounds with the right way of living. It’s like the umpire who cries, “Out!” or “Safe!” So, the Bible sets up boundaries for life. As it does, it reveals sin. Not just how our sin offends God, but how it damages our relationships, and keeps us from living a joyful and abundant life. So, God’s Word rebukes us to keep us out of harm’s way and show us a better way.
Third, it is profitable for correction. From birth you and I have been told that the way to live is for yourself, to follow your heart, do your own thing. But what we’ve learned is that when you live for self, you lose out on life the way God meant it to be lived: a life full of love, joy, and peace. Elizabeth Elliot tells us how it can correct us: “The Word of God I think of is a straight edge, which shows up our own crookedness. We can’t really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of Scripture.” It corrects our thinking, gives us an attitude adjustment, and corrects our actions.
Fourth, it is profitable for training in righteousness. One of the reasons God gave us His Word was so we might flourish in every area of life. That we might do the right thing and treat others the right way: with humility, compassion, grace, and dignity. Therefore, the more we get God’s Word into our life, the more His Word will transform what’s gone wrong in us and help to make us right! It will heal us, restore us and make us whole. As you can see from this brief description, God’s Word is an incredible gift. So why not join Rock Springs Church this Fall, as we open God’s Word each Sunday at 9 a.m., and see what benefit God’s Word might have in store for you.