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28-08-2016
This week we begin a new series entitled “Foundations for life”, and we start by looking at the Bible, the best selling book of all time. It has been translated into over 500 languages in it’s entirety, and at least one book of the Bible exists in more than 2300 other languages.
In 2 Timothy 3vv15-17, we discover 3 reasons why it is also the most important book in the world…
The Bible is God’s word for us today
Verse 16 tells us that all the Bible is “breathed out by God”… spoken by God. Therefore, when we read the Bible, we hear the very words of God Almighty.
This means that the Bible is true, for God does not lie (Titus 1v2).
It also means the Bible is authoritative, because it contains God’s words written. And because God is God, and we are not, we are in no position to change what He says.
The Bible is the cradle in which we find the Christ
This is a phrase based upon how Martin Luther described the Bible, and it reminds us that the words of the Bible are able to “make us wise for salvation” (2Timothy v15). One of the best things about the Bible, is that without it, we would not understand that Jesus is at the centre of God’s plan to save sinful people like us. We would not understand the good news of the gospel: that Jesus died in our place, taking the punishment we deserve, so that we are reconciled to God and promised eternal life
But just because the Bible teaches us about the way of salvation, we are not to think, that once we become a Christian, we can put the Bible to one side… on the contrary…
The Bible is the foundation for our lives
The Bible not only teaches us how we can be saved, it also teaches how to live God’s way, once we are saved, shaping our belief and our behaviour (2 Tim3vv16b-17).
Positively, God’s word is useful for teaching us the right way to think about, and relate to, God. It also trains us in right ways of living before God. Negatively, the Bible is useful for correcting wrong ways of thinking about God and for rebuking wrong ways of living before him.
The bible equips the Christian with everything they need to not only meet life’s challenges, but to overcome them in a way that glorifies God. It is no surprise that Jesus teaches it is the wise person who builds their life on the foundation of God’s word (Cf. Matthew 7vv24-27).