“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 & 7
Read your Bible.
If there was one piece of tried-and-true advice applicable in almost any situation, it could be expressed in those three words.
Really? Yes, Really.
Well, what should I do if I’m feeling afraid?
Read your Bible.
How do I grow closer to Jesus?
Read your Bible.
How do I know what God wants me to do?
Read your Bible.
Some might say that those three words are an easy answer to complicated problems; that this kind of advice is trite given the complexities of the world in which we live. And if that’s the response to those words, then the question behind that response is also very simple:
“Why is the Bible so important?”
Even if you believe the Bible, you can surely sympathize with the question, can’t you? I mean, we have more sources of information than ever before. You can find the answer to almost any question with just a few quick keystrokes. A universe of knowledge is at our disposal – so why is this book such a big deal?
In the verses of today’s scripture, we find three overarching reasons why the Bible is so important:
1. Because of what it is.
The Bible is God-breathed. It is God’s Word. In its pages, we find God’s revelation of Himself, and that’s the main purpose of the Bible.
God breathed out this revelation of Himself so that we might know what He is like. Unalterable. Unchanging. This is the nature of the Bible, and this is the first reason why it’s so important.
2. Because of who we are.
Remember in 2 Timothy all the things the Bible is used for – “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” So, who does it teach? Who does it rebuke? Who does it correct and train?
Us.
We have an immense capacity for self-deception, but God’s Word will tell us the truth about ourselves. We need God’s Word because we cannot be trusted to do it for ourselves.
3. Because of what it does.
The Bible also equips us for every good work. How does the Bible do this? Especially since it does not speak specifically to many of the issues we find today. For example, we don’t find many issues surrounding sexual identity spelled out in Scripture. We neither find a particular parenting checklist nor a manual about how to have a healthy marriage. The way the Bible equips us for all we encounter is not by telling us what to think in all those situations; it equips us by teaching us how to think.
The Bible does all these things and more, yet it does nothing if it stays on the shelf. So, if we believe that the Bible is what it says it is and does what it says it can do, all I can say is…
Read your Bible.
Written by Michael Kelley, Guest Contributor
To read more of Michael’s writing, check out his daily blog, Forward Progress http://michaelkelley.co/
