God-Breathed
Remembering the potency of Scripture in a world of competing voices
“All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17)
The church has always existed in a world of competing voices. Indeed, one of Paul’s primary concerns in his second letter to Timothy is ensuring that Timothy be equipped to navigate the chaotic waters of controversy and strife. For instance, he instructs Timothy to “not dispute about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers” (2:14) and to “refuse foolish and ignorant speculations,” since they produce quarrels (v. 23). One of the challenges facing Timothy, then, was that of managing the unwanted babbling of certain unstable voices, and to do so in a manner that would both protect the sheep and honour God.
One of the ways Paul seeks to advise Timothy regarding this matter is by reminding him of the unique character of the tool at his disposal. In contrast to the “godless and empty chatter” of his opponents (2:16), Timothy has been entrusted with the “sacred writings” (3:15), and these have a twofold ability. For one, they are able to make him “wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus,” and secondly, they are profitable for “teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work” (vv. 15–16).
In other words, the Scriptures are an incomparably valuable resource in the fight of faith, and the mob, no matter how loud, cannot hold a candle to them.
It’s important to note, however, that the reason Scripture possesses these qualities is because of its utterly unique and peculiar character. Like no other resource in all the world, Scripture, Paul says, is “God-breathed.” That is, it proceeds from God as His spoken Word and thus carries with it all the authority, power, and wisdom of God Himself. Scripture then is not simply a collection of good ideas; nor is it a record of humanity’s finest religious speculations and philosophical reflections. It is, rather, the very Word of God in written form, and we would do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place (2 Pet. 1:19).
The point I want to draw from all of this is simple. Like Timothy, we need to remember the incalculable gift we have been given in the Word of God. There is a temptation when being buffeted on all sides by controversy and propaganda to simply yield to the storm, to surrender to the sea of voices and resign ourselves to being drowned out by the noise. Indeed, it’s been noted that this, in part, is the goal of propaganda: not to persuade but to silence, not to convince but to make resistance feel futile.
But to bend under this kind of pressure is to forget both the potency and the enduring nature of the Word of God. The Scriptures are not a dead and lifeless thing that need to be propped up with a stick in order for them to be of any use; they are a living and breathing thing, a current of untold force that simply needs to be unleashed on the world. Nothing else in creation is like it. Nothing else possesses these unique qualities. And hence nothing else is able to point men to faith in Christ Jesus and, through that faith, to the kind of reformation of life and character that our culture so desperately needs.
So, yes, our world is full of competing voices. It is a cacophony of opinions, most of them false, all jostling to be given attention and credibility in the ever-shifting arena of public opinion. But there is one Voice that transcends them all. There is one Voice that rises above the rest and has the power to topple kingdoms and create worlds. And that Voice is the voice of the Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and earth, the triune God who thunders in the pages of sacred Scripture.
The sooner we recover a sense of this, the sooner we can begin building something truly worthwhile. We can put to death our unbelieving resignation and, like a skilled workman crafting a cathedral, brush the flies from our face and get busy laying one stone upon another.
God has given us all we need in the gift of His precious and holy Word. Let’s simply get out of the way and let ’er rip.
As Luther said, reflecting on the unexpected success of the Reformation: “I did nothing; the Word did everything.”
May God make it so, for His glory and our good.
Praise be to God for His love letter, His Holy Word to us! Forgive us Lord for neglecting this most sacred treasure. Help us to stand firm upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ, the Logos, the Living Word, and to share it with this hurting world. Amen