All Scripture, is it all for Today?
But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Tim 3:14-17
As we start a new series this week on the life of King Hezekiah, the question that may be asked is why are spending 8 weeks looking at a king who lived 2,500 years ago?
Yes these stories in the bible are good to read, but shouldn’t we be studying the New Testament because that is more for us as it is about us, the church?
This can be a common view from many Christians, but I believe it is the wrong one. Paul writes to Timothy in his second letter, you must remain faithful to the things that you have been taught. Timothy is reminded that he has learnt these scriptures since he was a child.
What were these scriptures, they were the Old Testament, the law, the prophets and the books of history and poetry. The two letters that Paul sent to him, were probably the only part of what would be come the New Testament that he possessed.
Paul writes very clearly and doesn’t want us to miss what he is saying, All scripture, that which you already have and as we now know all that what to follow when the New Testament was completed. The N.T. books were written between AD:40 and AD:95.
They all have a purpose, we may understand them from a different perspective today, but the theme and heart and essence of them remain constant.
God has always dealt with mankind in the same way. Mankind have constantly rejected or ignored God. There have been godly men and women ever since creation. Therefore how these characters lived their lives before God is still very much applicable to us today. OK the veneer has changed, but many temptations and problems that happened then are very similar today. The world has always offered its attractions, the religious heart has always deceived, vices of varying kinds have torn people away form a holy God. Pleasures have consumed in one way or another. Let the Word of God, correct you, teach you, instruct you, equip you and thrill you. Read it all, don’t just read the bits that you want to say Hallelujah to. If God desired to give it to us and inspired men to write it down for all time, lets hear it, be challenged by it, and live it.