The Inspired Word

Introduction

(Read vv. 10–17) There’s a lot of talk in our country and especially in political commentary about evangelicals. “Evangelicals support this,” and “Evangelicals don’t support that.” “Evangelicals voted for this candidate and opposed that one.” To many people, evangelical is nothing but a political category. 
You know evangelical means much more. But what exactly is an evangelical? Evangel means gospel. So, an evangelical is someone who believes in salvation by grace through faith in Christ. But even more foundationally, we believe the gospel because we believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word and our only authority for doctrine and practice. Our doctrine of Scripture, truth, and authority is our most basic distinction.
So, the very first section of Life Point’s doctrinal statement is, “We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament canon which, being inerrant in the original manuscripts is the sole authority on all matters of faith and practice (2 Pet 1:21; 2 Tim 3:16-17).”
Everything starts right there. And notice that one of the two prooftexts is today’s text. Probably no other Bible passage defines us like 2 Timothy 3. So, it’s important that we slow down and really understand what it says and the implications of what it says. 
I know many of you are carrying heavy burdens, and others are wrestling against strong temptation. We care about all that, but we also believe that nothing will help you get through those things more than strong faith in the truth of this book. What you really need is to hear God’s voice and really believe what you read. 
Along these lines, last Sunday we saw that godly people will be persecuted. Paul wrote this as he faced death for preaching the gospel. It’s a heavy warning. And danger always tempts us to panic and retreat. So, v. 14 commands you, no matter what comes, “Continue…” 
But this command raises an important question. Why should I stand on the Bible when it may bring persecution and real suffering? Paul responds with several reasons why you must stand on the Bible when you are persecuted but also when you are afraid, when temptation is strong, when it feels like you are failing, and through every other challenge. Today, we will cover the 1st 3 reasons. 1st…

i.  The Bible stands on reliable history.

Remember that this is not simply a theological treatise; Paul’s exhorting his son in the faith. So, he doesn’t start his exposé on inspiration where a textbook would start. Instead, he leans on their shared experience. V. 14 says, “knowing…” “And that from childhood…” Paul starts with Timothy’s personal trust in Paul. 
Of course, personal trust can be misguided. Many well-meaning parents teach their children false religions. But don’t discount the power of personal trust for gospel ministry. God can use your faith and love to bring others to faith. Don’t apologize for that; use it. 
But Paul’s broader point is that the New Testament stands on apostolic authority. Timothy must continue because Paul and the other apostles delivered God’s Word. Jesus promised that after his departure, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you (the apostles) all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26).
Ephesians 2:20 says the church was built “on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” And Hebrews 2:3–4 say of the gospel, “After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” God empowered the apostles to lay a sure foundation for the church, and he confirmed their authority with miracles. 
There’s a lot of talk today about other letters that people claim should be included in the Bible and change our doctrine. But anyone who knows the story of how we got our Bible knows it’s nonsense. 
The first criteria the church fathers used to recognize a canonical book was that it had to be written by an apostle or someone closely associate with one. They knew those other books were not apostolic, and they were vastly inferior. We have the apostolic witness, and it has been confirmed many times.
Then Paul roots the apostolic witness to the OT. He reminds Timothy that “from childhood…” Timothy’s Jewish mother and grandmother taught him the Bible and brought him to synagogue. The apostolic message may have been new, but the OT wasn’t. It stood on centuries of history and confirmation. And Paul’s gospel was firmly rooted in the OT. And the signs and prophetic confirmation were overwhelming. 
A lot of loudmouths mock the Bible as a series of fanciful myths. But most of them know very little about the Bible. The Bible confirms itself repeatedly, and the archaeological evidence, literary evidence, etc., continues to grow. We have the authentic apostolic message, and it tells a reliable historical record. The Bible is God’s Word. You can trust what it says. 
Remember that when temptation is strong, you’re afraid, or persecution grows. You can stand on the Bible because it is true. 
Before we move on, don’t miss the significance of Timothy’s childhood instruction. Timothy didn’t get saved until he met Paul, but the teaching he received from his mother, grandmother, and the local synagogue prepared Timothy to be saved and to grow into a mighty servant of Christ. Decades later, it helped Timothy withstand awful persecution. 
Parents, teach your children the Bible. I know if often feels like they aren’t listening or understanding, but you are laying a vital foundation. As well, we don’t have children’s ministries merely to occupy the kids until they are old enough to pay attention. We have an opportunity to lay a strong foundation that God can use to save them and to grow them into godly men and women. Teaching children the Bible is the very best gift we can give them. The 2nd reason we must stand on God’s Word is…

ii.  The Bible contains the power of salvation (v. 15).

The goal is salvation. It may strike you as odd that Paul speaks of Timothy’s salvation as still in the future. Timothy was saved, but the Bible consistently teaches that our salvation will not be complete until we are glorified and we stand in the presence of Christ. 
Salvation must begin in a moment when you are born again. You don’t earn it; it is a gift of grace. Paul says the foundation is “faith which is in Christ Jesus.” That’s hard. I’ve listened to many people who struggle with the gospel because they want to feel like they have earned God’s love, like they deserve it. But Romans 5:8 says, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 
You will never deserve God’s love, but he loves you all the same. It doesn’t matter what you have done or how small you feel, Jesus will save you if you repent of your sin and receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you have never done that, receive him today. It’s the best decision you will ever make. 
But understand that being born again is only the beginning of God’s will for you. God has forgiven all your sin, and you are justified. But you are still a sinner who needs a lot of work. And God is on a mission to transform everything about you into the character of Christ. Someday you will see Jesus, and he will finish the process and glorify you. It will be a great day!
But what’s especially relevant for today’s sermon is that sanctification is a fundamentally spiritual process. We are not merely on a mission to reform our character or to become the best version of ourselves. No, 2 Peter 1:4 says our goal is to “become partakers of the divine nature.” God is on a mission to recreate his love, righteousness, truth, and grace in every believer. 
The power is in the Word. That should sound impossible. “Me, be holy like Jesus? Do you know how sinful I am? That will never happen.” But v. 15 assures you that the “sacred writings (the Scriptures) are able…”
The Bible is so much more than practical wisdom you can get from Jordan Peterson and other self-help gurus. Those other people can help you clean up some rough edges, but they can’t produce godliness. But power for godliness is exclusively available in the Word by the Spirit’s power. 
Paul says the Bibe is “able” to produce salvation. The Greek verb is dúnamai, which means “power.” God saves people and transforms people through the Word because, as we will see in a moment, it is God’s authoritative speech. 
And God’s speech is the greatest creative power in the universe. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isa 55:10–11).
The false teachers loved Greek philosophy and Jewish speculation. Many Christians today are enamored with secular psychology and every other flavor of self-help. Other Christians have given up on making a cogent argument. Church is about creating a mood or a feeling or just having fun. People love it, and churches pack the room.
But the power to save and produce genuine godliness is only through the Word. Parents, give your kids the Word. You can give them the moon, but Jesus asked, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul” (Matt 16:26)? So, prepare them to stand before Jesus. Know that the only way they will stand is by the voice of God in the Word. Give them the Word. Do the same with everyone else. If they don’t listen and don’t care, don’t compromise. Don’t panic. Continue in the Word. The 3rd reason we must stand on God’s Word is…

iii.  The Bible is inspired by God (v. 16a).

Again, that is one of the most foundational statements in the Bible because it tells us what is truth. Everything begins right there. I remember talking with a guy on an airplane once who clearly loved to talk about religion but who was ultimately an agnostic. We enjoyed going back and forth for a bit. I finally asked him, “What is truth?” He got dead silent. That’s a terrifying question for most people because they don’t know. And if you don’t know what truth is, life suddenly becomes worthless or terrifying. 
But we know, “All Scripture is inspired by God.” The Bible is truth. That is a big claim with massive implications for everything. It shapes our doctrine, our church, and your entire life. So, I want to spend the rest of our time highlighting 5 words from section 1 of our doctrinal statement that grow out of this verse. The first one is…
Inspiration: The Greek word translated inspired is theopneustos. It is a rare, compound word that combines the Greek word for God, theós, with pneuma, which means “spirit or breath.” So, the term literally means “God-breathed.” Paul is saying that the Bible originated with God’s speech.
When we think of a person being inspired with a poem or a story, we think of a feeling or clarity that wells up from inside them. It’s really about the person. But B. B. Warfield clarifies in his foundational book, The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible, “What it says of Scripture is, not that it is ‘breathed into by God’ or is the product of the Divine ‘inbreathing’ into its human authors, but that it is breathed out by God, ‘God-breathed,’ the product of the creative breath of God (The Bible is God’s Word)…No term could have been chosen, however, which would have more emphatically asserted the Divine production of Scripture than that which is here employed. The ‘breath of God’ is in Scripture just the symbol of his almighty power, the bearer of His creative word” (p. 133).
Simply put, the Bible is God’s speech. And Paul especially wants to connect the Bible to the same sovereign voice that spoke the world into existence. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host” (Ps 33:6). Consider the fact that when you read the Bible, you are hearing the voice of God, the same voice that said, “‘Let there be light’ and there was light” (Gen 1:3). So, “God-breathed” doesn’t only mean the Bible is true; it means the Bible bears God’s creative power.
I must clarify that this does not mean God dictated the Bible to the human authors. 2 Peter 1:21 says, “No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” We feel that when we see the authors’ various personalities, writing styles, burdens and passions. It’s genius because these human elements make the Bible relatable and captivating. 
But they never simply delivered their own words. God directed and controlled their speech to the extent that the Bible is the product of God’s breath or his speech. It is God’s inspired Word. A 2nd crucial word is…
Verbal: Again, our doctrinal statement says, “We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible.” What does verbal mean, and why do doctrinal statements always include it? 
Verbal simply means that inspiration extends to the individual words of the text. Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’” (Matt 4:4). “Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth’” (Jer 1:9).
Verbal inspiration is important because it emphasizes the fact that Scripture is propositional. It doesn’t just give a feeling or a mood. It communicates content. God’s Word, God’s truth is found in the words, sentences, and propositional truths of the text. That’s what Jesus believed because that’s how he interpreted the OT. 
And it’s an important idea to emphasize because it is constantly under attack. One of the most famous theologians of the 20th century was Karl Barth. He had been raised in a liberal theology that denied inspiration, but that theology left him feeling helpless to guide his Swiss church through the horrors of WWI. But rather than embrace orthodox inspiration, he developed neoorthodoxy which says that the Bible becomes the Word of God as we read and while the Spirit speaks. The words aren’t inspired; instead, the thoughts, feelings, and mood the Spirit gives you while you read are what’s inspired. 
It’s heresy, and sadly, many evangelical authors are not far from it. For example, many Christian women love Sarah Young’s book Jesus Calling. She says in the introduction, “I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more. I wanted to hear what God had to say to me personally on a given day.” She doesn’t deny verbal inspiration, but the book is essentially her relaying the voice of Jesus that she has heard beyond the words of the text. 
Yes, the Holy Spirit absolutely illuminates our minds and convicts our hearts through the Word. You should pray that he does. It is awesome when you read the Bible or hear a sermon, and it feels like God is speaking directly to you. But inspiration and illumination are not the same. God’s Word is in the text of your Bible. A 3rd crucial word is…
Plenary: That word may seem foreign, but it simply means “the whole” or “all.” For example, many conferences will have plenary sessions and breakout sessions. You split up for the breakout sessions, but all the attendees are together for the plenary sessions. 
So, plenary inspiration means the entire Bible is inspired. It’s not that some parts are inspired and others are not. And if you have a red-letter Bible, I hope you know that the words of Jesus are not more inspired than the words of Zephaniah. No, our text says, “All Scripture is inspired.” 
And that is the consistent testimony of Scripture. Jesus treated the entire OT as the Word of God. And in 2 Peter 3:16, Peter calls Paul’s letters “Scripture.” John ends Revelation by warning that if anyone adds to or takes away from “the words of the prophecy of this book,” God will judge severely. 
So, our doctrinal statement says, “the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament canon” are all inspired. Again, that’s very important. It’s popular in our day to take a little of this religion and a little of that to make your own potion. Many people want to pick and choose which parts of the Bible they will believe and obey. But it is all God’s Word. You must believe and obey it all. A 4th crucial word is…
Inerrant: That simply means “without error.” Positively, it means “accurate.” The Bible doesn’t speak to everything, but everywhere it does speak, it is accurate. And this doesn’t merely pertain to spiritual things. Whenever the Bible speaks to history or science, it is accurate to the degree that the author intends. 
I know people mock that, but it’s what the Bible teaches, and it is far more believable than most want you to believe. For all the gusto, no one has ever proven an error in the Bible. Finally, the Bible is…
Authoritative: Our doctrinal statement says it is “the sole authority on all matters of faith and practice.” Islam, Mormonism, Catholicism, and liberal Protestantism all recognize some level of authority in the Bible. But we believe it is our “sole authority.” You can learn from other sources, but the Bible has no rivals. Where it speaks, we believe and obey.

Conclusion

I want to be clear that we worship God, not a book. The voice of God is special, not pages and ink. But the same God who spoke the universe into existence has spoken to you in the Bible. Treasure God’s Word. And “continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of.” Your whole life may feel like it is coming apart. You may be scared, sad, tempted, and exhausted. But don’t retreat. Plant your feet in the Bible. Stand on the Word of God.