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 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)
The
operation, or function of the scripture, is to be profitable, or serviceable,
helpful. The apostle John told the
church not to be gullible, accepting everyone who calls himself a teacher. "Try the spirits, whether they are of
God..." 1John 4:1. The
Scripture has a four-fold function:
1.
teaching what is right,
2.
showing what is wrong,
3.
showing how to correct what is wrong, and
4.
helping us know how to stay on the right
track in life.
We will invest this week in those four operations
of the Scripture.
The first of these is TEACHING – which is Scripture
helping us to understand, or being able to know the track or pathway God
would have us walk; both in the way we have our relationship with Him, and with
all His created order…our neighbors!
When
I was a child we lived on Long Island.
My Dad had to work in Ohio one year; when we took him to the airport it should
have been an hour’s ride home. But
somewhere on the way Mom made a wrong turn and we wound up in Connecticut. I still remember that sinking feeling that we
were in for a long ride!
Today’s
“maps” are electronic. GPS will never
get you lost, right?
Ahem;
not necessarily so! I have punched-in
the right address, followed the disembodied voice commands impeccably, and
still wound up at the wrong place.
Whether
it is a paper map or Google™ on your iPhone™ - there are mistakes just waiting
to happen. But in most cases the fault
isn’t with the map; it is the reader of the map who misses
something.
Scripture’s
first function is to proclaim truth – without error. Jesus (the living Word of God) claimed truth
as His nature:
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” John 14:6a (NLT)
We
can misread Scripture as easily as we can a map or those “simple instructions”
on how to put together a child’s toy on Christmas Eve. That is why God gave us an Interpreter – the Holy
Spirit – who speaks the truth of God’s Word to our hearts.
This
right
track is clearly a singular track of obedience to God and respect
for all creation. Notice how this is
taught without ambiguity:
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and
discipline. Proverbs 1:7 (NLT)
If
you want to understand the basic right track for your life, it is taught
clearly in God’s Word.
For You Today
Knowing
how to get somewhere is as important as choosing the destination.
So
pick up the Holy GPS and listen for the Navigator’s directions. He won’t lead you astray!
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