An Article of Faith

You should know the Bible for many reasons, but primarily because God is the Author. All Bible students know that God is Creator (Genesis 1:1), Redeemer (Isaiah 60:16), and Judge (Genesis 18:25), but do you think of Him as the Author of the Bible?
About 14 centuries before Christ, the Bible had its beginnings in the desert of Sinai. In this arid place God spoke to Moses, who had once been a prince in Egypt and was nearly 120 years old at the time. At the Lord’s command, Moses picked up his pen and began writing the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. More than 1,500 years later, the divine manuscript was completed on a lonely, windswept island in the Mediterranean Sea by a former fisherman, John the apostle, with the Book of Revelation.
From Genesis through Revelation, there are 66 books of the Bible. Over the centuries, approximately 40 men and women – representing varied backgrounds and writing styles – served as channels for God’s Word. Yet, in spite of these variations in time and talent, the completed work displays a marvelous historical, theological, geographical, topical, and biographical unity.
The Bible’s practical benefits for us may well be summarized under two headings: (1) knowing and (2) growing. The Bible proclaims the good news of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection that we may know God; it also explains the will of God that we may grow in Christ.
Scripture reveals our place within God’s plan and answers crucial questions pertaining to our origin, purpose, and destiny. Because God has revealed His unchanging truths, the Christian faith provides real answers and guidance to every generation. Although we cannot grasp how individual events fit into God’s overall plan, we can understand God’s basic plan in order to come to know and serve Him. Few joys can compare with realizing our place in God’s plan and working to fulfill our destiny.
“All Scripture is inspired by God (literally, God-breathed) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
The clearest way to give Paul’s meaning is to translate as follows: “All Scripture, because it is God-breathed, is profitable ...” “God-breathed” means the words of Scripture are from God Himself.
Because the Bible is inspired by God it is profitable for us in four ways:
(1) “for teaching” – to know what to believe;
(2) “for reproof” – to discern what not be believe;
(3) “for correction” – to learn what not to do;
And (4) “for training in righteousness” – to understand what should be done.
“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the Word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

(Jessie J. Charpentier Sr. is pastor of Jenkins Memorial Baptist Church in St. Martinville.)