The Apostles' Creed - Pt. 24

 

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17 ESV).

 

When we confess, with the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” we affirm that the Holy Spirit worked in and through the people who wrote down the words of Scripture to reveal God’s design and purpose for us. Paul describes the Spirit’s work as “God-breathed.” Just as the Holy Spirit breathed life into the first human being (cf. Genesis 2:7), so the Holy Spirit breathed into the work of the Bible’s human authors, making the Scriptures full of life and giving all that we need for faithful living. He also worked in the transmission and preservation of those Scriptures. Paul’s words to Timothy in our reading offer practical advice for us.

 

Recently I received an inquiry from a follower of Morning Devotionals. The asked why some translations do not contain some of the verses that appear in others. Usually this is true when comparing newer translations with some of the older ones. Since newer discoveries of manuscripts have been made in recent centuries, some of the translations based on previously discovered texts are corrected to place the corrections in the footnotes. What has been absolutely agreed upon by all major scholars is the truth that nothing of substance has been changed with the thousands of these discoveries. That is because man is not the author of them. It is the Holy Spirit who has written it.

 

Timothy had learned the truth found in the Scriptures. And here Paul encourages him to continue to read, learn from, and trust in God’s Word, which helps every believer focus on living God’s way for full, meaningful life. God’s Word can be trusted because it is not the mere words of imperfect human beings; it is the truth of the eternal God himself.