Today's Passage - 2 Timothy 3 16-17

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 2 Timothy 3:16-17     All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.     "Inspiration" in the original text is "God-breathed".  The entirety of the Bible is from God written through the hands of men with the inspiration from the Holy Spirit.  There are forty-four authors in the Bible written in a span of 1,600 years with the central theme focused on Jesus Christ.  Science today progresses in lightning speed, but today's truth may be refuted tomorrow.  Nevertheless, the truth depicted in the Bible never changes.  There has never been a book like Bible that has been so critically scrutinized including those about history, archaeology, science and arts.    We thank God because the more this book is scrutinized, the more faith we have on the Bible being the Word of God. Somebody has once said, "The Bible did not get famous because of Christians!"  Bible was not written because of Christians, but, on the contrary, people become Christians because of the Bible. God's word has the power to transform lives enabling the repentance of sins; enabling the departure from one's path willingly and walk onto God's path.  Therefore, the transformation of every Christian is the best evidence that "The Bible is the word of God."   One's desire to pursue a fulfilling and blessed life increases with increasing social interactions; the Bible provides the only authoritative guide.  Following the principles in the Bible, families would be filled with love and happiness, human relationships become harmonious.  No wonder people refers the Bible as the "Life's manual" not only should we read this book, but recognize that it is the authority guiding  our lives when we practice according to its teachings.   Both "doctrine" and "reproof" refer to our religious faith.  The Bible is the foundation on which our faith is established.  This foundation cannot be built   on pastors' preaching as they are also human who may prone to error.  Our faith is built on the entirety of this Bible and as we learn, we need to discern what is the truth and what is heresy. There are many heresies and cults today because those people only listen to others without spending time to study the Bible themselves.  When facing the judgment throne, there is no excuse saying, "This is the pastor's fault, I was led astray."  God will then respond, "Haven't I given you the Bible?  Why aren't you reading it?"    "For correction" and "instruction to righteousness" refer to our daily living.  The Bible provides not only the true teachings, but also how to walk on the right path with the goal of becoming glorious like Christ.  Besides receiving knowledge in studying the Bible, our lives would also be transformed so that we would lead of live that is both glorious to God and beneficial to others.                                            Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, help us study and follow your word every day of our lives so that Your life would be manifested in us. With thanks we pray, in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!