Writings full of God ...

Monday, Nov 3, 2014. Sometimes we need good advice. We want to know how to approach some particular thing, a project, for example. Or we need to make important decisions. What is it that gives us advice? What or who is it who leads us?

The Bible …

The bible is a book which can give us this advice. It is a book full of stories, full of history, but also full of Jesus, full of God, full of his spirit, his wisdom and his guidance. In 2 Timothy, he is talking about his example, and about the role of the scripture, the biblical book:

10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 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. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3, 10-17)

It is quite some range which Timothy describes here. Je talks about a “complete” life which is trained and corrected by God, by the Lord. And he talks about those who deceive and are deceived.

Salvation through faith in Christ …

It is faith in Christ, through which our salvation takes place. What is this salvation about? What are we saved from? What are we saves for?

We are saved from an evil environment, which does not know the glory of the creator. It is a environment which puts the wrong things first, and which does not live in truth and love. God calls it evil, if you do not love each other - and we have been and are part of this world, we need his salvation!

We are saved to be transformed, to be changed. It is a change which takes our whole life - and beyond. It is a change which includes our whole person, our will, our decisions, our words, our emotions. We are taken into his kingdom. We are filled by his spirit. We are guided, educated, and also corrected again and again …

Timothy points out that scripture is a key tool of God. His word is written here - all what iswritten is breathed out by God. We can listen to him personally, by reading it. We can follow him, by following it. We can meet him, here, in this living book, day by day! He is waiting for you and for me today, to come to him! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts