CONSIDER THIS – All Scripture is breathed out by God

 

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and  for training in righteousness”

(2 Timothy 3:16) 

Consider This

Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that the Bible is the breathed-out Word of God. “Breathed” is from the Greek word ‘theopneustos’ and is also translated as ‘inspired’. ‘Divine Breath’, conveys that the Scriptures do not merely contain divine thoughts; they are the product of God’s own creative breath. Just as God breathed physical life into Adam (Genesis 2:7) and spiritual life into dead bones (Ezekiel 37:5-10), He breathes out His Word, imparting authority that is equal to His own character (Psalm 33:6; John 10:35).

THIS IS THE ORDER OF GOD’S PLAN AND PURPOSE

God spoke the worlds and the entire cosmos into existence. And it was not chaotic as some, (in science), consider chaos. It was formative. As time has passed, we can see that it was orderly and created the order of the universe. God created, with purpose, and on purpose.

Secondly, God’s Word is eternal. It never ceases, or fades. It is like “the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it”. (Isaiah 55:10-11). Consider what this means when “you are in Him and His Word is in you”! (see John 15:5-8)

Therefore, since God is the God of order, (see 1 Corinthians 14:33), you can safely and accurately conclude that God’s spoken and written Word is in the correct and perfect order, and that It creates order.

JESUS SAID, “FOLLOW ME”

From Genesis through The Revelation, every ‘jot and tittle’, each and every sentence, paragraph and chapter, tells us of God’s Grand Design, of His Plan and Purpose – in the order in which it is spoken. It has occurred. It is occurring. It shall continue to occur. We must read it and understand this God-made-order so we can understand how we are to obey and follow Him. We must read The Word of God and understand this, in order to understand the predestined purpose of our life and existence. We must read it and understand this, in order to understand why we exist and how we get the most out of our short lives by following (the Words, teaching and life of Jesus.)

Jesus said, “Follow Me”. Do you understand these two words spoken by Jesus?

Let me assist:

Matthew 4:19, And He said to them, “Follow Me, [from the Greek word, ‘deute’, which carries the force of a warm but urgent imperative: “come,” “come here,” or “come now.” It functions as a summons that demands personal response, never mere observation. It carries with it the idea of drawing very close to Jesus – as looking over His shoulder – in order to observe to learn from Him while, at the same time, being closely identified with Him, as His disciple], and I will make you fishers of men, [from the Greek word anthropos, which means ‘people’].” Verse 20. Immediately [from the Greek word, ‘eutheōs’, translated as “at once,” or “straightway”, gives a rapid, action-oriented pace, yet the term appears in every narrative stratum—from the Synoptics to Revelation—linking decisive divine action with equally decisive human response] they left their nets and followed Him. Verse 21. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father [they left family, friends, their livelihood and everything familiar], and followed Him.

Then what?

If you will simply read, and study to understand) Matthew chapters 4 through 10, you will see the ‘what then’. Jesus, as He always does, said the words, showed the works and then sent the workers – but even before this, they began to ‘follow Jesus’, i.e., they began to do as He commanded and as He had done. They had proved through action that they were His disciples, Christians, the Body of Christ – The Church.

So, after hearing this, would you say you and those around you are truly following Jesus, as a “fully devoted follower of Christ” as we like to say?

The Bible is written in the precisely correct order and presents us with the correct order in which we are required to follow Him.

In the beginning, in the book of Genesis, “God said” and it was done; and in the end, in the book of The Revelation, God speaks and says, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

Everything God says between these two points is thereby ordered,  “precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” (see Isaiah 28:10). No word, no thought, no teaching, no command is out of order in God’s Breathed Word.

We cannot just drop into the Word of God and assume you can know what God is saying and instructing if we do not know what came before and what will come afterwards. Each and every verse of the Bible must be kept in context of the entire Bible. Remember, the Word of God is creative, causative, informative and prophetic, and the world and the universe have been framed by the Word of God (see Hebrews 11:3); and without this guiding principal concerning the Word of God, the world and the Church descend into perversion and the evils of manmade chaos.

IS THAT SO?

Let’s read Matthew 4:1-2, as an example of how each and every verse is in the context of the entire Bible, that is what came before and what comes after defines a particular verse or chapter:

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said…”

If, from these verses you conclude that this event, when Jesus is tested by the devil, “serves as a precursor to His ministry and a demonstration of His sinlessness and obedience to God”, as most reliable Bible commentors assert, then you would have an opinion of many commentors. And, I suppose, you would have an idea of what one might assume about this testing or temptation of Jesus. But, you would actually be missing the main point and you will be left defenseless when your time of testing and temptation comes – because that is exactly what these verses are meant to do. They are meant to inform you, to warn you and to prepare you to follow Jesus and to prepare you for your day of testing; for if you follow Him, you will be tested – sorely tested.

It is important, even vital, to know what led to the purpose for this testing of Jesus as found in Matthew 4:1-11. And to know this you must go back to Genesis 1:1 and follow the “Scarlet Thread” through to Matthew, chapter 4. Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”:

Genesis 1:27. “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God, He created him, male and female, He created them.”

In His own image:  from the Hebrew word, ‘ tselem’, we get the image, which is described and defined as a mere, empty, image, semblance; image, vain show, from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e., an illusion, a resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol, an image, a vain shew, of dubious character. (Made, from the beginning, as just a semblance of God, but not an exact representation. Made with the flaw of a dubious character, bound to fail and in need of redemption. But made with a purpose and being shaped into the image, the perfection as of Jesus – “And you are to be (made) perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48). This is a creative prophetic statement, made in the future tense. God, through His process of sanctifying, is in the process of molding and making (poieo) believers and followers of Jesus into His image.

By this we can know that man is created with a sin flaw – a “dubious character and mind” as the Hebrew translation gives it. And from the beginning of the time of the creation man sinned. He was bound to fail and he was in need of a Savior, being reborn and transformed by being purified, cleansed and refined by trials (see Daniel 12:10). As 1 Peter 1:6-7 puts it, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Hence, God sent His only son to seek and to save those who were lost. And Jesus leads the way by teaching and demonstrating how this rebirth and transformation – purifying, cleansing, refining, and testing by fire is to take place, as seen in Matthew 4:1-11, by His own testing and temptations.

 To recap and further illustrate the point that Scriptures, the Word of God, is perfectly ordered, here is a linear timeline of how God foretells of a coming Redeemer, a Savior, the coming redemption of humankind and God’s sanctifying of His people:

THE PROPHECIES

Genesis 3:15	The Messiah will be born of a woman and will defeat evil.
Genesis 49:10	The scepter will not depart from Judah until the rightful ruler comes.
Micah 5:2	The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem.
Isaiah 7:14	A virgin will give birth to the Messiah, called Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6-7	The Messiah will be a wonderful counselor, mighty God, and everlasting Father.
Jeremiah 23:5-6	A righteous king from David’s line will reign wisely.
Zechariah 9:9	The Messiah will come humble and riding on a donkey.

Additional Insights

• Many of these prophecies are fulfilled in the New Testament through the life of Jesus Christ.
• The Messiah is seen as a deliverer who will save people from sin and establish a kingdom of peace and justice.

These scriptures collectively paint a picture of the anticipated Messiah, highlighting His lineage, birthplace, and divine mission.

Tracing our “Crimson Thread”, what came next?:

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11, around the years 6 to 4 B.C.)

Then:

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said…”, (Matthew 4:1-2.)

TO REPEAT:

God created the worlds. God created man and woman, but with a ‘sin flaw’, in need of redemption and of a Savior. God shapes his creation through trials and tribulations. God sends His Son, The Savior of the world. Jesus tells of and demonstrates how we will encounter and endure our coming temptations and trials which will lead to our new birth and to our transformation. Those who believe in, obey and follow Jesus are being made into a new creature, a new creation, being shaped into the image and likeness of Jesus through many trials, tests and temptations. “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Hebrews 10:14 and Romans 8:30)

You see, everything recorded in the Scriptures that preceded the “Temptation and Testing of Jesus” (Matthew 4:1-11), were necessary precursors. It was in the proper and correct order. (This is known as a “Kairos moment”, (from an ancient Greek word ‘kairos’, meaning “the right or critical moment”, which signifies a qualitative time for action, contrasted with ‘chronos’, which refers to chronological or sequential time. “Kairos” is a frame of time which is passing, and the window of opportunity will last only for a specified period. You must ‘go through that window of time when it is presented, or the opportunity is lost.) As it was, it is and forevermore shall be. Now you know.

God’s Word says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9). And, that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” And Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Within these words are the instructions that we must follow Him, in His steps, adopting His mindset, His attitude, approaching life as He approached life. Do all things as He does them. “Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young.

And we know that the Word became Flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (see John 1:14), and that the life of the flesh is in the blood to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’ (Leviticus 17:11).

It is not enough to just know His Words. Jesus has said that we must “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, [i.e., we must abide in Him and His Words in us] otherwise you have no life in yourselves. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink [true  nourishment for the body, mind, soul and spirit]. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, the one who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died; the one who eats this bread will live forever.”