“That the man of God may be perfect [complete], thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:17).
As we consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we see that the Word of God makes a man “perfect” or “complete.” Yet many times, we do not look to the Bible for the answers to life’s most troubling questions. We seek our own solutions. We often look for man-made help for many of our problems.
The believer should be looking to God’s Word for the direction we need. Peter tells us that “according as [God’s] divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). He doesn’t just say some things but all things. The verse also tells us how we receive these things: “through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” How do we gain knowledge of Him? Where else but through the Scriptures?
The Perfect Book
How sufficient is Scripture in making me a complete person? It is the only book on the entire planet that can tell me all about myself. The Bible tells me where I came from; it records the beginning of mankind, dictated by the only One who was there when it happened. It goes on to record human history so accurately that archeologists today still look to the Bible for clues and insight into ancient civilizations.
Through the Word, we see where we are going. Only the Bible accurately tells (not predicts) the future. God says that He tells us what is going to happen and then makes it happen (Isa. 46:10). We see how God has planned and ordered human history to accomplish His purposes. He brings kingdoms and powers into existence when He sees fit, and He has them fall on His command.
God’s Word can probe the depths of our soul better than any person on earth can. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Think about how precise that is! Using the analogy of a sword, the author describes the penetrating power of the Word to pierce our inner being. Following that same analogy, he demonstrates how God, through His Word, can go precisely to the problem, just as a surgeon does with physical problems. It is powerful enough to penetrate through the bone and precise enough to divide the joint and the marrow.
Explaining his analogy, the writer tells us that the Word can even discern our “thoughts and intents.” For years, men have tried to understand the thoughts of others. God’s Word can not only understand our thoughts, but it can do something we sometimes can’t even do for ourselves: understand the intents of our thoughts and actions. We often rationalize our actions. God, through His Word, cuts deep and exposes our intentions for what they really are.
The Word of God also accurately describes the human heart. It tells us that, deep down, we are wicked, and that, left to our own devices, we act wickedly. This is contrary to what the world tells us. How many times have we heard the world tell us that, deep down, everyone is basically good? That is simply not true, and it is evident in our lives. If it were true, the world wouldn’t be in as bad shape as it is now. God tells us repeatedly “there is none that doeth good” (Ps. 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Rom. 3:12). Of course, the good news is that not only does it reveal our plight, it also tells us the solution. Through faith in Christ, we can be forgiven of our sins and given a new nature that does not have the same bent toward evil as the old nature. God shows us the way of life—real life—through His Word.
Scripture teaches us how to be a good husband, as well as a good wife. It teaches our children to be respectful and to obey their parents. It shows the proper employer-employee relationships. It warns us about discriminating against people simply because of their socio-economic situations.
God’s Word relays to us stories of individuals and their struggles with every possible scenario we might face today. We can look to Job as a case study in dealing with catastrophic loss or to Joseph in how to handle being betrayed and unfairly treated. From King David and others, we see how a single act can destroy a family. Every human emotion is explored in Scripture. Philosophically, the Bible contains more than enough material for even the deepest thinkers. The poetry of the Psalms and the Song of Solomon is unparalleled. The wisdom contained in Proverbs is as applicable today as it was then.
The Perfect Author
The reason the Bible can be as relevant today as it was when it was written is that the Creator of mankind wrote it, and human behavior hasn’t changed over the couple of millennia since the Bible was penned. It only stands to reason that since God has chosen to communicate to us by His Word, the Bible would be the source of all the direction we need in this life.
Over the course of my career, I have written a few instructional manuals for various pieces of equipment. The difficulty with writing a manual is that you have to include every detail about the equipment for which it is written. The idea of the manual is that someone can follow the instructions and rely on it for operation of the equipment without having to go anywhere else for help.
If the very One who made us gave us an instructional guide that not only teaches us how we got here, why we are the way we are, but also how to live, don’t you think it would be a complete guide? Would He leave details out that are vital to our lives? Of course not!
Imperfect Adherence
So, then, why do we doubt the sufficiency of His Word? The problem might be that we don’t always like what His Word says. Sometimes we don’t like to admit that the Lord always knows best; we want to follow our own plans. This is nothing but the old man surfacing in our lives. Just as an unbeliever may hear the Bible tell him he is a sinner on the way to a lost eternity and reject it by claiming to be a good person, we can do something very similar. For example, we may hear God’s Word tell us not to store up treasures here on earth (Mt. 6:19) and then turn around and come up with a thousand reasons why we need to collect this world’s possessions and store up this world’s money.
This is really a matter of belief. Will we trust Him for all things? If we will, then we will find the Bible to be completely sufficient for everything in our lives. In fact, we will find His Word more than enough for anything we may encounter in this life. We just need to trust in Him and realize that He is able to do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Eph. 3:20). Let us take God at His Word!