“AND HOW FROM childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired 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 Tim. 3:15–17). “The sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” What part has the Scriptures in the life of those in Christ?
The temptation—and it is a real one—is to say: “I am ‘in Christ’; He will guide me from within; I need no other guidance.” In that direction lies disaster. First of all, we know little or nothing about Jesus Christ except through the Scriptures. If you depend on your inner light solely, or mostly, you will probably wander off into vagaries. You will probably go off into visions and dreams and voices, many of them from the subconscious. Anything from within needs correction from the Scriptures. Here it is said the Scriptures give four things: (1) Teaching—“profitable for teaching.” It corrects ignorance of the mind. (2) Reproof—“for reproof.” It corrects sin of the soul. (3) Correction—“for correction.” It corrects errors of emotion, conscience, and judgment. (4) Discipline—“training in righteousness.” It corrects undisciplined living. The Scriptures give corrections to the total person—the mind, the will, the emotions—and disciplines them all into maturity.
One trying to live without the guidance of the Scriptures would be like a captain of a ship who would brush aside chart and compass and stars and say, “I will be guided by my intuitions.” No person can be spiritual who is not scriptural. If there is dust on your Bible, there is dust on your experience of Christ. As I sat in a train reading my Bible, a woman remarked, “You must love Him.” I do, for I love His Word.
O Jesus, these words of the Scripture take me by the hand and take me beyond the words to the Word, to Thee. Therefore I love them, for I love Thee. New light is breaking out from Thy Word all the time. I thank Thee. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: The Scriptures have been close to the Savior, and if I am to keep close to the Savior, I must keep close to the Scriptures.
