What does the Bible say about itself?
The question of what the Bible says rests on a prior one: where did this book come from, and what is it meant to do to the person reading it. The writers below answer both — they trace Scripture back to God's own breath, and forward to the reader it is designed to save, correct and equip.
Where the Book Comes From
Scripture does not present itself as a collection of religious writings that later gained authority. One commentator draws a comparison with the making of man in Genesis to explain what "God-breathed" means:
F. B. HoleThese scriptures are quite enough to show that the New Testament writers, while asserting the inspiration of the Old, assume it in equal measure for themselves... "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God," or "is God-breathed." A remarkable expression! Just as in creation the finely formed vessel of clay — for "the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground" — became a living being only after God breathed into it, so what would otherwise have been only a collection of literary fragments has become one organic whole by the fact that God breathed into every part; living and powerful indeed, since it is the inspired Word of God.
Some translations shift the sentence to read "Every Scripture inspired by God is also profitable," which would leave open the idea that only parts are inspired. Commentators reject this reading on grounds of both grammar and sense:
F. B. HoleIn the original Greek the verb "is" does not occur at all... There are eight other passages of similar construction in the New Testament, and each of these has been translated by the Revisers as in the Authorized Version. Only in 2 Timothy 3:16 have they twisted the sentence round this way... Indeed, the Scripture in Timothy looks foolish as the Revisers translate it, since they turn it into a statement of the perfectly self-evident truth that every God-breathed writing is good. Timothy knew that well; the assurance he needed, in view of the apostle's departure, was that "ALL Scripture is God-breathed."
What the Book Is About
Ask what the Bible says, and Jesus gives His own answer in John 5:39 — the Scriptures bear witness about Him. One writer treats that as the master key to the whole Old Testament:
F. B. HoleVerse 39 applies to all Old Testament scriptures: they "testify of Me." Verse 46 alludes specifically to the early books written by Moses; and he "wrote of Me." This, then, is the key which unlocks all the Old Testament — the main theme is the Christ, who was to come.
But knowing the book is not the same as having what the book points to. The men Jesus spoke to were expert readers and still missed everything:
W. T. P. Wolston"You search the Scriptures": I can commend you for that, He says; but eternal life is not found in Scripture. "They are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life."
What the Book Does
Paul lists the uses of Scripture in order — salvation first, then teaching, reproof, correction, training. One writer walks through that sequence and shows how each step lands on the reader:
Hamilton SmithFirst, they are able to make us "wise to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." Secondly, having directed us to Christ so that we find in Him salvation, we shall further learn that "every Scripture" is profitable for the believer... we may be blind to our own faults, and so full of our own self-importance, that we are deaf to correction from others; but if we are subject to the word, we shall find that Scripture brings conviction, for it is "living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword… a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Moreover the Scriptures not only convict, they also correct, and, having corrected, they will instruct us in the way that is right.
That cutting quality means the reader is examined as much as the text is:
F. B. HoleMany different properties are possessed by the Word of God, as we learn from such Scriptures as Acts 20:32 and 2 Timothy 3:16; but the one feature singled out for special mention here is its cutting and discerning power. It acts on the soul as x-rays act on the body, and the most secret thoughts and motives are exposed.
How the Book Is Read
Two ways of reading are set side by side, and both depend on the same posture:
The Christian's FriendThere are two ways of reading Scripture — devotional and systematic study. In the first I listen to what the Lord communicates, and look to Him to produce in me the fitting effect of His truth by the working of His Spirit. So I am formed by the truth, and worship and holiness of life result. In the second I search, compare and examine to discover His mind, and what is taught on any given subject... Dependence is therefore of the highest importance.
Summary
- Breathed — Scripture is not merely true; it is God-breathed in every part, which is what makes one organic whole out of what would otherwise be scattered fragments.
- All — the argument for "all Scripture," not "every inspired Scripture," matters because Timothy needed certainty about the whole book, not a compliment paid to some of it.
- Christ — the theme that unlocks the Old Testament is the Christ who was to come; Moses wrote of Him.
- Come — searching the Scriptures is commendable, yet life is not in the pages but in the Person they testify of, and He must be come to.
- Dependence — read to be formed and read to understand, but in both look to Him; the same word that saves also convicts, corrects, and trains.