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#33.
The Divine Inspiration of all Scripture (3: 15 - 17).
pp. 227 - 232
This last of Paul's epistles which we are studying together, contains two great
fundamentals.
(1)
The fundamental doctrine concerning the inspiration of all Scripture.
(2)
The fundamental principle of its "right division".
The former great doctrine has been systematically denied and to-day is considered a
relic of the days of unscientific thinking and of superstition, the latter has been ignored.
Consequently there is no authoritative voice, and we are getting, doctrinally, to the
condition of the days of the Judges, when:
"There was no king in Israel, and every man did that which was right in his own eyes"
(Judges 21: 25).
or, those for whom such a state of utter independence is intolerable, turn to Rome where
the Church has taken the place of Scripture, and constituted itself as the supreme
authority. Where there has been some recognition of the truth of the Word, the edge of
its teaching has been blunted by failure to decide its message aright, and therefore this
second epistle to Timothy is of supreme value to every true Berean who holds to the
infallibility of the Scriptures and to the necessity for its right division.
Let us restate the analysis of the section now before us:
S A L V A T I O N.
B | 15-. The CHILD.
C | -15-. The Holy Scriptures, grammata.
D | -15. Wise unto SALVATION.
S E R V I C E.
C | 16. All Scripture, graphe.
D | 16. Profitable for DOCTRINE.
B | 17. The MAN.
We observe at once the comprehensive scope of the Scriptures. They are for "the
child", but they are also needed by "the man of God". They make wise unto salvation,
but they are profitable for doctrine, they lead to faith in Christ Jesus, they also fully equip
the man of God unto all good works. It was the consciousness of this wonderful
comprehensiveness of the Scriptures as well as the fact that the wide marginal notes were
a companion to the text, that led Dr. Bullinger to call his last great work "The Companion
Bible", and to print upon the title page the words:
"When thou goest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; And
when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee" (Prov. 6: 22).