“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

These two verses contain great truths about God’s word. We will be spending several days unpacking this verse together to learn together to glean truths about the relationship between God’s word and the follower of Christ.

As we have been talking about the last several days, God’s word is indispensable to the Christian. It is impossible to be a disciple, a follower of Jesus, without knowing what God’s word says. How will you know who or how to follow if you don’t know who Jesus or God is? God’s word is indispensable to the Christian.

The first thing we are told about God’s word is that it is God-breathed.

What does that mean?

The Greek word is a compound word of God and breath. This was a way of saying that these words are inspired by God.

Check this out. When the Bible speaks, it’s God speaking. That’s what it means to be God-breathed.

The breath of God has theological significance: Go back to Genesis and the creation of Adam and Eve. God formed and shaped the man out of the ground, but the man did not come alive until…until what? Until God breathed on the man.

God’s breath is God’s Spirit. God’s breath is the Spirit of life. Nothing has life – a life that never dies, a life that never decays, a life that is abundant – without God’s Spirit.

“All Scripture is God-breathed…”

• When the Bible speaks, God speaks
• The word of God is the Spirit of God that gives life

God’s word is indispensable to the disciple of Christ.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Have you ever been in complete darkness without a source of light?

You don’t even have to be in a scary place for the darkness to overwhelm you. You could be out camping with your friends or family and when you get lost in the darkness without a source of light, you discover how oppressive darkness can be.

The darkness engulfs you. You can’t see the hand that is in front of your face. You have no idea what dangers lurk in the darkness. You have no clue where the path to escape the darkness lies. You are stuck.

Unless you’ve been in such darkness, you have no clue how wonderful light is.

God’s word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. When you’re in darkness, there is no greater gift than light. Light is so clear, so bright, so illuminating. It shows you where you are, where the obstacles are, where the dangers are, where the pathway to safety is.

Light is awesome! Light is a lifesaver!

God’s word not only keeps us from sin, but God’s word shines light on how we should live. God’s word shows us the way we ought to live.

Just as a lantern or a flashlight lights the way in the darkness, so God’s word lights the way in our world.

Without God’s word, we’re just fumbling our way in the darkness.

Thank God for his word.

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

For the next several days we will be looking at the role and the place God’s word is to have in the life of disciples.

“I have hidden your word in my heart…”

What does that mean?

The way I memorized this verse as a young man is, “Thy word I have treasured in my heart…”

“I have hidden,” and “I have treasured,” are poetic ways of saying I have memorized.

There are certain truths Christians ought to memorize so that those truths become a part of who you are. This is one of those truths.

We memorize God’s word because it’s God’s word that guides us into truth and it is God’s word that keeps us from sin.

So, here are a couple of verses from the last two days that you ought to memorize:

• “How can a young person keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word” (Psalm 119:9).
• “Thy word I have treasured in my heart that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11).

There is no greater weapon against the lies of the devil than God’s word. Get it in you. Get it emblazoned in your heart.