The Scriptures: Equipping For Every Good Work

Now these [Bereans] were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11)

Most organizations in the world use one or more documents as a reference to explain how the organization started, how it should function, and what to do if problems arise. For Christians, that reference is the Holy Bible. It contains two main sections: the Old Testament, and New Testament. The most famous person mentioned in the Bible is Jesus Christ. From the beginning of His ministry on the earth until the end, He taught the validity and value of the Old Testament, which is also known as the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:34–40), the Scriptures (Mark 12:24), Moses and the Prophets (Luke 16:19–31), the sacred writings (2 Timothy 3:14–15), the very words of God (Romans 3:1–2 NIV).

After His baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. With each temptation, Jesus countered by saying “it is written,” and then He quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16 and 6:13–14. Jesus did not give in to the temptations; He quoted scripture and passed the test (Matthew 4:1–11; Ephesians 6:17b).

Three years later, after His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus met two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were sad about what had happened to Jesus and still did not fully understand it. “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:13–27).

Some people do not want to acknowledge the validity of the entire Bible, but instead, they use the parts of the Bible that appeal to them. The apostle Paul was in agreement with Jesus when he said, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17; compare with Matthew 4:4). Without the written Scriptures, we would not have a reliable reference to guide us in the righteousness God desires (Galatians 3:6–9; Romans 9:30–33; 10:1–10).