Title: WHY THE SCRIPTURES ARE SACRED

Focus: The Scriptures are sacred for God reveals himself in these writings.

Function: To encourage the people to acknowledge the Scriptures as sacred, so that we recognize our place before God and so that the Scriptures may exert their formative power in us and through us.

Texts: II Timothy 3:10-17; II Peter 1:19-21

My mentor and friend—the late Robert E. Webber, once told a striking story about his father. His father was a devout man of God, who served the Lord as a missionary for many years in Africa. This man treasured the Word of God and taught the truth of the Bible with passion and zeal.

One day, Robert Webber saw his father dig a small hole in their backyard. Bob checked out what his father was doing. He noticed his father’s tattered, worn-out Bible. His father took the Bible and buried it gently in the soil. Bob never forgot this family moment. For he realized what his father was doing. So great was his father’s respect for God’s Word and so deep his reverence for the holy Scriptures, that he could not bring himself to throw his tattered Bible into the thrash can or burn it in the backyard fire pit. For Bob’s father, such acts bordered on sacrilege. To him, burial seemed the only proper way to discard God’s holy Word.

Such a posture may seem weird or out of place or exaggerated to most of us here today. After all, even though the Bible remains an all-time bestseller, it is fair to say that the general public’s attitude toward the Bible is not one of respect or reverence.

A few years ago, I had a conversation with my niece in the Netherlands. She is bright, highly intelligent, and like others of her generation, she posed the question: “Uncle Jack, why should I take the Bible seriously? Why should I consider it differently from, for example, the Koran? Aren’t all these writings used by various sects and religions—aren’t they all referred to as “holy” books or writings? So what’s so special about the Bible that I should take it seriously and do what it says?”

It’s a good and common question today. In the times of the Reformation, there were not many people who questioned the sacredness or authority of the Bible. The emphasis was more on “sola scriptura” (the Scriptures alone) rather than on the truthfulness or source of Scriptures.

This morning, however, I want to answer the question why the Scriptures are sacred writings. And then I want to tackle the question, “So what?”

The Scriptures are sacred, for God reveals himself in the Bible. Once we accept that truth, then we will also learn to know our place before the Scriptures. And when that happens, we may begin to experience the formative power of the Word of God.

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Using Paul’s letter to Timothy and Peter’s letter to persecuted Christians in Asia Minor, I will explain why the Scriptures are sacred.

First of all there is Paul’s reference to “sacred writings.” He reminds Timothy of the formative power of God’s Word as found in the writings of the prophets, including the Torah and the Psalm: “…continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of…how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures.....” Now the apostle Paul refers to the Scriptures as “holy writings.” And when you study the word for “holy,” you’ll discover that the root meaning of “holy” is “temple.” In the original language, the adjective “holy” is ieron. That is exactly the same word for “temple.”

The word that is translated as “holy,” then, suggests that the writings or Scriptures are being “tabernacled” or indwelt by God. As God dwells in the temple of Jerusalem, in the Holy of Holies, so God “temples” in these Scriptures with which Timothy was familiar since childhood on.

Another way of explaining the nature of the Scriptures is to say that God reveals himself in these writings. Explaining God’s first commandment warning about idolatry and having “other gods before us,” the Heidelberg Catechism defines idolatry as “having or inventing something in which one trusts in place of or alongside of the only true God, who has revealed himself in his Word.” In other words, when we encounter the Scriptures, we encounter God himself. And since God is holy, the apostle Paul can refer to the Scriptures as “holy writings.”

Secondly, there is Paul’s reference to Scriptures as “God-breathed.” In vs. 16 Paul says that “All Scripture is God-breathed.” In the original language Paul uses a word that could be translated as “God-spirited.” The idea conveyed in this Greek word is that God blows his breath, his wind, or his Spirit into these writings.

That intriguing word “God-breathed” underscores the role of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives and world. For example, the Holy Spirit brings life to all of creation. The Scriptures remind us of that already in Genesis 1. When God created the heavens and the earth, God’s Holy Spirit “hovered above the waters.”

And when God spoke and issued forth his breath, his wind, his Spirit—things came into being. Likewise, God created Adam from the dust, and God blew his breath, his wind, his Spirit into the nostrils of Adam. Thus we read in Genesis 2:7 “…the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” That’s the way it is with God’s Holy Spirit. Wherever the breath or Spirit of God goes forth, there is life; there life abounds.

So, it is also with God’s Word. The Scripture is life-giving, because God indwells it; God’s breath or Holy Spirit invades it with quickening, life-giving powers. It is in association with the Word of God preached, and taught and read and studied, for example, that God the Holy Spirit brings about rebirth or regeneration in the hearts of people who seek and search for the living God in their lives. Truly, the Scriptures are sacred because they are “God-breathed.”

That leads me to my third reason why we must treat the Scriptures as sacred writings. The Apostle Peter refers to the Scriptures as “the word of the prophets.” The O.T. prophets are the “mouthpiece” of God; they speak the Word of God. And Peter says: “…you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.’

The morning star is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And Peter says that the word of the prophets (the Scriptures) have the power to lead us to Christ. Apart from Christ, there is nothing but darkness and spiritual blindness. But when Christ begins to dawn into our hearts (as we consider the Scriptures), the light of spiritual understanding begins to rise. Hope is born; and new life comes our way.

Why is that so? Because, says, Peter, the Holy Spirit is speaking through the word of the prophets. Listen: (vs. 21) “…prophecy never had its origin in the will of men but spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Thus I’ll say it one more time: the Scriptures are sacred because (1) God reveals himself in the Scriptures; (2) God’s Spirit breathes life in the Scriptures and in those who take the Scriptures to heart; and (3) God is the divine origin or source of the Scriptures; these Scriptures, though coming from the mouths and pens of ordinary people or prophets, they nevertheless are words that come from God.

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“So what?” you say. Well, listen to the Scriptures and take note of its spiritually, formative power.

For example, Paul alerts us to the (1) power of Scripture: It is “able to make us wise unto salvation.” The source of wisdom is from God. The scope of wisdom is not scientific or philosophical or technical, no—the wisdom God grants us through his Word is the wisdom that speaks to our human condition: our need for deliverance from sin and evil and death. With wisdom from above, given to us in the Scriptures, we come to see and know the ways of God with us in and through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The power of Scripture lies in its ability to make us wise unto salvation.

Paul also points to (2) the nature of Scripture. Since the Scriptures is God-breathed, the sacred writings have the pulsating rhythm of life-giving power. Scripture has the breath of life that stirs, creates, nurtures faith within a person’s heart. It has the invigorating breath of God to influence our lives, to comfort, strengthen and direct us throughout life. And God’s breath, flowing through the Scriptures, cannot be snuffed out by any opposing force in the world. The nature of Scripture is life-giving, life-sustaining. It contains and infuses us with the breath of God.

Paul also points to (3) the usefulness of Scripture. He speaks of teaching—instruction to build our lives, to point our way through life. Paul speaks of rebuking. Scripture pricks our conscience; informs our minds, and influences our will and desires by the power of rebuke or conviction.

Correction and training in righteousness are also part of the usefulness of Scriptures. By absorbing and taking seriously God’s Word, the Scriptures form and shape us to become more and more Christ-like; God’s Word shows us how to live pure, holy lives. And when God’s Word convicts us of wrong and sin, it also comes to us with words of mercy and forgiveness. Therefore, God’s Word is a beacon of hope in trying times, equipping us to live as men and women of God.

But is it? Are the Scriptures for us a beacon or torch of hope? Does the Good Book indeed shape and form us each day, so that we live as men and women of God?

Only you can answer that question. As your pastor, I want to give you a few pointers so that the Scriptures form and shape us more and more.

· Approach the Scriptures on your knees. Do not stand above it in judgment, deciding what suits you or not. Do not be the judge of Scripture. Rather, receive the Scriptures as God’s gift—not to be judged by us, but to be accepted and followed in obedience. Oh, yes, we may study the Scriptures; yes, we ponder its thoughts; we may test its way. But we should always buckle our knees before that Word of God, always be willing to acknowledge its depth, its mystery and its wonder!

· Acknowledge that the Scripture is the infallible Word of God; it is authoritative precisely because God is the author of Scriptures. To acknowledge the authoritative Word of God as infallible also means to acknowledge that you and I are NOT infallible in our understanding or interpretation of Scriptures. Humility, then, is a proper attitude to display whenever we turn to God’s Word.

· Listen to the Scriptures. Listen with humility; listen communally—the Spirit of God has spoken through God’s Word throughout the centuries. Listen to believers in the past who have heard the voice of God speaking to them. Learn from their listening; and fine tune your own understandings in light of the universal church’s understanding of the Scriptures. Listen communally; listen historically. And yes, listen spiritually—with spiritual discernment.

The Spirit of God always rides on the back of Scriptures. That is, the Spirit whispers truth into our ears, even when we are engaged in tasks other than studying or reading the Scriptures. He speaks words of comfort in times of need. He guides, he strengthens us; he encourages us at timely moments. Learn to stick out the antenna of Scripture as you do your daily work, as you struggle, as you relax. And hear the Spirit of God speak to you, forming you with God’s Word.

Sacred Scriptures: don’t let such a reference be a hollow phrase in your vocabulary. Rather, let the Bible be your beacon of hope in trying times.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen