Living Abundantly
According to God's Word
The Integrity of the Word
The Purpose of the Word of God
Part III
Read Time: 9 Minutes
Why did God give us His Word? We could assume many reasons and they would all
be guesses. We must go to the Word, God tells us why, or for what purpose, He
has given His Word.
II Timothy 3
:17 That the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works.
Let us look into this verse minutely as well. Once again the word
"that" means "for what purpose" or "the reason
being." The verse before II Timothy 3:17 is:
II Timothy 3
:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof,
for correction,
for [which is] instruction in righteousness:
So now we are going to figure why we have the Word of God. "That the man
of God . . ." Who is the man of God? God tells us in His Word. Moses
was a Man of God (Deuteronomy 33:1), Samuel is called a Man of God in I Samuel 9
and Elijah was a man of God (I Kings 17:18). There are several other references
in the Old Testament which define "Man of God" and refer to those who
spoke for God. When you speak the accuracy of God's Word you are a Man (Woman)
of God, you are speaking for God, heralding forth His Truths.
God's purpose for the God-breathed scripture is that the one who speaks for
God may be perfect. Perfect? Some may say we cannot be perfect; that is not what
the Word says. Some may try to make themselves perfect by works, that also is not what God is
saying. The God-breathed Word is given that we may be perfect. Let us examine
"perfect" to get its specific meaning. The word "perfect"
here is artios in the Greek. It is used only this once in the Bible. The
Greek word artios means to be complete or fully-equipped. It is used to
describe a ship that is ready for a voyage, the ship has everything on it that
it could possibly need. It is also used in the Greek in reference to the ball
and socket joint of the hip. It is perfect, artios. If anything is wrong
with that joint or if there was something in it that joint it
would be excruciatingly painful. The word perfect, artios, means to be
fully equipped, perfect. The Word of God equips us fully. Our job is to
read it, understand it accurately and put it on.
The God-breathed Word is profitable for doctrine, reproof and correction
which is instruction in righteousness for the purpose that God's spokesperson
may be fully equipped and completely prepared.
Then the King James Version says "throughly furnished . . ." Did
you read "thoroughly" and not "throughly"? We
must pay attention when we read the Word. We cannot read what we think it says,
we must read what God intended. To do something thoroughly is to do it
completely. "Throughly furnished" is the Greek verb exartizo
meaning throughly perfected, it is an inside job, throughly. God does an
inside job, we cannot perfect the flesh. This is bigger than doing a thorough
job, this is throughly. A better
translation that would explain the impact God intended would be, "That the
man of God may be perfect, throughly perfected unto all good works." We have
been given the scripture to be fully equipped inside to take up our journey, to
do the good works of God. We are lacking nothing.
Now we know the function and purpose of the Word of God:
II Timothy 3
:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof,
for correction,
for [which is] instruction in righteousness:
:17 That the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished [perfected] unto all good works.
This is what is available. Next? How do we receive it?
Man has one fundamental spiritual problem: not believing the integrity of the
Word of God, not believing that what God said he meant and what He meant he
said. People do not really believe that the Word of God is accurate. People do
not really believe and act on the promises that God has placed like diamonds in His Word.
When people do believe we see prosperity and health and a dynamic spiritual walk
with God.
Matthew 4
:4 . . .It is written,
Man shall not live by bread
alone,
but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God.
Man needs more than just food and water. We need more than Mom's chicken, the
field's vegetables and homemade pies. Man was designed to be more than just body
and soul, he was designed to be body, soul and spirit. We cannot live by bread
alone, we need, we require, every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Here
is that figure of speech condescensio used in the words "mouth of
God." The emphasis is on the Words that came from God, not men's words, not
what men think about the Word. I hope you are doing more than just reading these
teachings. Read the Word of God. Read the context of the scripture that is
mentioned here. We cannot live on bread alone, we need the Word of God. Our
bodies are sustained because of the foods we eat, but what about our souls, who
we are? We
need the Word to feed our minds and our souls so that we may "prosper and be in health,
even as our soul prospereth" (II John 2). The Word feeds our soul so that
we can renew our minds to the words that proceed out of the mouth of God and
live abundantly like He has intended His people to do.
The Word of God teaches us how to walk spiritually. If we do not know the
Word of God we cannot manifest holy spirit in our lives. Man's basic spiritual
problem is the integrity of the Word. Man is spiritually weak and crippled
because he does not know or believe the accuracy of the Word of God. We must
learn how to read the Word, how to understand the Word, how to get back to the
accuracy of the Word and how to believe the Word. The Word of God gives us the
foundation on which to build our lives so that we can live the
more-than-abundant life physically and spiritually. God has given us everything
we need.
II Peter 1
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
In order to know and receive all things that pertain to life and
Godliness we must go to the God-breathed Word.
I Thessalonians 2
:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing,
because,
when ye received the word of God
which ye heard of us,
ye received it not as
the word of men,
but as it is in truth, the word of
God,
which
effectually worketh also in you that believe.
The Word of God effectually works in us that believe. We cannot
believe without hearing the Word of God. These words are not the words of men,
men lie, men change their minds. These words have come from God and work
effectually in us when we believe them.
Psalms 12
:6 The words of the LORD are pure words:
as silver tried in a furnace of earth,
purified seven times.
The Word of God is pure. The original Word of God has no impurities in it, it
is undefiled.
Psalms 119
:162 I rejoice at thy word,
as one that findeth great spoil.
How do you view the Word of God? When you come to the Word are you enthralled by
it's richness? Do you recognize it's integrity?
I Corinthians 2
:13 Which things also we speak,
not in the words which man’s
wisdom teacheth,
but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
These are the words that the Holy Spirit, God, teaches us. We need to come to
the Word with this realization. The Word of God is not just some nice proverbs
to live by but food for our soul and spirit.
Jeremiah 15
:16 Thy words were found,
and I did eat them;
and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine
heart:
for I am called by thy name, O LORD
God of hosts.
Jeremiah and the believers did not eat the scrolls. This is a figure of
speech drawing your attention to the way they devoured it, they read it
thoroughly and lived it, it was their life-blood. The scriptures had been lost
for some time so when the scriptures were found they devoured them.
When you enter into a contract or write a check you sign your name at the
bottom of it. That contract is as good as your name. Well, God has set His Word
above His name:
Psalms 138:
:2 . . . for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
God made the earth for man with all the wonders in it. When I consider the
grandeur of the mountains, the soothing pulse of the ocean, the intricacies of a
flower or the workings of the eye and brain I am truly awed. However, even
though those things are great and magnificent God's Word is far better. God is
greater than what He has made and he magnified His Word above His name.
When we delve into the Word it becomes living and real, and a reality in our
lives.
God's Word has integrity. What He said will come to pass, will come to pass.
What He said is available, is available. What God has promised He will do, He has
the willingness and ability to do it. Man and his words come and go but the Word
of God lives and abides forever (I Peter 1:23). Believe God's Word.
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