Real World Understanding of God’s Word!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 08:00AM 
There are many questions that must be answered for disciples about the Bible. We claim it as the inspired Word of God, yet it has been ridiculed and discounted even by those who claim to be believers. What is the purpose of God’s Word? How can we trust that it is true? What real world value does the Word of God offer me on a daily basis?
We read in the New Testament letter 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16 & 17: “16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, (teaching*) for reproof, (disciplinary action*) for correction, (corrective measures*) instruction in righteousness (doing what is right and Life-giving*)” KJV
The New Living Translation interprets the same passage as: 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
If we take this passage of Scripture at face value, then we must conclude certain things about the purpose and value of The Bible for our lives. The King James Translation says that the Bible PROFITABLE. The only reasonable conclusion that we may draw from this statement is that God’s intent and purpose for constructing the Bible for human consumption is to produce a return in the lives of believers. If we fail to experience the benefit and the profit available in Scripture, then the indictment is not upon God or the Scriptures, but upon us. The first point of agreement must be: God gave us the Bible so that the Bible would produce a return in our lives.
What return on investment (ROI) is expected?
God says that the Bible is profitable to teach us, indicating the method by which the Word of God is invested in the heart of the believer. There are many things that people get from their reading and study of God’s Word.
Oftentimes they arrive at seemingly fanciful conclusions that seem more like superstitions than Biblical Truth. Yet there are times when our reading of the Bible is so accurate and so profound that it is as if God had pressed His lips to our ear and whispered His truth to us directly. How can we have such wildly different experiences with the Bible; more importantly, how can we maintain a consistent experience with the Bible that is an accurate, true, truthful and profound reading of the text.
If we hope to arrive at intelligible and accurate conclusions about the Power and Substance of God’s Word, then we must begin with God’s Word to find our answers. God’s Word says about itself the following: “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 KJV
The Bible is an exacting force that probes the depths of human life and thought and lays it bare before you. To ignore or deny the truth that you see yourself in the pages of the Bible is to refute the authority of the Bible over your life. This attitude is borne out of our naturally rebellious spirit and is the source of our impotence and weakness. What do we make of this passage of scripture and how do we conform to the truth of God’s Word, so that we might enjoy full weight of God’s Graces and Promises while we yet live on earth?
If we look at the Bible and particularly this passage of scripture we will find a series of truths that can and will through our obedience fill us with the Power to live and the strength to endure. Let’s look at this passage in detail. The New Living Translation interprets this passage in the following way: “For the Word of God is full of Living Power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.” Hebrews 4:12 NLT
