"ALL SCRIPTURE!"

2 Timothy 3:10-17                               (ESV)
"10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,
11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra-which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the LORD rescued me.
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in CHRIST JESUS will be persecuted,
13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it
15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in CHRIST JESUS.
16 "ALL SCRIPTURE" is breathed out by GOD and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the man of GOD may be complete, equipped for every good work."



The practice of capitalizing all references to GOD is something I have tried to do for a number of years.  For me, it shows a distinction and reverence to GOD that takes minimal effort on my part.  While studying this morning something caught my eye that, to me, proved more than interesting.  In 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV) scripture records "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,......"! Please take note, the word "Scripture" is capitalized, as well as the name of "God"!  The WORD of GOD capitalizes the Word used to describe the WORD of GOD!  To me, that is no coincidence!

There is no indication, that I am aware of, that any writer of scripture sat down with the express intent of entering a qualified writing into a grand sweepstakes that would qualify as being a part of GOD's WORD?  Writings about, and from, the beginning of time until recent days continue to accumulate, but scripture indicates in Revelation 22:18-19 that we should not ADD nor TAKE AWAY from "this book"!  GOD ordained the DIVINE writings by flawed men to be used by other flawed men to serve a flawless GOD!  Why, because GOD IS HOLY and HIS desire is for us to live HOLY so we can have a relationship with HIM.

One commentary offered this tidbit that I am led to share, "Because of its importance and its claim to be the very Word of God, the Bible has suffered more vicious attacks and attempts to destroy it than any other book in history".  Yet, there are those today who still proclaim that we believers are lunatics with deranged sense of "this world" and its future.  They don't want to accept that "ALL SCRIPTURE" talking about a loving GOD loving them in theirs sinful condition really exists.

To understand that the HOLY BIBLE records historical events for mankind all the way back to GOD speaking the heavens and earth into existence is an awesom, yet humbling thing.  To NOT believe "ALL SCRIPTURE" is from GOD, one would have to argue that all of these writings were kept up with throughout the years, and after Revelations was written, no one else wanted in on the conspiracy of keeping the sect going!

Believing that "ALL SCRIPTURE" was/is breathed by GOD is easier to believe than believing that all of the heavens and the earth just appeared one day out of nothing!  The WORD of GOD should be respected as the LOVE letter to HIS creation.  Instead HIS creation wants to act as though we are too smart and intelligent to believe that we could have been formed from dust, even when we eventually turn back into the same dust!  Wait a minute, isn't "dust to dust" (Genesis 3:19) part of "ALL SCRIPTURE"???