Do Christians Persevere?

It’s Theology Tuesday, and my NANC Counseling Question today is:  

Do Christians Persevere? How does this impact counseling?

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Before I dive into this, however, I should briefly discuss the definition of “Christian.”

Recently, a friend was offended when my daughter asked why she didn’t want to be a Christian. She asked, “What makes you think I’m not a Christian?” In the suburban middle class culture we live in, many people call themselves Christians.

Is a Christian a nice person who is kind to others? Or someone who grew up in Sunday School? Or someone who visits church on Easter? Maybe a Christian is someone who owns a Bible or knows about Jesus or prayed at summer camp when they were twelve.

A Christian is essentially a “little Christ,” one who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that by believing on Him they have life in His Name. (John 20:31).

I just asked my nine year old why she thought she was a Christian. She recited the verse, "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9).

Persevere to the end, my friend! To the end of life, and to the end of this long post.

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In short: Yes, Christians persevere. Once a man has been re-born, he does not go back to being as he was before.

Perseverance means: “All those who are truly born again will be kept by God’s power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere until the end have been truly born again.” (Grudem 788).

Jesus told us what would happen to those who believed in Him. “For this is the will of my Father that every one who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” 

Earlier in the same passage Jesus said, “I should lose nothing of all that He has given me.” (John 6:38-40). The argument could stop there, since Jesus Himself said that that if the Father gave Him something, He will not lose it. However, there are many other similar passages that press home this point.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29).

We are in the hands of Jesus, and covering His hands are the hands of the Father, and no one can take us out! Even we ourselves are a part of that “no one,” meaning we can’t choose to jump out once the Father has given us to His Son.

The third member of the trinity also has a part in the perseverance of the believers. “In Him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee of our inheritance...” (Eph 1:13-14). If we have the Holy Spirit within us as believers, we have been promised eternal life. (John 3:36).

We know that no one seeks after God, and that we only love Him because He first loved us. We also read that He will complete the work He began in us, faithfully completing it. (Phil 1:6). He started the work in our hearts to draw us to Himself, and He will be faithful to see to our perseverance. So yes, we persevere, but not based on ourselves, it's still a gift of God!

Though this is a comforting thought, there are strong warnings that go hand in hand with it. 

For one, nonbelievers can show many signs of being a true believer and not persevere to the end, thus indicating that they were never born again to begin with. Take Judas, for example. Jesus knew that he had never been a true follower when he said, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (John 6:70). However, Judas must have blended right in because when Jesus mentioned His betrayer at the Last Supper, the disciples were unsure as to who it would be.

Many people will say to Him “Lord, Lord,” at the judgment, having done all sorts of good works, but He will cast them out and say He never knew them. It isn’t that He knew them but then they left Him. He never knew them. (Matt. 7:21-23). These are sobering words!

We have been encouraged to “continue in the faith,” “continue in My word,” “endure to the end,” and “hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm to the end.” (John 8:31-32, Col 1:22-23, Hebrews 3:14). The purpose of these warnings, however, is to warn those who are thinking of falling away or have fallen away that regardless of their “testimony,” they might not be believers at all.

The implications for counseling are huge! 

It is vital to determine, to the best of our human understanding, the counselee’s position before God, for if he does not know Christ, that is the first step to be taken. 

There are a few evidences of true conversion that can be looked for, understanding that God is the only one who knows the heart. We are told to “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard.” (Col 1:23).  

Does she still believe the gospel? Does she confess today, and not just twenty years ago when she walked the aisle, that belief in Jesus is all she needs for salvation? Or is she relying on her own works?

Is the Holy Spirit at work in his life? The Holy Spirit is said to bear witness in our hearts that we are God’s children, and He leads us in paths of obedience to God’s will. (Rom 8:14-16). The evidence of the fruit of the spirit should be growing, and his life should be producing other fruit that builds up the body and doesn’t tear it down. (Gal 5:22-23, Matt 7:16-20).

Does she accept and obey the sound teaching of their church and pastors? Constantly rejecting major doctrines of the faith is a warning sign. John said, “Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us.” (John 4:6).

Does he have an on-going relationship with Jesus, abiding in Him? This can show itself in worship, prayer, and praise. Jesus also said that His sheep follow Him and walk as He walked. Is her life showing a pattern, though not perfect, of obedience to God’s commands and of a growing love for others? “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.” (I John 3:14).

So what does this mean?

A counselee who can gain assurance from these things can boldly approach God for help and healing, knowing that when God looks at Him, He sees the perfect righteousness of Christ. A counselee who is broken by the list can be brought to the cross for forgiveness, and God will meet Him there with open arms.

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This is part 3 of a series on the doctrine of Salvation. 
See Part One Here: Justification
See Part Two Here: Sanctification

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, pages 788-807

It's not about me at all. A good reminder.

Theology Tuesday!

Ready for Part Two of the Soteriology exam for NANC? (Read Part 1). Soteriology is the study of Salvation, and today's question is:  Sanctification is said to be past, present, and future.  Discuss, including the idea of “union with Christ.”

(But first I have to say, I was so excited after studying justification that I was a little afraid the rule book would be slapped down on me for Sanctification. Do not fear. There is hope ahead in this long post.)

Sanctification is the process of becoming like Christ.  Once we are justified, we are fully accepted based on Christ’s righteousness, and sanctification is what He does progressively through us.  This isn’t a one-time event in our past.  It changes us daily and will continue to change us until we are perfected at the coming of Christ.

When we accepted Christ as Lord, He washed us and we were sanctified.  (Acts 20:32)  It is clearly something that was started when He replaced our heart of stone with a heart of flesh. (Ex 36:26). Grudem says, “the initial step in sanctification involves a definite break from the ruling power and love of sin, so that the believer is no longer ruled or dominated by sin and no longer loves to sin.” (Grudem 747).  Paul says, “Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus… for sin will have no dominion over you.” (Rom 6:11, 14). 

Although God, at that moment, viewed us as having the righteousness of Christ, the act of sanctification wasn’t completed on-the-spot.  He continually works in us to love and good deeds.  We have been predestined for something: to be conformed to the image of His Son.  (Romans 8:29). Our goal as Christians is to grow more and more like Christ. We are to “press on” and “not let sin reign” and “strive for holiness” and “be renewed.”  Sin still exists in us and in our world, but it does not need to control us. 

“Just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for sanctification.” (Romans 6:19). 

We are not left to our own power to accomplish this.  Quite the contrary!  Without God, we could not grow in this grace.  We have been given the Spirit of God to guide us into all truth and should let Him lead our lives. (Romans 8:14). God put His Spirit within us to cause us to walk in His ways.  (Ex 36:27).

In this world, we will have trouble, but we can be encouraged:  Jesus has overcome the world!  Though we will never reach perfection here on earth, for there is no man who does not sin, (I Kings 8:46), and we all make mistakes (James 3:2), we can be encouraged that He is returning, and when He does, our sanctification will be complete.  Only then will we be made perfect.  I Corinthians 15:49 says that we will “bear the image of the Man of heaven.”   When we go to the presence of the Lord, we will be “men made perfect.”  (Heb 12:23).

Jesus is the author of our faith – Justification – and the perfecter of our faith – Sanctification.  (Heb 12:2). Union with Christ is the understanding that apart from Him, we can do nothing.  He has given us His righteousness, He is working out our sanctification, and He has redeemed our lives from the pit.  “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (I Cor 1:30-31).

"Since all we do has mixed motives and we seldom if ever love others as we should, we can confidently say that we do not bring anything of additional worth to our relationship with God. He is fully satisfied in Christ." (Hendryx).

John Calvin said: (This is long, take time to digest it.)

We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ [Acts 4:12]. We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else. 

If we seek salvation, we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is ‘of him’ [I Cor. 1:30]. 

If we seek any other gifts of the Spirit, they will be found in his anointing. 

If we seek strength, it lies in his dominion; 

if purity, in his conception;

if gentleness, it appears in his birth. For by his birth he was made like us in all respects [Heb. 2:17] that he might learn to feel our pain [compare to Heb. 5:2]. 

If we seek redemption, it lies in his passion; 

if acquittal, in his condemnation; 

if remission of the curse, in his cross [Gal. 3:13]; 

if satisfaction, in his sacrifice; 

if purification, in his blood; 

if reconciliation, in his descent into hell; 

if mortification of the flesh, in his tomb;

if newness of life, in his resurrection; 

if immortality, in the same; 

if inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom, in his entrance into heaven; 

if protection, if security if abundant supply of all blessings, in his Kingdom; 

if untroubled expectation of judgment; in the power given to him to judge. 

In short, since rich store of every kind of good abounds in him, let us drink our fill from the fountain, and from no other." (2.16.18.)

Fixing our eyes on Jesus means that we are constantly looking to Him for help and grace, always full of thanks for who we are in Him. We take our eyes off of our own good works and efforts and check-lists and disciplines, where we get stuck trying to gauge our own progress and how far we’ve come.  We instead look to Him until we completely forget ourselves in comparison to His love. We see Him as He is and love Him for it, asking that He will fill us with that love, which spills out on others and results in a life that looks more and more like Him. 

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  Look full in His wonderful face,

and the things of Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Lemmel, Helen H.  1922

Hendryx, John “Sanctification via Union with Christ.” Reformation Theology.  April 21, 2006. Accessed 1/25/11.                         http://www.reformationtheology.com/2006/04/sanctification_via_union_with.php

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, pages 746-752.

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Want a creative way to teach the 23rd Psalm to your children? Becky wrote a devotional titled Duncan's Journey that is now available!

All I Have Is Christ!

Welcome to Theology Tuesday, where we discuss essays that I'm writing for a NANC Counseling exam.  Today I'll begin a three part series in Soteriology. If you're like me, you might be scratching your head at that word. I'll do the dictionary work for you: It's the study of the doctrine of our Salvation.

Is Theology as dry and dusty as an old moth-ball-ridden library? Well, it can be, I guess, but studying this over the three-weeks time left me dancing... and there's no room for dust when you're kicking up your heals to this!

(A friend said these theology posts are too long... but hang in there! It's worth it!)

So... to begin!  

Part one:  “Justification by faith alone.”  Discuss the meaning of this phrase.

First, I’ll define a few important terms. Justification means “to declare righteous.”  What does that mean?  To be righteous means “morally upright, without guilt or sin.”  We know that none of us are righteous. We all have sinned and have the guilt associated with that. Romans 3:23 says that everyone has sinned, and Romans 6:23 says that the wages, or punishment, for our sins is death. So how are we, as guilty sinners, ever to become righteous?

The answer is that we can’t become righteous by ourselves. The Bible describes us as being dead in our sins. (Ephesians 2:5). A dead man cannot bring himself back to life again, just as a smashed spider cannot wake himself up and begin to crawl again. We need something outside of ourselves to change us and breathe life into us again.    

No amount of good works or noble actions can erase the bad mistakes. They are constantly accumulating in our life. The good does not out-weigh the bad. In fact, the good things we do only condemn us more, because in doing them, we acknowledge that there is a right and wrong way to live, and so often we choose the wrong way. (Romans 2:14-15).

This is the beauty of the cross. Jesus, as God, came as a man and did indeed live that perfect, righteous life. (Romans 5:19). He was morally guilt-less and upright. Legally speaking, he had not earned the punishment associated with sin, which is death and separation from the Holy God. However, he allowed himself to die so that God could place the wrath that we deserve for our sins onto Him.

Now, God’s Word says that if we believe in Jesus and His death and resurrection from the dead, God will do two things: First, He will remove our sins from us; sins in the past, present, and future. “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Ps 103:12). This means that we “have no penalty to pay for sin, including past, present, and future sins... we are not subject to any charge of guilt or condemnation.” (Grudem 724-725)  “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies; who is to condemn?” (Rom 8:33-34).  (Note: This is the part where I started dancing in my chair!)

It doesn’t end there, however. If it did, we would be morally neutral. Our sins are removed, but that is not all. God then goes one step further and places the righteousness of God through Jesus onto us. Just as Adam’s guilt was placed, or “imputed,” onto us, and our sins were imputed to Christ on the cross, so now His righteousness is imputed to us. “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19).

It is evident from the Bible that this is a gift of God and not something we can earn on our own. (Romans 3:24). As mentioned already, we were dead in our sins, and it was God that made us alive. “But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). It wasn’t after we cleaned ourselves up that He died for us. It was while we were still sinners.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1). There is no room for a faith and (fill in the blank) approach to God’s grace. Fill that blank with baptism, going to church, giving to the poor, or being a good person.  Romans 3:20 is clear that no one will be justified by following the law. This is repeated clearly again in Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God – not because of works, lest any man should boast.”

When we have faith in God, we are choosing to not depend on ourselves for our salvation. As Grudem explains, we essentially say, “I give up! I will not depend on myself or my own good works any longer. I know that I can never make myself righteous before God. Therefore, Jesus, I trust you and depend on you completely to give me a righteous standing before God.” (Grudem p 730).  This is the beauty of the Gospel.  It is the beauty of the grace of God, and it should cause us to love Him all the more.

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Now, are you ready to dance? This LONG blog is ending with a song that you should turn up and sing loudly based on this awesome truth.  Now, it may not really be a DANCING song, I'll post one of those later, but it's one that fills your heart with thankfulness.

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You

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Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, pages 722-732.

Righteous. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Theology Tuesday: If a turtle were on a fence post...

It's Theology Tuesday!  We're in part four of a five part series on Bibliology.

Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3

Compare and contrast the Bible and its authority to general revelation and its authority.

We learn about God through His written word, His Spirit, nature, and our consciences.  These different avenues for knowledge, however, are not equal in terms of authority and salvation.

We know we learn about God and who He is through nature by the passage in Romans 1:20 which states that God’s invisible qualities can be seen so clearly that people have no excuse for their lack of belief.  This is “general revelation,” meaning it gives knowledge of God’s existence, character, and moral law, and it is available to all of humanity.  God’s creation testifies about His existence.  If you were to walk past a fence post and saw a turtle on top of it, you would wonder who put it there.  The same is true for creation.  When looking at the intricacies and marvels of this world, the question is the same: “Who put us here?”

Inside each person is the knowledge of good and evil.  Apart from the law, men live imperfectly by their own moral standard as they think is best.  The fact that they try and create rules for what is good and what is bad is a sign that there is a true good out there.  Thus, by their own design, they are setting standards that they cannot follow, thus proving their own fallen nature. 

Romans 2 says:

“For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my Gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”  (Rom 2:14-16)

With this general revelation then, all mankind has a choice as to who they should worship.  However, they have chosen to not honor Him as God or give Him thanks, and instead they worship the creature instead of the Creator.  (Romans 1:21, 25)  General revelation, then, brings condemnation, but it does not bring the hope of Jesus.  That is where the word of God comes into the picture.

God’s word gives the details of God’s plan for salvation, because faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).  A few verses earlier, we are told to confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead in order to be saved (Rom 10:9).

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us concerning the Son.  Jesus said that the Spirit would lead us into all truth (John 16:13).  However, the Spirit does not work apart from or in contrast to Jesus, who is the Word, and therefore will only support what is in the Word and not add to it.  Jesus said, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

So though God’s presence is made evident through general revelation so that all men are without excuse, salvation is found through the Word, who is Jesus Christ.  Therefore, the final authority on life and goodness does not come through nature or our own ability to reason, but through the Word of God. 

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Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p1242

The B-I-B-L-E... "BIBLE!"

It's Theology Tuesday!  If you've been following, you know I'm completing open-book essays for NANC Certification and am sharing them, one at a time, on Tuesdays.
  
There are five essays on Bibliology, and this is number 3.  (Read number one and number two.)  These are my first drafts and I welcome any feedback!  We don't turn them in until all 22 Theology Essays and all 28 Counseling essays are complete.


In looking over today's essay, I was reminded of the loudest song preschoolers sing in Sunday School: The B-I-B-L-E.  It's their only opportunity to yell as loud as they can in church.  Even my 1 year old, when we sing it at home, will jump up and shout "BIBLE!" at the end.  It's precious!  I hope you are inspired today as we consider God's Word.

3.  What is the Bible’s authority on theological controversies?

One of the first arguments you will hear come up in a conversation with unbelievers about the Bible is that it can’t be believed.  “The Bible is full of contradictions.”  They look at all of the different denominations and claim that Christians can’t even figure it out, so how can anyone possibly take it seriously?  Or, perhaps they read a book or saw a movie that changed the way they viewed the Bible’s interpretation.  Culture is always trying to reinterpret the Christian faith based on new ideas or hidden secrets.

But what is Theology to begin with?  Quite simply, theology is the study of God.  As followers of Christ, we believe the Bible is the authority on the definition of God and who He is.  When controversies arise, then, as to the nature of God and His plan for mankind, the only place to go for answers is in His word.

God makes this abundantly clear.  He says numerous times that His word is perfect, adequate, right, pure, living, active, and true (Ps 19:7-11; 2 Tim 3:15-17; Heb 4:12).  God’s testimony is greater than man’s, and what did God use to affirm truth concerning His son?  He used the scriptures, declaring that they clearly testify about Him (I Jn 5:9, Lk 24:27, John 5:39).  God’s word is actually the revelation of Jesus Christ Himself! (Jn 1:14)

God’s divine power has given us His word, and Peter says that  it contains everything we need for life and godliness.  Everything!  (I Pet 1:3-4)  Then, when reading His word, if a controversy arises, the only place to turn to for answers is... His Word.  God is not the author of confusion.  No, He is a God of order and peace (Jer 29:11, I Cor 14:33).  With careful study, believers can come to solid conclusions as to God’s plan for the creation that He loves.

It is always possible, however, for the “ignorant and unstable” to twist the Scriptures to their own destruction because some parts are hard to understand (II Pet 3:16).  Therefore, it is important to have a good understand of the Bible as a whole when studying it, not taking passages out of context.  

It might be easy to say, “That is something the pastors should worry about, not me.”  However, we have been commanded to have personal responsibility in this matter.  “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”  (II  Tim 2:15)  We are also encouraged to examine the Scriptures for ourselves to see if the things we are being taught are correct (Acts 17:11).

The study of theology, then, begins with the understanding that His word is truth and totally sufficient for matters of life and godliness.  Every idea that is then formed will not depend on men’s new thoughts, traditions, or testimonies, but on the full counsel of scripture that has been breathed out by God, the divine author.  We are to avoid “worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge” and guard the truth that has been entrusted to us - as given in the Bible. (I Tim 6:20)


West Main Baptist Church.  “Theological controversies” May 19th, 2009.  9/28/10.      http://westmainbaptist.com/broben/theological-controversies
Sauder, Kevin.  “Foundational Positions”  9/28/10 

http://kevinsauder.com/Documents/The%20Bibles%20Authority%20on%20Theological%20Controversies.pdf

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, pages 21-37

An Inspired Idea!

On Tuesdays, while my kids are in a home school class, I spend the mornings studying for my NANC Certification, a Biblical Nouthetic Counseling certification process.  I'm currently working through the open-book theology essays.

So what's my inspired idea?  To share these with you on Tuesdays!  You will get to read the first drafts of the essays I've completed so far.  The first one is:

~*~*~*~*~

The Bible is spoken of as “inspired.”  What does this mean?

Many people use the word inspired for works of art or literature that are so beautiful or amazing, there is no human way possible they could have accomplished them unassisted.  They are beyond limited human capabilities.  Though most people do not really take this thought to the next step - as to who the inspiration came from - that is the general idea behind the word.  

As believers in Jesus Christ, we believe that the Bible has been inspired as well, meaning it was not accomplished by limited human minds, and the inspiration came from the one true God.  Webster’s dictionary defines inspiration as “a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation.”  God, as the only truly divine influence, delivered sacred revelation to the writers of the Bible.  Therefore, it is not simply another book based on the thoughts of men that fill our library shelves.  Their words were given to them  by God’s perfect will as to what should be penned.   

We know the Bible is inspired based on many Biblical texts.  The most common passage is II Timothy 3:16, which says in the NASB, “All Scripture is inspired by God.”  Jesus also explains that it is a work of the Holy Spirit by what He said in John 14:26, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”  The Apostle Paul teaches, “...what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord.”  (I Cor. 14:37)  In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul says that he will give, “proof that Christ is speaking in me.”  (II Corinthians 13:3)

The word “all” in the passage in II Timothy means each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything.  For this reason, we do not believe that just some passages are inspired, but literally all of them.  From Genesis to Revelation, the entire Word of God is inspired by God.  

Understanding this, the way we read the Bible is transformed!  We are no longer allowed to pick and choose which passages we like and which we do not.  We must wrestle with the fact that God is the authority on what is true, and we must align our thoughts with His Word.

For example, some come to Christ believing that the stories of Noah and Jonah are just fictitious fairy tales taught in Sunday School Classes. However, knowing that God inspired all of the Scriptures, combined with the understanding that God does not lie, we must believe these stories to not only be true, but relevant to our lives today.  II Timothy 3:16 goes on to say that all scripture is “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.”  So those stories of Jonah and Noah are profitable for us as believers today.

Understanding the Bible is inspired also affects our daily life.  God’s word says that a gentle reply best calms down a wrathful person.  (Proverbs 15:1)  When confronted with a heated situation, you might be tempted to think that the only proper response is to yell and make your point heard. However, God says that a gentle answer is the only correct course of action.  If this were just good advice from a friend, then you might be able to rationalize away the instruction.  However, knowing that God is the one giving the advice, there is really no other way to act.

The inspiration of the Bible gives us hope that God did not just leave us alone to figure out life in this world that He created.  He did not abandon His children and leave them directionless.  He used men to write a book - an inspired book - to guide us to Himself through Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit.    


Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for pas (Strong's 3956)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. 21 Sep 2010. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?  Strongs=G3956&t=KJV >
 
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, pages 60-61