December 16, 2023

II Timothy 3: 16, 17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NIV)

In looking for deeper and spiritual lessons, one must be guarded against a fanciful and far-fetched application.*

I have a friend who believes I am being seditious when I say that not every word of the Bible applies to every person at all times. She gasped when I said that the Proverbs were not all true all the time. Case in point: Proverbs 26: 4 says, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly . . .” while the next verse totally contradicts it: “Answer a fool according to his folly . . .” We don’t have to go to the Bible to find contradictory words of wisdom. How about, “absence makes the heart grow fonder” versus “out of sight, out of mind.” Are not both statements true for some people some of the time?

In spite of our differing viewpoints, my friend and I agree on one thing: all Scripture is God-breathed. It is the inspired word of God, contradictions and all. It is also useful – as Paul says to Timothy: for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. But let’s just look at “useful” in general, with our two verses in Proverbs as examples. The first verse, which tells us not to answer the fool according to his folly, also tells us what could happen if we do answer him: we might become like the fool. When the next verse says that we should answer a fool according to his folly, it goes on to warn of the danger if we don’t: the fool will become wise in his own eyes. Here’s the thing: the inspired writer of Proverbs knew that all fools are not created equal. When it comes to properly addressing a fool (or anyone), we must rely on the Holy Spirit to give us discernment.

And that is the key to the proper application of all Scripture. It is a multipurpose tool – Paul lists some of its many uses – and we must rely on the Holy Spirit to give us discernment so that we might achieve the ultimate goal of all Scripture: to thoroughly equip us for every good work.

Please understand: I am not saying that a passage of Scripture can mean different things to different people. The meaning and the purpose don’t change with each reader. But how it applies to each of our lives - how it speaks to our hearts - is a personal matter between us and the Holy Spirit – and the Holy Spirit will never tell us that a passage means something it was never intended to mean.*

The Spirit can help us understand, remember, or apply certain passages in a surprising way.*