All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Pneuma, the Greek word for breath, wind, and spirit.  From the very beginning where the Pneuma hovered over the pre-creation waters to the Pneuma that God gave to Adam to bring the lifeless shape of clay to life.  It is God’s Spirit, His Pneuma, that is at work again and again throughout the scriptures.

And according to this verse, it is that very Pneuma that God used to give us the scriptures themselves.  “All scripture is God Breathed…”, is Of God’s Spirit.  It is an attractive image, God breathing His scriptures into existence, God giving His Spirit to the authors.  This rich imagery is thick with meaning.

One of the greatest verses on the use of scripture, this passage tells us that scripture is useful for four things…

“Teaching” – this one almost goes without saying.  We use the bible to teach in our sermons, bible studies, and personal devotions.  We are “People of the Book”.

“Rebuking” – this one is rarely used today, at least in the way its supposed to be used.  The meaning here is that out of love for another person who is living in opposition to the scriptures, they are used to convict the person of their disobedience.  Today, our rebuke usually means public shaming and is done not out of love but out of self-aggrandizement.

“Correcting” – similar to rebuking, this is the next step after a loving rebuke.  After the Rebuke shows them their folly, the scriptures shows them what is the correct behavior.

“training in righteousness” – for those no disobeying but simply immature in their faith, the scriptures can be used to train someone in the way of righteousness.  This is more continual than teaching and implies a regiment of practice and learning.

These are some of the most common uses of scripture.  Which do you feel you would benefit from most today?  How might you make that happen?

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