God's Word: What Is It Good For?

I was just a twinkle in my father's eye when Edwin Starr hit the charts in 1969 with his, now classic, "War (hunh!)! What is it good for? Absolutely nuthin' (say it again)!" It helped rally a generation in opposition to the war in Vietnam.

So, I must make apologies to Mr Starr as I introduce this week's continuation of our three-week series on the Bible: "God's Word: What Is It Good For?" After looking at 2 Timothy 3.1-15 and "The Power of Perspective" last week (i.e. the Bible's power to clarify and illuminate a good and proper perspective on God, ourselves, and the world in which we live), this week we will look at the usefulness of the Bible in other ways.

Now, you'll notice I have removed Edwin Starr's follow-up line -- "Absolutely nothing!" -- from the title of this week's message. I hope the reason is sufficiently obvious. However, it seems to me that many people in our culture today would be more than willing to keep that line in place when talking about the Bible. For some the Bible, at best, is hopelessly out of touch with the needs and perspectives of people today and, at worst, is hateful and dangerous.

This Sunday, rather than making a full-out defense of the Bible against these claims (though I am always willing to talk with anyone who wants to explre these ideas further), we will look at what the Bible has to say about itself in 2 Timothy 3.16-17:

"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work."

More than merely giving a list of what is good and bad, right and wrong, God uses the Bible to change us from the inside out. I hope you can join us on Sunday as we explore this idea more fully.