God's Word Is for Teaching
Scripture Reading — Romans 4:1-5
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching … so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
—2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Bible itself tells us how best to use it for our lives. Today’s verses point out that God’s people can be “thoroughly equipped for every good work.” One way that happens is through teaching from the Bible, by which people learn who God is and what he does in our lives.
In Romans 4 Paul reaches back into Old Testament Scriptures to explain how Abraham was made right with God. God forgave Abraham’s sins as a gift of grace. And Abraham received this gift not because he earned it through good works. The only thing he did was believe God’s promises and trust in him. Faith in God came first; then Abraham’s good deeds followed in obedience to that faith.
Why is this teaching essential to know? Because God gives you and me a right relationship with him in the same way. We are saved from our sin and counted righteous in God’s sight by his grace and through faith in him.
Without this wonderful teaching, we default to our own flawed thinking. We feel that it’s up to us to make God accept us, and that our good intentions and actions are necessary to get us into heaven. But that simply will not work.
Thank God we can know about his amazing grace from his Word!
Lord, “May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous” (Psalm 119:172). Amen.
About the author — David Zandstra
David Zandstra is a retired pastor living in Marietta, Georgia, having served five churches from New Jersey to California. Along with other ministries, he counsels clients of a pregnancy resource center. He acknowledges his indebtedness to the training and resources of Peacemaker Ministries. David and his wife, Margie, have three children and six grandchildren.
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