All Scripture Is Useful

I use a variety of resources to determine what verse I am going to study each day. These include the devotional guides: "Drawing Near - Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith", "Ears from Harvested Sheaves, or, Daily Portions", "Morning and Evening" and "My Utmost for His Highest." I sometimes use a passage from my childrens' ministry material or my adult Sunday School class. Recently I have used the "Revised Common Lectionary." What whatever source, I know that God leads me, in His way, from passage to passage as a shepherd leads his flock from watering hole to watering hole.

Occasionally, I am led to a verse that makes me wonder or that I just don't see any potential in it. Today is one such day. This morning as I come before The Lord, I picked up "Ears from Harvested Sheaves, or, Daily Portions." It pointed me to Romans 1:7. I got all excited because Romans is such a rich book and looked up the reference. As I read it, my excitement quickly ebbed away because I couldn't see anything in it. So I closed the reference and started over. But before I could even turn to another source for direction, I was reminded of;
2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

And I was convicted of my pompous attitude! Like, "who are you to decide that this verse, FROM GOD'S MOUTH, has no merit and bears no study?" So I quickly returned to my Bible and started my blog entry. I have no idea where this is going so we'll just find out together.

The verse:

Romans 1:7 (NIV)

⁷ To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

^[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

I have not ever associated myself with Rome and the very thought of considering myself among the Romans is repugnant. Not only was the Roman Empire one of conquest and oppression, Rome itself is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church from whose table I am excluded. Clearly there is an element of my pride at work here.

If I look on the other side of that 'pride' issue, I must remember that Christ's ministry was to all men including all the Gentiles which necessarily includes the Romans. In that context, I am as Roman as they come. I must also remember that in the epistles, Paul is typically writing to a 'church' and the books are named accordingly. But when he wrote to the Romans, he did not write to a church, he was writing to individuals. Perhaps in this realization is an understanding of why Romans stands apart from the epistles.

Nevertheless, Paul continues by identifying his audience "all in Rome who are loved by God." And of course herein is the secondary source of my conviction. Though I hold the Romans in disdain, God holds them in his hand, same as me. Christ calls me to the higher love that knows no cultural boundaries, racial, ethnic nor any other boundaries. In fact, Christ calles me to love my neighbors and my enemies. For me to show contempt to the Romans is to show contempt to Christ. My bad.

Not only that but Paul continues with "... and called to be saints." Oh man, they have the same calling as I! Here I must diverge a bit to acknowledge the importance of this calling. I wonder if any man ever endeavored to be a saint? Surely men across the ages have set their sights upon success, wealth, health, power and prestige. How many have set as their goal to be one of God's saints? Could there possibly be any higher calling? Any higher reward? Any more meaningful distinction? NO! All of us who have been called into His Kingdom are called to be His saints. It is the central and preminent calling upon our existence. Though he may give us success, wealth, health, power and prestige, his highest blessing to us is to make us saints.

To all the saints then, "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." What is the thing I need most? Grace. What is the thing I want most? Peace. These things are not available from worldly sources or in any way apart from God. So as Paul calls down this blessing from above onto all the saints who are loved by God, it is no small thing. It is the best thing. Salvation and refuge. Grace and peace.

To think that I was ready to just discard this verse when Christ himself would not discard neither 'jot nor tiddle.' In this I am a true Roman. Treating God's Word as a conquest to be bent to my purpose, that's just insane. I am to be subject to His Word and I am to be bent and molded to HIS purpose. Where would I be without forgiveness and grace.

I get the message...

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (The Message)

Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

^[1] Peterson, Eugene H.: The Message : The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, Colo. : NavPress, 2002

To all the believers who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Carl