FROM HAMMERS to HONEY

 OCTOBER 25, 2022

2 Timothy 3:15-17

“. . . from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”



Hebrews 4:12

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”           Jeremiah 23:29

Sola Scriptura is the Latin translation for Scripture Alone. This phrase means that God’s Word is sufficient and has the highest authority for all of life. This does not mean that the Bible is clear on every issue or question we have. However, Sola Scriptura means that the Bible is the reliable Word of God, and takes supreme authority over our lives in every area it speaks to. We read in 2 Peter 1:19, “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

When it comes to the spiritual life, Sola Scriptura means that the Bible gets the final word. As Christians, we believe that all answers to our questions and all wisdom for life should first and principally be found in the Word. The Bible teaches that “… the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

The Bible gives a wide range of pictures of itself—various images to describe what God’s Word is and does.

God’s Word is a seed that he plants.

Scripture is rain that soaks in and nourishes,

something sweet and delightful to eat, and

something that gives light and understanding.

The Bible is a sword that penetrates and makes sharp distinctions.

God’s Word is also a fire and a hammer to deal with what is cold and hard.

I believe there are times when we need a soft rain. There are also times we need a hammer to break apart our cold and hardened spirits. There are times as Psalm 8 reminds us, that God’s words “are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.”

The word of God is inspired, true, sufficient and has final authority over a Jesus follower. As we follow Jesus, we do not place our traditions, culture, feelings, wants and opinions over the word of God. When we hold the bible, we affirm that it is the very Word of God and we take joy in reading, meditating and studying it to know God and to also learn what it looks like to live as a member of the Kingdom of God.

It is important for us, to learn from the period of the Reformation, and to follow their lead to go back to the Scriptures to learn wisdom and understanding about the issues of life. Scripture teaches us to know God and it also helps us to know ourselves. Scripture reveals the truth about who we are, whose we are, and what we need for life. Scripture guides us to live a life that pleases and honors God.

All of life and wisdom and love are found in God’s Word, everything from hammers to honey.

LET US PRAY

Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me. Thank you for the hammer and the seed and the rain you send in your Word. Help me to keep listening, so I may enjoy the full life you offer. Amen.