The Ditch and the Canyon
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."—2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
One of the amazing things about the Bible is that it truly is a book like no other. When it was first written in ancient times, there was no other god who would tell its followers what is expected of them. Because they didn’t know what the god’s standards were, they had no idea how to course correct and could only try one thing after another in their attempts to appease him (or her).
Therefore, the fact that God not only describes that in the Bible but seeks to establish a personal relationship with us is amazing. No other ancient deity would stoop down to do such a thing. Rather, ancient myths would describe them as distant spectators at best, responding to offerings if they pleased them enough or happened to be struck with a touch of sympathy.
But not our God. He has given us every spiritual gift in the heavenly realms (Eph. 1:3) that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). And one of the greatest of all those gifts is His written Word: our Bibles.
Paul tells Timothy that all Scripture is “breathed out” by God—from His very mouth. It is “profitable”—for our good. How? Paul explains a simple progression. God’s Word provides
Teaching, showing us what is right and providing a foundation of truth.
Reproof, showing us where we have gone wrong and how we have deviated from the truth.
Correction, showing us how to get back to the truth.
Training in righteousness, showing us how to continually keep growing in that truth.
What an act of love and grace!
However, the problem is, we often view the Bible as an anthology of different genres that we can select from, like a buffet, when Paul tells us “all Scripture” is profitable. We stick with what’s easy to apply and skirt around the more challenging portions, but in doing so, we miss out on key truths that are vital to our growth in faith.
Concerning this, Emlet observes:
"...sometimes use of Scripture in ministry [or life!] has the feel of stepping across a ditch (easy!) and sometimes it has the feel of stepping across a canyon (impossible!). The challenge, really, is how to bridge the gap between an ancient biblical text and a present-day life situation." —Michael Emlet, CrossTalk
When we only camp out in the easier parts of Scripture, our Bibles become, as Emlet describes it, “thin.” That is, our understanding of salvation becomes narrow instead of rich because we skip Leviticus. Or like me, I am often stuck in my overwhelming emotions because I had not tried to understand the rich poetry of the Psalms. Maybe you’ve lost hope because Revelation seems too weird or difficult to understand.
And so, with this post, I want to encourage you, my friend, to be open to embracing all of God’s Word. Will you believe that every bit of it—even the lists of names in the genealogies, the confusing imagery in the prophets, the gory details of Leviticus, and the boring measurements of a temple that no longer exists—is for our good—even profitable?
God has given us a treasure simply by communicating with us. That He has given us such variety is such an act of grace. His heart is for us, that we might know Him and know His life-giving ways, His purpose, His intentions for humanity.
Action:
Before we go further, take five minutes to think of a person in your life—it can even be you! Then identify something a real situation, struggle or season you/they are in right now. What are some “ditch” or easy passages that address it? What might be a “canyon” passage you’d never to think of bringing to it at all?
Keep your situation or the person in mind: we'll be returning to this post after post, as we discover how God’s Word ministers to us.
