Joel M Bradshaw

1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began 3and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior…

What do we learn about the Bible here?

1. The ones that God has chosen will always respond in faith to him. These are the elect. This saving faith therefore comes as a response to the Bible. God’s Word is meant to be what the elect respond to.
2. Faith and knowledge work together to lead to a godly life. This is why the elect continue to study the Bible and apply its truths in daily living.
3. Reading and applying Bible not only produces faith and trust, but also hope. And that hope is centered upon eternal life. Sin and death are therefore not the final chapters of a Christian’s ‘book’.

God sovereignly uses the Bible in a Christian’s life in a manner that results in a trusting faith and a lasting hope. Paul saw himself as an honored slave of God who got to proclaim God’s Word. The faithfulness of a preacher, teacher, or biblical counselor is first measured in their proper usage and proclamation of the Bible. The Bible is therefore sufficient alone to be used by God to bring about the faith and practice God expects in his elect.—JMB