30 Days in the Bible, Day 14: 2 Timothy 2:14-19

As Paul describes the essence of the gospel in verses 8-9, there is one phrase that seems almost to be a passing line, but that I think jumps off the page. Paul considers the gospel message something that is of such value that he is willing to be chained in prison for preaching it. Yet he points out that, contrary to him, “God’s word is not chained.”

Throughout history, and throughout our world today, many have tried to stamp out God’s Word. It has been banned and criminalized by those who oppose its teachings. It has been denied and belittled by those who don’t wish to wrestle with the truth it presents. It has even been hidden from people by religious leaders who wanted to make themselves the arbiters of what it said. Many Christians have died not only standing firm for Jesus, but refusing to give up or deny the Bible and its teaching.

Despite all these attempts, the Bible and its presentation of Jesus Christ still have power to change people’s lives today. The Bible truly is unchained. The Word is carried to every corner of the globe through printed copies, radio messages, and the Internet. Many Christians spend their lives making it accessible through translation and distribution. Others risk their freedom and even their lives to get the Bible to those who seek to know more about what it says.

We have looked at the power that the Word has, and how that power is applied through the Holy Spirit. That power cannot be stopped or stifled by human efforts. It may seem for a while that people succeed in removing the Word from their world, but the power of God’s Word has always emerged from their efforts with its power and majesty intact.

In his sermon “The Lover of God’s Law Filled With Peace,” Charles Spurgeon draws this analogy: “The Word of God can take care of itself, and will do so if we preach it, and cease defending it. See you that lion. They have caged him for his preservation; shut him up behind iron bars to secure him from his foes! See how a band of armed men have gathered together to protect the lion. What a clatter they make with their swords and spears! These mighty men are intent upon defending a lion. O fools, and slow of heart! Open that door! Let the lord of the forest come forth free. Who will dare to encounter him? What does he want with your guardian care? Let the pure gospel go forth in all its lion-like majesty, and it will soon clear its own
way and ease itself of its adversaries.” The Bible has a power that need sno defense. If we read it, learn it, and preach it, that power will change lives today.

(Spurgeon’s sermon is well worth reading in its entirety. You can find it online at
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/sermons34.iii.html.)