All Scripture
Scripture holds an undeniable importance and plays a profound role in the life of every believer in Jesus.
Scripture itself makes this truth plain.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Being a people of the “word” matters.
At the same time, it is also important to recognize that there can be a person of the word who misses out on knowing “The Word” (Jesus) because they have only intellectually been invested.
Jesus had to point this out during His time of ministry to the religious leaders of His day.
John 5:39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
These leaders, in their zealous devotion to Scripture, overlooked the true essence of Jesus and the necessity to believe in Him as they truly needed to.
No one should ever be allowed to diminish the importance of Scripture, but neither should they diminish the importance of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The reality of intimately relating to Jesus should never take a back seat to an intellectual pursuit of Scripture.
Sadly, today, many are astute in their study of Scripture but anemic in their knowledge of Jesus and the person of the Holy Spirit. They have placed their hope and trust in Scripture and see Jesus merely as a side note. They place greater emphasis on memorization of chapter and verse than they do on knowing Jesus intimately and being yielded to the Holy Spirit.
On the flip side, some claim they only wish to know Jesus, and they neglect to study to show themselves approved unto God. They claim revelation knowledge that contradicts the truth already revealed to us in the pages of Scripture.
Interestingly, Jesus was able to use common men somewhat familiar with the Scriptures to establish His kingdom and preach the good news of the New Covenant based on their intimate knowledge of Him.
1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—
It was this intimacy and embodiment of the truth that proved powerful and effective for the first disciples. I could memorize volumes of Scripture and quote it chapter by chapter, but if I do not know Christ intimately and have all my hope and trust in Him, I have yet to gain what I need most. All Scripture is profitable, especially when it points me to Jesus and His righteousness made available to me.
