Breathed out by God (A SOAP Journal from 2 Timothy 3)

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

In addition to regular articles, I will once again be posting highlights of some simple SOAP journals that were produced during a regular gathering of pastors to journal, pray, and encourage one another. These are not exhaustively studied as they are generally the work of 20 minutes of reading, 20 minutes of writing, and 20 minutes of sharing with each other what we have written. These brief devotional journal posts will begin in the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus). Hopefully, they will be encouraging to the readers of this blog.

We used the simple SOAP acronym as a devotional guide... which stands for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section caught my attention today? 
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of having read this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

S = 2 Timothy 3:15-17

“…and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

O = I have heard many sermons on the teaching, reproof, correction, and training part of this verse…it is truly amazing what the Bible can do to equip us as messengers of God’s love to the world. This verse is also used often to defend the authority and inspiration of all parts of the Bible, which is also correct. However, I think we often miss the forest for the trees. “All Scripture is breathed out by God” think about that for a moment. As I recently read those words again, I had the phrase “all scripture” echoing in my mind—referring to the whole not just the collection of the various parts we like to read. It is the whole thing, the great majestic story of God’s redemptive love for mankind that equips us. It is the whole counsel of the Word of God that corrects, encourages, and trains us in righteousness. We need to learn to see the parts in relation to the whole if we are to avoid misunderstanding, error, and imbalance.

How is the Scripture described in this verse? I think we tend to jump to the word “profitable” (e.g., what is in it for me, my position, or for my mission) to the point of overlooking that it is first “breathed out by God.” It is the Triune God’s sharing of his life with us!

What happened the first time the breath of God is mentioned in the Bible? It is in Genesis 2:7, “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

A = What if I looked at the Bible as God’s breathing into me his life (Eze. 37:9), his very Spirit (John 20:22)? How would it change the way I read it? What life does God want to breathe into my soul this week? What dry bones does he want to raise up to a life of effective ministry in me during the weeks to come? I find I need to read the Bible:

• quickly—to pick up the overarching story of God’s love, catching God’s personality in how he speaks, acts, and thinks.
• devotionally—so that I hear him speaking life and truth to me in the process.
• continually—so my bearings don’t become confused and my love for him doesn’t grow cold.
• communally—so that we can share and embrace what we are hearing together as a  community. 

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

I must not approach the Bible as merely a vehicle for advancing my cause, but rather for receiving the divine life that God shares with us. 

P = O Lord, thank you for breathing out your Word for us—first in history lived out, then in words written on scroll or page so that your story could enter into and change our future for the better…that what was once dust and without life or meaning might become a living creature, and better than that a child of God in Christ by the Holy Spirit. May others catch wind of your invitation and be joined together in your great story! Amen.